As your healthcare organization grows in size, chances are you will need to expand your automated processes to more. Today, even small agencies and hospices boast an EMR/EHR platform to manage patient information. Programs that help manage records, automate workflow, aid scheduling and much more are all extremely beneficial to a growing business. These processes help facilitate patient care and take the manual burden off of employees. However, change is intimidating and implementation can be lengthy and expensive. As a vendor, we have compiled a list of what to expect and how to address these realities.
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Reality: Old Habits Die Hard
That homage is absolutely true in the healthcare world. Healthcare boasts some of the most innovative and advanced technology of any industry but most office work still revolves around a manual process. Don’t expect employees to understand and be comfortable with the change immediately. Their safety blanket has been removed and some may cling on for dear life.
Solution: Designate a Leader
Implementation goes much more quickly and smoothly if someone within the organization becomes an advocate for the new program. They are usually an employee in middle management or higher, that becomes the “Go To” for questions, facilitation of training and support of the new application. Users respond much more positively when someone is firm with the changes and stresses that the process will become easier after a little time is invested.
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Reality: Users Learn at a Different Pace
Depending on how familiar users are with technology, can contribute to how long it takes a program to be fully implemented throughout an organization. Some users may pick up the change quickly, while others may take additional training and hand holding. The more extensive the training, the more likely the change will be successful.
Solution: Find a Vendor with Unlimited Support
When selecting a vendor, a commitment to serve is as important as the software it sells. If the company only offers a mass training session and very little additional support (or if it is at an upcharge) you may want to rethink the partnership. Usually, program implementation needs more individualized and one-on-one training sessions available for some users. Make sure the vendor is proactive with users to ensure the application is understood and being utilized fully.
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Reality: User Feedback Won’t Always be Positive
Leaders should expect some initial negative feedback. As previously addressed, change is scary and may be met with resistance from users. The users may not initially thank management for the new technology, but with proper training positive feedback will far outweigh any concerns.
Solution: Talk It Out
Throughout this process it is important to keep open lines of communication. Leaders, users and the vendor should openly communicate with each other about the positives and negatives of the implementation. By communicating issues with the vendor, proper steps can be taken to address the problem or situation. The software company may also have some suggestions or the ability to share best practices from other customers.
It is important to consider all of these and more when selecting a software vendor for your organization. The implementation process is challenging for everyone, and these simple considerations can aid in the execution of a new program.
