Each healthcare organization has its own internal policies related to departmental processes. Having Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on the selection steering committee is a very imp

                             PLEASE POST EACH DISCUSSION SEPARATELY

Each healthcare organization has its own internal policies related to departmental processes. Having Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on the selection steering committee is a very important aspect of the process. Hospitals are poor at including SMEs at the executive decision-making level. This is a risk as those who will use the system should have a voice in its selection. Workflow processes can be significantly impacted by the EHR and are poorly evaluated by those who are not end-users.

This article, Barriers to Electronic Health Record System Implementation and Information Systems Resources: A Structured Review, concisely summarizes multiple articles that yielded 57 barriers to the implementation of EHR systems.

Justify the impact of the expense of human capital on the selection of an EHR. 

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

• Use Chapter 9 from the text (Strategic Planning, Project Management, and Health Information Technology Selection) and any other outside resources you find helpful
• Select two functions in the project management process that must be considered during the EHR selection activity.
• Explain the importance of assessing the internal and external environments during the planning process.
• Discuss the value of strategic planning in health information technology (HIT), and explain why it is important.
• Provide your personal perspective on what the role of the SME in the HIT section process should be

REPLY TO 2 OF MY CLASSMATES DISCUSSION TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE. MINIMUM OF 150 WORDS EACH

                                               CLASSMATE POST 1

A team must consider two functions in the project management process: planning and execution. The planning phase outlines every task of the project. The managers establish deadlines for each assignment and the professional responsible for finishing it. They also finalize the budget, which dictates the equipment and time needed to accomplish their goals without wasting resources. Executing the project involves working on the assigned tasks and monitoring the project's progress. Challenges may occur during this stage, and managers modify their objectives as needed, requiring additional approval from supervisors or stakeholders (Sipes, 2016).

According to Dennis (2019), Strategic planning is critical for healthcare organizations to succeed internally and externally. Understanding how your company functions is the key to creating an effective strategic plan for the entire healthcare system. Sometimes you need to look at the chain of command of your organization. Deciding your company's goals and setting a path to achieve these goals motivates your staff at every level to succeed with you. It's easy for organizations at every level to become confused as to what's going on. Your employees and investors want to ensure that your organization will have a long-lasting approach (Dennis, 2019). They want to know where your company is headed and the steps to get there. Good planning in healthcare management can help you establish precision and enhance communication. Your strategic plan should handle the key issues, your organization's vision and goals, and the steps to get there. As a result, your employees and stakeholders will have improved confidence and faith in your organization.

SME is a person who has clear and relevant knowledge about how Healthcare IT software should be used in their day-to-day job. They are essential components of both implementation projects as well as ongoing support of healthcare software products. A Subject Matter Expert in Healthcare IT gives support and advocacy for the end-users of clinical software (Rostek, 2012). This is a big deal in Healthcare because the SME bridges the gap between technical staff who are sometimes not very clinically minded, and clinical staff who may lack technical skills.

According to Rostek, 2012, Some of the tasks that an SME helps with are:

Assisting with reviewing of new software

Finding gaps in performance that need to be addressed

Finding and documenting current and proposed operations

Communicating resolutions back to their co-workers

Functioning as a Super User to deliver support for co-workers

References

Dennis C. Strategic planning—a health system operational perspective. J Hosp Management Health Policy 2019;3:32.

Rostek, Katarzyna, 2012. "The reference model of competitiveness factors for SME medical sector," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 2039-2048.

Sipes, C. (2016). Project management for the advanced practice nurse. New York: Springer.

 Introduction and EHR Selection

Each healthcare organization has its own internal policies related to departmental processes. Having Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on the selection steering committee is a very important aspect of the process. Hospitals are poor at including SMEs at the executive decision-making level. This is a risk as those who will use the system should have a voice in its selection. Workflow processes can be significantly impacted by the EHR and are poorly evaluated by those who are not end-users.

This article, Barriers to Electronic Health Record System Implementation and Information Systems Resources: A Structured Review, concisely summarizes multiple articles that yielded 57 barriers to the implementation of EHR systems.

Justify the impact of the expense of human capital on the selection of an EHR. 

Include the following aspects in the discussion:

• Use Chapter 9 from the text (Strategic Planning, Project Management, and Health Information Technology Selection) and any other outside resources you find helpful
• Select two functions in the project management process must be considered during the EHR selection activity.
• Explain the importance of assessing the internal and external environments during the planning process.
• Discuss the value of strategic planning in health information technology (HIT), and explain why it is important.
• Provide your personal perspective on what the role of the SME in the HIT section process should be

REPLY TO 2 OF MY CLASSMATES DISCUSSION TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE. MINIMUM OF 150 WORDS EACH

                                               CLASSMATE POST 2

The two functions in selection of Electronic Health Records (EHR) I have selected to discuss include 1. Ease of use and 2. Implementation and training process. Through my years of practice in the healthcare profession, the number 1 barrier I have faced in regards to EHR is processes that actually make the flow of patient care more difficult. An example of this I have faced in the past is documenting patient information that does not flow in a systematic fashion or allowing for not allowing for the  expansion of clinical data. Ensuring that staff have been properly trained to use EHR is also necessary for success.  Adequate training time and ensuring that those on the front line of use have the opportunities to voice concerns is also of great importance. “A recommendation for training is to complete a user skills assessment and training needs before implementation. A user skills assessment evaluates the healthcare worker’s basic computer literacy and skills”( Aguirre et al.,2019).  Front line care providers must also see the need for change and improvement through the use of EHR. Without thoses using these new systems on board for the implementation, success can be a challenge. “Independent of the EHR adoption level, we found that the work environment is highly associated with nurses' ratings of the usefulness of EHR systems, and most importantly that the quality of the work environment may determine the extent to which comprehensive EHR systems have their intended impact on quality and safety” (Kutney-lee., 2019). In my current practice as a case manager , administration is implementing a new rounding format and documentation system for reporting between the team.  One thing I have noticed is that as soon as the direct training for the changes has stopped, the entire disciplinary team reverts back to old ways of practicing.  The reason is clear that those on the front lines were not included in the implementation of the new processes and that the new format is not practical . This new system has actually made our practice more challenging. “One of the leading reasons for poor outcomes following EHR adoption may be the lack of consideration for how the system will interface with end-users and the existing organizational structure” (Kutney-lee., 2019). In closing, I can recognize the benefit of EHR and the value it can bring to overall patient care.  I believe that as future leaders, APNs need to be on the forefront of development to ensure the appropriateness of new systems. 

                                                                           Reference

Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019). Electronic Health Record Implementation: A Review of Resources and Tools. Cureus, 11(9), e5649. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.5649

Kutney-Lee, A., Sloane, D. M., Bowles, K. H., Burns, L. R., & Aiken, L. H. (2019). Electronic Health Record Adoption and Nurse Reports of Usability and Quality of Care: The Role of Work Environment. Applied clinical informatics, 10(1), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1678551