Many hospitals and health systems are not maximizing the value of their core electronic health record (EHR) investments. Conducting regular “EHR tune-ups” can be a quick win to help your organization close the gap between clinical performance and technology optimization.
Many Healthcare Delivery Organizations Are Not Using EHRs to Their Full Capacity
Hospitals and health systems continue to face significant changes, primarily centered around technology and automation, both of which are costly. Whether you enhance performance and then augment operations with technology – or advance technology as a forcing function to drive performance change – successfully closing the gap between clinical performance and technology optimization is required to make the most out of your enterprise EHR investment.
However, many health systems still do not utilize their core EHR to its full potential, including leveraging built-in AI functionality. Manual processes and workarounds that circumvent core capabilities are often prevalent. Team members may frequently turn to niche third-party solutions or “bolt-ons” to address problems without first considering the EHR capabilities right at their fingertips.
Several factors contribute to these issues, including alert fatigue, a lack of standard definitions, and inadequate visual cues to support adoption.
Performing Regular "EHR Tune-Ups" Can Be a Quick Win
An “EHR tune-up” can help ensure your organization gets the most out of your technology investment while minimizing manual processes or workarounds. The concept of a “tune-up” is not a one-time effort, though. There are actions that every health system needs to take regularly.
1. Check in with your core EHR vendor every 6-12 months about new capabilities, including those related to AI
Monitoring emerging niche third-party solutions related to AI and other rapidly evolving areas is critical; however, these efforts cannot come at the expense of failing to maximize the value of what you have already purchased. AI capabilities, in particular those from core vendors, continue to evolve rapidly. Every 6-12 months, check in with your enterprise EHR vendor to understand their new capabilities and their near-term product roadmap, and how that functionality can benefit your organization if effectively integrated into workflows and fully adopted by clinicians.
Routine check-ins provide your organization with valuable insights into future technology advancements and enhancements that may become available soon. Additionally, sharing your challenges enables your EHR vendor to consider future improvements. Key questions to ask include:
- What types of programmatic enhancements are coming in the near future?
- What types of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), or predictive analytics capabilities are available today? What will be available in the future – and when?
- How can my organization use cognitive models to enhance performance?
2. Regularly evaluate the EHR capabilities your organization is underutilizing, and redefine process workflows accordingly
Technology must drive informed decision-making throughout the enterprise. However, that hinges on clinicians making the most of existing EHR capabilities. Be sure to understand the core technology your organization is underutilizing and why. Is there a technical or integration issue? Is the technology not sufficiently complementing the workflow?
Following that evaluation, it is crucial to redefine process workflows. For example, as part of a recent engagement, Impact Advisors carefully examined underutilized EHR capabilities across defined focus areas, including case management, bed placement, registration, and transportation. We worked with the client to assess the practice or performance indicators that would also need to change if we improved adoption of those related capabilities. As we introduced technology, we also included training on performance and clinical optimization. The marrying of the two processes helped drive results.
For instance, within the existing EHR, we enhanced visual cues that alerted the clinical team when a patient exceeded the length of stay (LOS) goal. The cues were made available to multiple members of the clinical team, allowing all members to focus on initiating change. This helped reduce LOS and freed up needed capacity for patients in the community.
3. Work with the right partner
Getting the most from regular enterprise technology “tune-ups” requires finding a partner with deep clinical, EHR, and AI expertise. The right partner will bring together experts accustomed to enhancing EHR functionality while coupling this with process improvement. The integration of IT workflow and process workflow closes the gap in inefficiency, allowing your organization to achieve optimal outcomes. Additionally, your partner should be making rapid strides in working with their clients to implement AI that is both safe and effective in hospitals and health systems.
The Bottom Line
Regular “EHR tune-ups” can be a quick win to help your organization maximize your technology investment while minimizing manual processes and workarounds. Success requires checking in with your core vendor every 6-12 months to discuss new capabilities, regularly evaluating the EHR capabilities your organization is underutilizing, and working with a partner that has deep clinical, EHR, and AI expertise.
