From Legacy System to MEDITECH: Henry Mayo Shares Its Journey of Technological Transformation
(7/16/2008)

Any health care organization preparing for a software implementation can confidently look to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital (Valencia, CA), for inspiration and ideas. In just 15 months, Henry Mayo successfully replaced its 25-year-old legacy system with MEDITECH's state-of-the art, integrated Health Care Information System (HCIS).

MEDITECH Expert Shares Ingredients to a Successful Implementation
Adnan Hamid, clinical information systems manager at Henry Mayo, understands the importance of thorough planning, constant communication, and commitment from the entire hospital when transitioning to a new technology solution. Previously hailing from another prestigious MEDITECH hospital, Hamid used his past experience to help guide Henry Mayo toward a successful implementation.

Hamid explains an important early step included identifying and mobilizing key players. "Efforts began almost two years ago when the hospital gained the commitment of key stakeholders and organized strategic committees comprised of executives as well as staff members from various departments," states Hamid. "Our strategic plan focused on getting everyone on board and engaged. We wanted to make the process beneficial to everyone involved—not just a select group of users."

Henry Mayo's CIO, Cindy Peterson, created a committee consisting of executives who ultimately became the project's governing body and top decision-makers. Also, sub-committees were established to represent the various product areas; Hamid oversaw all of the clinical applications.

This structure provided a clear advantage. "If there was an issue with a certain application, we had an escalation process," explains Hamid. "We would be able to escalate the issue to the correct people within the committees and obtain quicker turnaround times and resolutions."

In addition, Henry Mayo developed a Physician Advisory Council including 20 physicians to foster widespread physician buy-in of the MEDITECH system. "Our Physician Advisory Council held monthly physician meetings prior to go-LIVE and each member was expected to give input, help with system building, and stay on top of training," says Hamid.

Morale-Boosting Activities Sweeten the Transition for Staff Members
When it comes to making sure everyone is on the same page and excited about implementation, the folks at Henry Mayo are especially skilled in creating effective solutions. For example, the hospital held a project naming contest, which proved to be a popular and strategic move for the hospital.

"The winning name was iCARE," says Hamid. "Carefully chosen, the name represents how each person is accountable for providing quality patient care. Branding the project in this way helped ensure everyone understood the project's focus as well as their own stake in its success."

iCARE was unveiled and creatively showcased at an implementation kick-off event. "We made sure the logo was on everything: pens, notepads, and even navy embroidered lab coats designed especially for the iCARE team," says Hamid. "Our own 'geek squad' knew the system and was well-versed and trained in functionality specific to each MEDITECH product. Staff members could recognize them by their lab coats and they felt comfortable going to them for guidance."

Also, after new hardware was installed to support the initiative, Henry Mayo introduced another popular morale booster: ice cream. "We all enjoyed celebrating the milestone over ice cream," says Hamid. He adds that Henry Mayo also held an 'iCARE Expo' in the cafeteria as well as a 'Coming Attractions' afternoon a few months prior to go-LIVE.

"The iCARE Expo was held during hospital week last May," says Hamid. "Each core team had their own booth where they could exhibit visuals they had created to help explain what their application was all about. Staff members received a sticker for each booth they visited; those who stopped at all of them were entered into a raffle."

The Coming Attractions team building day—a perfect theme for a Southern California hospital—focused on presenting application content and encouraging audience interaction. "Each Core team demonstrated a 20-minute 'what's-to-come' show about the system and addressed questions from the user audience," says Hamid. "Since our teams would be doing extensive application training for others down the road, it gave them a fun and supportive setting for practicing public speaking."

Tackling Training Challenges
Preparing clinicians for go-LIVE was a success due to Henry Mayo's extensive communication and team efforts. However, as with any new implementation, there were lessons to be learned along the way. "The biggest challenge we faced was developing specific training strategies and materials for different groups of users," explains Hamid. "Our nurses had computer-based training while the physicians preferred to work on their own with training materials we provided."

Another challenge Henry Mayo faced was finding space to train users. "It's really important to have a designated space to do the training," says Hamid. "Fortunately, we were able to create a training room devoted solely to MEDITECH training."

Prior to and during go-LIVE, the health care facility created a 24/7 command center. "We provided support in the command center, and our efforts paid off," says Hamid. "We were prepared to deal with any issues that arose."

Henry Mayo learned that even with all the preparation and training provided to its staff, additional training was deemed necessary for some. Explains Hamid, "Our nurses asked for a bit more training and hands-on experience. For our next implementation, we have already planned on adding more training and support."

Better, Safer Patient Care is Now a Reality
Although the HCIS is still relatively new to the hospital, staff members are already discovering the advantages MEDITECH's software brings. "Our old system was very keyboard-driven, and not at all intuitive, whereas more people are now accessing the MEDITECH system and it's helping them do their jobs better," says Hamid.

"One example of a specific group of users benefiting from the MEDITECH system is our Pathology department," according to Hamid. "Prior to MEDITECH, pathologists were working manually on paper. Now, they are thrilled to be using an automated system which provides immediate on-line results and reports."

Physicians are also receiving pertinent information in a more timely way. "Physicians are no longer asking nurses to print requisitions. They have become much more savvy with the system and prefer its electronic capabilities over paper processes," says Hamid, adding that physicians see the Enterprise Medical Record as an indispensable, user-friendly tool. "The physicians like how seamless and easy it is to look up their patient results," he says.

And finally, Hamid notes the new system is much more conducive to promoting patient safety: "MEDITECH's HCIS requires users to enter allergy, height, and weight information, which reinforces safe medication administration processes."

Up Next: Moving Forward with Advanced Clinicals
After being LIVE for only six months, Henry Mayo has been able to achieve an important piece of its strategic implementation plan, but there is still much more to come. "The core applications are now in place," says Hamid. "We are getting ready for phase two, which includes advanced functionality such as clinical documentation, Bedside Verification, and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE). We'll also continue rolling out Physician Care Manager.

Moving forward, the hospital is counting on the continued support of all its staff and executives to bring them closer to becoming a completely electronic organization. "It's really about the people involved," concludes Hamid. "We had about 100 Henry Mayo and MEDITECH people collaborating on this project and we got everyone working together toward a common goal. Having the right people in place, coupled with a sound action plan are the keys to success for a project of this magnitude."

 

MEDITECH
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