Roadmap For Implementation Of An EHR System At A Practice

From an Information Technology point of view, there are six stages in the implementation road map.

Stage 1:Assessment
Stage 2:Planning
Stage 3:Selection
Stage 4:Implementation
Stage 5:Evaluation
Stage 6:Improvement

Lets examine each stage and develop the frame work of a road map.

Stage 1:Assessment

A Project team represented by staff with the appropriate skills is formed and regular team meetings are conducted. These team meetings continue through out the the six stages.

The first stage Assessment helps prepare the practice for the implementation by completing a Practice Readiness Assessment, This includes The profile of the Practice in terms of IT, assessment of Office staff usually conducted as an assessment Survey. A Hardware requirement analysis is also carried out at this stage."

Stage 2:Planning

The practice data collected in the previous stage (Practice Readiness Assessment, Practice profile (IT)& Office staff skills survey)is carefully reviewed and based on this, the electronic health records implementation goals are defined and improvement opportunities are identified and targeted.

Stage 3:Selection

Based on the above defined Implementation plan, the EHR system's requirements is defined. This will cover the EHR system configuration and a selection process and details of the goals that are archived based on the selection. The EHR system is selected in this stage.

Stage 4:Implementation

An EHR system implementation plan is created and the time lines for the implentation is agreed upon with the vendor. The implementation plan includes details on Intallation and configuration of Hardware and EHR system software. Staff training program is initiated and System testing follows.The staff begin to use the EHR system. A journal of experience and processes is maintained.

Stage 5:Evaluation

A post implementation review is condcuted and the Journal of experience/ processes is updated. The perfomance measures created during the planning phase are validated and a improvement plan is prepared.

Stage 6:Improvement

During this phase the EHR is modified to resolve issues encountered during the evaluation phase. Improvements as defined in the improvement plan are carried out.

The Author Prakash T.C.is a Support Manager at http://www.BinarySpectrum.com

Cut Down On Business Paperwork With HR Workflow Management Software

At its simplest definition, workflow is the movement of documents and/or tasks through a work process, and for many people, the idea of Human Resources and workflow in business involves the improvement of processing paperwork. Workflow is the operational aspect of a work procedure: how tasks are structured, who performs them, how they are synchronised, how tasks are tracked; the tasks involved in determining workflow are numerous and can have a serious impact on a business' productivity. The most common HR processes include appraisals, new starters, maternity, absence, holiday booking and leavers.

Workflow involves various components and people and each facet must integrate with the others in order to process and complete a task. For example, an employee wants to book a holiday and fills in a paper form. Details of the holiday from will be delivered to the employee?s line manager, who will check to see if there is sufficient cover before authorizing the holiday. The paper form is then delivered to the HR department who then makes a note of details of the employee?s holiday and subtracts the time from the employees holiday balance. The employee then receives a form showing that the holiday has been authorized and details of their new holiday balance.

Workflow is critical to driving greater efficiency within HR. It is a process which delivers the right work to the right people at the right time, eradicating the need for highly labour intensive activities and considerably reducing the need for paper to be pushed around the office. In essence Workflow can help to reduce costs, improve productivity, provide faster processing times and of course is a major player in helping to sustain the world?s declining tree population. A HR process may require interaction from many departments. Therefore, HR processes are well suited for automation because typically these processes are paper based, manual and prone to error and delay.

With workflow management becoming more and more critical in driving greater efficiency within your business, the ever changing demands on HR and business to become more effective, productive and profitable has led to many software solution companies introducing HR software designed to manage HR workflow; allowing labour intensive activities to be automated. Operating in tandem with process tracking, businesses can ensure that progress can be monitored effectively. For example, ASR Computers recently launched their .NET HR Workflow module, which is written in .NET technology and compliments the company?s existing HR and Payroll software product range,..

ASR?s .NET HR Workflow module management tool which gives HR professionals the functionality to re-engineer their HR processes and assist with the efficient running of their HR department; allowing for the use of electronic forms instead of paper. Consequently, a range of benefits are achieved - including process visibility, which is a key factor for tracking progress and improvement.

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance journalist.