Healthcare organizations often have troubles maintaining their patient volume and profitability because there has been a trend of decreasing reimbursements and growing amounts of regulations. However, with the right planning, your organization can grow profitably through value-based payment models.
Here are a few tips and best practices for implementing an EMR:
- Choose a long-term partner. You want to work with an organization that will work closely with you and be flexible to change as you change. You’re looking for a partner, not a one-time vendor, an important distinction to make.
- Determine which criteria are most important to you when choosing your partner. Think of the characteristics you’re looking for in your EMR partner, and don’t feel like you have to compromise on those characteristics. You should consider traits like ease of use, ease of learning, personal service, flexibility and more. You might even create your own questionnaire to send to potential providers to learn more about them and what they have to offer.
- Get staff involved. When you’re preparing to implement an EMR, get key staff members from various departments involved both in selecting the system you use and creating the processes and workflows. This will significantly reduce the amount of resistance you face from staff members during implementation, because the staff itself has been deeply involved and invested in the process. Staff resistance is one of the primary hurdles healthcare organizations have to overcome during the implementation phase.
- Understand there will be a learning curve. It’s a new system, and your staff needs to go through the proper training to become experts in it. Manage your expectations, and realize there will be some initial bumps in the road. The biggest mistake you could make is giving up on the EMR before your staff fully gets accustomed to it. All that will have done is set you back as an organization.
- Keep staff updated with any workflow changes that occur. Any time workflow changes at all, make sure you keep your staff updated. Communication is key at all times. Consider making use of an online portal for staff members to improve communication standards.
For more tips about successful EMR implementation, we encourage you to contact us today.
About Howell Consulting Group
Howell Consulting Group provides healthcare consulting services to hospital and physician practices nationwide. Our key focus areas are revenue cycle management, health information technology, and revenue cycle billing and collections.
HCGs consultants are highly experienced in all aspects of healthcare financial management. We implement revenue cycle best practices to optimize your receivables performance and maximize your cash flow.
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