EHR MIGRATION JOURNAL 4
Post Go-Live Planning
and System Optimization
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Journal 4
The Final Phase of your EHR Migration Journey
Your EHR Go-Live date has come and gone. You’ve done a good job of managing a complex, and arduous EHR migration project. You’re feeling a great sense of accomplishment and maybe some relief, but there’s a little voice in the back of your mind reminding you to keep alert, keep your eye on the ball. You’re not completely out of the woods. Not yet.
Even if early signs look encouraging, there are several essential post Go-Live matters to consider and manage over the coming weeks, months, and beyond. If proper planning after initial system training and implementation is not in place, the project can take a sharp turn in the wrong direction. This article will provide you with some guidance and resources that may be of value as you move through the final phase of your EHR migration journey.
Does This Sound Familiar?
When moving to a new EHR, all eyes are focused on the Go-Live project. It’s the apex of months, sometimes years of planning and execution. However, if you haven’t thought through a few key elements of post Go-Live preparation, you may end up with unnecessary headaches, and a decrease in morale and productivity.
Here are a few common trouble spots that may be familiar to you, or perhaps by managing your specific situation and planning ahead, you can avoid some of them altogether:
A Few Common Trouble Spots
Post-Implementation Training
and Support Gaps
As you move beyond basic day-to-day system operational tasks, some organizations run into difficulties managing more complex data access and reporting needs required to manage their departments effectively.
Do you have sufficient internal and external training and support teams in place to provide the resources required for the expected increase in initial needs?
Network Infrastructure
Strains
As more practices and/or departments come on board and begin using the new system, your IT network begins to strain with more frequent down time incidents and slowing system response times.
Have you done a thorough IT infrastructure evaluation and test before rolling out your new system?
System Optimization
Shortfalls
Some 3rd party applications and standard plugins are not functioning effectively, and standard and custom departmental reports are not capturing data required to make important clinical and business decisions. In addition, specialty workflows will likely need to be adjusted to leverage your new system.
- Have you taken 3rd party application inventory and contacted your vendors well ahead of Go-Live to plan for potential failures?
- Have you done an interface audit and planned resources for supplemental post Go Live testing, validation and refinement?
New Practice Integration
Slowdowns
New practice extraction/conversion integration processes have changed and are not running as smoothly as with the past legacy system, impeding system-wide growth initiatives.
Have you worked with your new platform vendor to determine appropriate skills required or 3rd party resources available to assist in new practice integrations going forward?
We Can Help
4 Strategies to Consider
There are several recognized planning strategies and processes that improve your chances of a successful post Go-Live rollout as you transition towards utilizing your new EHR/PM platform to its full potential.
Based on over a decade of experience, Keena’s EHR/PM transition team has the experience and successfully assisted scores of organizations through complex migration projects. Here are 4-strategies to consider when planning and executing the final post Go-Live phase of your EHR migration project:
01Take Steps to Avoid Training and Support Gaps
An important planning step is to make sure you have an effective internal training team and structure in place and a sufficient external support team (new EHR partner) at the ready to help, as needed.
Important Factors to Consider:
Timely turnover on open tickets; completing user access and system provisioning processes; and, planning for consistent communication as adjustments are made during the early learning days.
02Conduct an IT Infrastructure Evaluation
23% of healthcare leaders worldwide identified IT infrastructure as a leading roadblock to using data effectively.
Important Factors to Consider:
Work closely with your EHR/PM vendor of choice to make sure you understand the infrastructure requirements needed for maximum system performance and conduct an internal audit to ensure you have the technology required to make a successful transition.
03Anticipate and Plan for System Optimization Projects
Once you’ve completed your initial training, department staff will likely start to notice reports and processes aren’t running as smoothly as with the previous system. There may be disruptions and/or errors in essential 3rd party applications. These disruptions could be related to application incompatibility or interface/integration shortfalls.
Important Factors to Consider:
Having a skilled and trained workflow team with a clear process in place for identifying and implementing new processes is essential to success. Alerting all critical 3rd party app vendors of your new system and Go-Live dates is also required to ensure any interface adjustments are made ahead of migration. Having integration engine resources available to fix errors as needed will limit critical workflow stoppages and result in a smoother transition to the new system.
04Retrain IT Staff on New Practice Integration Processes
If your organization intends to maintain or increase some level of growth after your new system is live, you’ll need to plan for integration training and implement new processes to continue the efficient transition of new practices into your network.
Important Factors to Consider:
Plan ahead to determine whether you’ll need 3rd party assistance for future integrations or if your current team has the skills and time to make the transition.
Our Recommended Solutions
With 17-years’ experience in the industry and nearly 70 full-time consultants, Keena understands the complexity facing organizations managing an EHR platform migration project.
Through our Advisory Service offerings, look to Keena to provide leading healthcare IT consultants many who have previously worked for organizations like yours and managed clients facing similar challenges.
Here is a partial list of services to support your migration project needs:
Staff Training
No matter the software application or required method of delivery, whether its end-user or IT analyst training, we have the skilled resources to help. Our experts can assist in training needs for large project rollouts, EHR/PM end-user training, IT analyst admin training, and more.
Optimization Reviews
Our optimization team evaluates and recommends system efficiency reviews on a regular basis. Through these systemic workflow analyses we’ll provide a detailed report of adjustments that lead to an organization working smarter, not harder.
Custom Reporting Needs
Our team of database experts will take your data reporting requests and turn them into accurate, actionable, and effective operational tools. A sample of our reporting expertise includes staff productivity, quality & regulatory performance, billing & financial performance, and custom one-off requests.
Automated Account Provisioning
Standardize setup of user accounts while adhering to protocols to seamlessly grant and manage access to your new EHR and PM systems.
Managed Interface Services
Our Managed Interface Solutions provides an added level of confidence for clients navigating an EHR project. Powered by the QIE (Qvera Interface Engine) this Software as a Service deals with installation, updates, refinement and ongoing maintenance of all your healthcare interfaces.
Set up a 45 minute introductory/discovery call for any of data migration solutions listed above
Client Success Spotlight
Hutchinson Clinic
Hutchinson, Kansas
Take a look at our client success story, Staff Augmentation and Advisory Services:
“
We were at a point in time where our IT staff shortfall and tight local labor market had the potential to disrupt our ability to manage mission critical daily operations. After bringing in skilled and experienced Keena IT consultants to support our department, we were not only able to effectively maintain essential IT systems but also implement new quality and efficiency enabling applications and programs.
The result was an increase in staff satisfaction and an overall increase in our clinical operations and improvement in care delivery.”
Verlin Janzen
Chief Medical Officer, Hutchinson Clinic
Previous Migration Journals