Software Solutions/EHR

Lead Your Staff in the Transition to EHR

By Scott A. Jens, OD, FAAO

Successful conversion to electronic health records requires an educated doctor ready to take the lead—and a staff that sees the long-range benefits.

Practice Profile

Isthmus Eye Care
Middleton and Madison, Wis.
www.isthmuseye.com

Annual Examinations
5,000

Doctors
Four

Specialties
Laser Vision Correction Co-Management
InfantSEE
Low Vision

Doctors commonly make the mistake of believing their work is done after they sign the purchase agreement for EHR software. Honestly, the work has just begun and the doctor must become educated and then lead the entire clinic team through the process of training. The doctor should first complete the complimentary training every EHR vendor offers, and then prepare to lead the rest of his team through the transition.

Set Time Aside for Customer Support

It is essential for the doctor himself to become educated. To gain efficiency and ultimately optimize the patient experience, the doctor must commit to periodic sessions with the customer support team that is offered by the software vendor and should take advantage of reviewing tutorials or documentation provided within the help system of the software to learn shortcuts, data transfer protocols and useful tips for better data analysis. For example, many EHR software vendors provide a monthly online seminar that allows attendees to ask questions to a live support person to become more aware of the system’s capabilities. These sessions are often over lunch hours or in the early evening to avoid conflicts with patient care scheduling.

The doctor should be an example of fortitude and commitment because the staff will sense apprehension, doubt and may jump to the conclusion the doctor isn’t committed to the transition.

Here are examples from my own practice, Isthmus Eye Care, on how we improved our staff’s implementation of electronic records:

Implementation Steps with Staff

Make goals clear. As soon as you can after signing the purchase agreement, have a staff meeting to announce the new system. Explain why you believe the transition to EHR at this point in time is worth it including efficiencies in office work and enhanced patient care to be gained.

Set timetable. Give staff an anticipated timeline for implementation. So no one panics, let staff know when training on the new system will begin and what the training and ongoing support will be like (online training, dry run-throughs, on-the-job aids or cheat sheets).

Get staff feedback, buy-in. Ask for staff feedback to your plans. Don’t be surprised if staffers express anxiety and misgivings about the new system. Consider preparing an EHR FAQ sheet with the information you go over during the staff meeting, including system characteristics, implementation and training timelines. Field questions and comments as patiently as possible and let staff know you are eager for their suggestions for making the transition go as smoothly as possible.

Be honest, flexible. Don’t be surprised if a staff member asks if jobs will be eliminated after the transition thanks to the new efficiencies of the EHR. If you truly don’t know the answer to that question, be as honest as you can. There is nothing wrong with telling staff that you need to see how office operations function after implementation before you know for sure, but that you value each of them and will give any affected staffers ample warning if their job is going to be phased out or if they need to be transitioned into another job function.

EHR Implementation Resources

The following web sites, provided by EHR vendors, can be used as support tools for implementing electronic records:

RevolutionEHR blog

http://www.revolutionehr.com/blog/

Eyefinity OfficeMate blog

http://eyefinityblog.com/

Compulink EHR Implementation Portal

http://www.compulinkadvantage.com/advantage/ophthalmology-ehr-resources.html

Simulate Use of EHR; Alter Doctor Schedule

Within the training process, it is important to simulate the use of the EHR by taking paper records that are completed and practicing the data entry requirements after hours to become familiar. Once the training process is done, the doctor should commit to a reduced patient schedule for up to two weeks, so as to allow every staff member to become familiar through experience and to allow the doctor to develop the rapport that will be used when a computer is being used to document the patient experience.

You’ll be surprised how different the patient-doctor experience is in the exam room with EHR. Entering data into the computer while talking to patients will take getting used to. You don’t want to be distracted from the patient as if you’re talking more to the computer than to the person sitting in front of you. But at the same time, you don’t want to forget to enter information such as new health issues which the patient is telling you about. Leaving yourself with extra time for appointments in the first two weeks after implementation will give you the time you need to adjust to the new exam room dynamic.

Related ROB Articles

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Cut Labor Costs with EHR Systems for Co-Management

Combine EHR System and Recall Software to Make Patient Recall More Effective and Profitable

Scott A. Jens, OD, FAAO, is co-owner of Isthmus Eye Care, with offices in Middleton and Madison, Wis. In addition, Dr. Jens is the CEO of RevolutionEHR, a provider of online-based electronic health records. He can be reached at: sjens@revolutionehr.com.

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