OSE_1211_part2_Layout 1 11/8/12 10:43 AM Page 91
E M R
D I A R Y
board of trustees. Our best plan was to include all of the stakeholders
and add their needs to the selection matrix we used to document each
EMR system we evaluated. We included risk management, nursing
quality, process improvement, physician relations, the health record
information department, senior leaders, information technology and
many more departments. Everyone throughout the hospital had some
input into the selection of our new EMR, so when it came time for
implementation, they all knew what we were working on. An important note when selecting your software: Don't let IT drive this process.
Otherwise, the end result will be what meets their needs, not your
clinical needs.
• Team champions. Many people knew that we needed a new EMR,
but didn't understand the processes that had to change to get us there.
By including staff in frequent updates and planning meetings, we had
about half of the staff involved from Day 1. This gave the staff a stake
in our project's success. The core team members brought their peers
on board as we progressed, which led to easy end-user training and
hopefully a smooth go-live.
• System design. The greatest part of our EMR is the use of wizards
for documentation. The wizards are selected according to the type of
procedure being documented and focus the RN's documentation on
the items needed for that specific procedure. The RNs aren't trying to
fit patient care into a generic OR record, but now have an OR record
that matches our practice and workflow. Although we haven't tested
N O V E M B E R 2012 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
9 1
