Our Latest Stage 6 Customer: Duncan Regional Hospital
(09/14/2011)
By improving communication and collaborating with MEDITECH on a new "strike team" approach to implementation, this customer was able to maximize its success with CPOE.

For an EHR to work properly, many hospitals are finding that good communication is often just as important as adequate technical support and staff training. At Duncan Regional Hospital (Duncan, OK), leaders there discovered that by establishing an open dialogue among their staff, as well as with MEDITECH, they were able to achieve Stage 6 EMR Adoption recognition from HIMSS Analytics. 

Furthermore, according to Roger Neal, vice president of I.T. and CIO at Duncan Regional, a consistent approach to communication and collaboration were the keys to their success with adopting CPOE--a project which often presents challenges even for the most tech-saavy hospitals.

"We're very proud and pleased to have achieved Stage 6," says Neal. "The past several months in particular have been really remarkable for us, because with our CPOE implementation, we've undertaken a whole new communication structure with MEDITECH to achieve our goals. It's worked out really well, having MEDITECH come to the table as a true partner. And for that, we are enthusiastically thankful."

Tackling CPOE with a "Strike Team" Approach
Earlier this year, Duncan Regional came together with MEDITECH to pioneer a new strategy for improving the CPOE adoption process. "When we originally went LIVE, we had a difficult time--not with the CPOE system, exactly, but with the siloed approach to implementation," Neal says. 

"Very often, issues with CPOE arise not because of the system itself, but because something wasn't changed or set up correctly downstream in Pharmacy, Lab, or Radiology. It has nothing to do with CPOE itself, but with downstream problems. In our case, we found that we were making progress with CPOE, but not quite as well or as quickly as we had anticipated. That was very frustrating."

Nearly four months after go-LIVE, leaders at Duncan held a conference call with MEDITECH, to begin working through the issues. That was when MEDITECH introduced them to a new implementation concept now in the works: the "strike team."

"Basically, MEDITECH's 'strike team' involved bringing in a CPOE, nursing, and Pharmacy team to come in and evaluate our systems, listen to our physicians, and work together as one unit to get things back on track for us," says Neal. "It sounded like a fantastic concept, so we agreed to try it out."

Improving Morale and Technology Usage through Communication
Soon afterwards, the first visit of the MEDITECH "strike team" took place. After making rounds and listening to the clinical caregivers and physicians, the team sat down with members of Duncan's clinical and medical staff, and began working together on improvements. 

"It was phenomenal--as the MEDITECH Pharmacy expert was talking to our Pharmacy expert, they could each hear and contribute to the conversation across all the other systems. Likewise, if the nursing group said that one proposed solution couldn't work, the Pharmacy group could immediately offer their ideas for alternatives," Neal says. 

"The process, communication, and morale of our CPOE project just went up tenfold that day. I was amazed at how much work was completed in the first three days of this new process, and how much happier our clinical and medical staff was, as well." 

The following month, MEDITECH's "strike team" returned to Duncan to make sure that the hospital was progressing with CPOE as planned. Thanks to their shared communication process, Duncan's CPOE ordering percentage went from about 30% to over 80%, in just a few months' time. 

"We continue to have monthly 'strike team' calls, to make certain that any decisions or changes we make, don't create problems downstream," says Neal. "Communication as been the key for us--having the right people at the right time and place, all working for a common goal."

Advice for Other Organizations 
Neal also urges other hospitals preparing for a CPOE implementation, to establish open lines of communication from the start. "Without good communication, your experience with electronic ordering could easily be brief, painful, and very costly," he says. 

"Involve your clinicians early and often in any discussions, demonstrations, or meetings about the project. Meet, meet, and meet again to discuss possible changes and transitions involved with the CPOE process. And don't forget to talk to your I.T. vendor! Work with them to develop a 'strike team' approach to start off with during your implementation. It will make a huge difference."

 

MEDITECH
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com