Calif. grand jury details EHR implementation problems

Laura Pedulli | | Health Exec | EMR/EHR

A California county's EHR implementation resulted in inefficient and delayed patient care as the organization did not devote adequate resources to its rollout, a county grand jury report concluded.

Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA) went live in July 2013 at two hospitals and 40 clinics in the county. In its investigation, the grand jury learned that the EHR vendor for the project had recognized that VCHCA’s system had insufficient sources to carry out the implementation. For example, VCHCA had inefficient ordering of hardwire required for the project; insufficient support staff; insufficient training on the new system; lacked an experienced project manager; and failed to develop a standard project plan for the implementation.

Moving forward, the grand jury recommended that Ventura County develop better processes for capital projects.

Following the release of the report, VCHCA Director Barry Fisher said that the situation is much different today, as many improvement have been made. “Where we are at today is night and day from where we started,” he told the Ventura County Star.

Read the full report here.

Laura Pedulli

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