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There can be different challenges that may be involved in EMR implementation. You may have come across a vendor that underestimates your server needs or have problems in estimating the number of workstations that would be required and the level of function of each workstation. You may face other challenges such as lack of the standard procedures which slows down the EMR implementation process, etc. In order to overcome these challenges, it is important to take some steps which will also help in strengthening an effective intra-office communication.
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| Here are some quick tips that will help you overcome different challenges that may be involved in the implementation of EMR: |
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| Always Ensure a Phased implementation |
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| You should understand that EMR systems should be always implemented in stages and each stage should be proactively backed by meticulous planning and budgeting exercise. |
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| Designate a Project Leader |
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| Appointing a project leader will help you in monitoring the complete process of implementation and ideally the person should be well equipped with all the skills that may be required to manage the implementation of EMR. He should be the first contact for all your team members once you have implemented EMR in your practice and he should be able to attend to all the queries. |
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| Budget for a Full-time IT Support and Involving a Physician Panel |
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| It is also important to appoint a full-time IT analyst who should be actively involved in the EMR implementation process and should be able to address all the problems that may crop up in the EMR system. At the time, he should also ensure to train the team members with the technical aspects involved in EMR functioning. You should also involve a panel of physicians in all the aspects of EMR implementation. |
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| Schedule the Phases of EMR Implementation |
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| Since you should plan to conduct the implementation of EMR in phases, therefore you should be well aware about the phases when the EMR receivables will be available. Thus, to overcome any problems and counter the challenges, meticulous planning is required to be done at all stages that pre-implementation stage, implementation stage and post-implementation stage. |
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| The pre-implementation factors that should be considered include choosing the software carefully, involving multiple stakeholders, selling the benefits to all the team members and stake holders, overcoming all barriers, project management, governance and technology factors. The implementation phase factors include data preload and integration with other systems, workflow redesign, training, implementation assistance, feedback and dialogue, and privacy and confidentiality considerations. There are some post-implementation factors also that need to be considered such as presence of user groups, support, presence of a business continuity plan, etc. |
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