Maine's regional extension center (REC) forum last week presented another good session for healthcare providers on how to making the transition from paper to electronic a seamless one.
Bernard Mohr, a partner at consulting firm Innovation Partners International (IPI), and Robert Laliberte, a partner at IPI and an instructor for the UNE Project Management Program, asked healthcare providers: "What do you really hold dear to you that you want to preserve into the future as you transition to an ronic-medical-record-emr" target="_blank" class="directory-item-link">ronic-medical-record-emr" target="_blank" class="directory-item-link">electronic medical record?"
The answer to this question revolves around what they called the "three legs of the 'stool' of an EMR implementation: life-giving properties, hopes and aspirations, and first steps." You may be thinking what I initially thought when I first came across an account of the session: This is going to turn into a crunchy granola, kumbaya, let's-all-hold-hands experience.
Not at all. It was actually one of those interactive exercises that are very strategic and thought-provoking at the same time. In fact, it may have gotten healthcare providers to think about these important clinical and business issues period.
So the 30 providers in attendance were asked to pair up - a la ice-breaker exercise - and the session leaders asked them to identify the life-giving properties or core values of the physician office. The exercise was meant to make healthcare providers highlight what needs to be preserved during the implementation and remain intact when the EMR is up and running. This makes total sense. Constantly returning to these core values will ensure that physicians and others view health IT as a tool to help them serve their patients.
Hopes and aspirations are the second leg of the stool. The presenters wanted attendees to highlight the positive aspects of EMR implementations instead of focusing on the challenges. Going into a situation that everyone knows is painful will create more dissension and pessimism than if everyone focused on the positive aspects of EMR implementation. In a nod to the self-fulfilling prophecy, if physicians and other staff members came to work every day with the goal of helping their patients and the understanding that health IT is a good tool to drive more efficiency into the workflow process, chances are the positive and optimism will smoke out the negatives.
Lastly, the third leg of the stool was identifying the first step to making the transition to the EMR world. Apparently, this was the most difficult question to answer for the attendees. Probably because it required an action, not thinking out a strategy or roadmap.
Little did they know at first blush that the answer was attending the REC forum in the first place.
Photo by exfordy via Creative Commons license
