Maximizing Your Investment in EHR

Epic and other EHR systems collect vast amounts of data, while giving your organization an expanded ability to gain insight into your patients and their needs, the care you provide, and how you provide it. But it is how you use this data that will determine if you reap the full benefit of your EHR investment.

You’ll need to monitor and fine-tune your EHR system to get the most out of it, now and in the future. And for better patient care and increased efficiency, systematically assess your EHR performance, understand user needs, and invest in continuous improvement.

Whether your EHR system has been live for one year or several, optimization of that investment should be considered an ongoing journey, not a one-time event.

Talent Groups regularly helps our clients make the most of their Epic (or other) EHR. Based on our deep experience, we offer 10 strategies for making the most of your EHR investment:

1. Measure and track. Your EHR data tells you what kind of information you are capturing, how it is being used—and ways to make better use of it.

• Data capture and completeness: Track the percentage of fields filled out. This will help you identify the areas with missing data and determine ways to improve data capture.
• Clinical decision support utilization: Monitor how often tools, like order sets and alerts, are used. Use this information to reduce medication errors and duplicate tests.
• Workflow efficiency: Analyze time spent on EHR tasks to identify areas for streamlining.
• Patient engagement: Track portal usage, appointment confirmations and patient satisfaction to target ways to better engage and care for your patients.

2. Collect user feedback: Without a consistent feedback process, you may not learn about important successes and failures.

• Conduct surveys and interviews. Patients and staff don’t always share their opinions without being asked. Be prepared to act on feedback and share results.
• Identify procedural pain points. Solicit ideas to optimize workflows.
• Ask specifically about user perceptions of the EHR. Do they believe it provides value to patient care?

3. Benchmark and learn: Digging into your EHR data can reveal where you measure up and how you can improve.

• Compare your EHR performance to similar health systems. Identify areas where you excel and areas where others have achieved better optimization.
• Implement best practices. Once you’ve identified what works, commit to making these practices part of your system’s operations.

4. Analyze outcomes: At set intervals, examine how your EHR system affects patient care, operations and financial results.

• Evaluate the impact on patient care quality. Drill into readmission rates, diagnostic accuracy, and treatment adherence.
• Examine any cost savings or revenue generated through EHR use. Determine if savings can be replicated in other areas or functions.
• Quantify the return on your EHR investment. Ultimately, this is your measure of success, so revisit it regularly.

5. Encourage continuous improvement: With insight gained from your EHR system, you can create a virtuous cycle of improved operations and patient service.

• Foster a culture of feedback. Make it clear to patients and staff that their opinions are important.
• Establish a process for reviewing and implementing user-driven improvements. Believing their opinions are valued will further motivate staff to share ideas.
• Value innovation and optimization. Celebrate home-grown improvements from those closest to the work.

6. Invest in ongoing training: Make sure your staff is on top of both the latest features and advanced functions.

• Keep staff updated on the latest EHR features and best practices. This should be done regularly, either in person or online.
• Offer training on advanced functionalities, workflow changes, and data analysis tools. Emphasize how mastery of the EHR system can make daily use easier and more fruitful.

7. Leverage data analytics: This valuable window into your organization’s operations can guide you to better planning for the future.

• Identify trends and areas for improvement. EHR data may reveal unexpected areas to focus on.
• Generate reports on key measures. Reporting may uncover trends in medication errors and compliance rates, for example.
• Use data to inform decision-making. Chart your organization’s path based on an analysis of accurate, up-to-date data.

8. Promote interoperability: With patients often receiving care from different systems, it’s essential that necessary information be easily shared.

• Ensure seamless connectivity with other healthcare systems. Maintain patient privacy while sharing appropriate information.
• Facilitate data sharing for care coordination. Prevent confusion, errors and redundancy in care.

9. Prioritize patient engagement and education: This will encourage proactive, informed participation in healthcare decisions.

• Empower patients through portal access. This includes rapid access to records and the ability to easily communicate with providers.
• Offer educational resources. When patients understand their health data, they make better decisions.

10. Stay informed: Keep up to date on EHR technology and healthcare trends.

• Monitor industry trends and technology. Evaluate the state of healthcare and any new technologies as they emerge.
• Anticipate emerging needs. Future-proof both your EHR system and your organization.

While Epic and other EHR systems offer resources and services to support many of these strategies, our deeply experienced team at Talent Groups stands ready to partner with you to help maximize your EHR investment!

We invite you to learn more about how our recognized HIT services can benefit your organization. For more information about our healthcare IT staffing solutions and to understand how we can support your technology projects across all EHR platforms, please visit www.talentgroups.com/healthcare-it-staffing or contact us here.