The AMDIS Connection: EHR Adoption? This Looks Like a Job for Super-users
Helping physicians and other eligible professionals adopt and make meaningful use of EHRs is a top priority for many CMIOs in 2011. The most obvious and proximate reason is the time-limited availability and front-loading of meaningful use incentive payments beginning this year. The longer term reason that will persist after meaningful use incentives expire is that EHR meaningful use is seen by CMS and other payors as essential to achieving national quality, value and healthcare reform goals.
The availability of meaningful use payments also can give practice leaders greater confidence to invest in change management resources needed to maximize the number of their eligible professionals qualifying for meaningful use payments. Such an investment is being made in the Michigan State University HealthTeam (MSUHT) multispecialty group practice where I work.
The MSUHT Board recently approved funding for an EHR “Super-user Program,” recognizing that meaningful use requires attention to all three major components of successful change management: people, processes and technology. The Super-user Program came to them from our Clinical Informatics Steering Committee (CISC), a representative body comprised mostly of physicians, all of whom are clinically active.
These experienced, credible and pragmatic clinicians communicated the rationale, business case and operational details of the Super-user Program in a manner that made it clear, 1) why we needed both physician and staff super-users, 2) how they would be used, 3) what their deliverables would be, 4) our diminished meaningful use payment prospects without them, and 5) why we need to pay physicians to release them from some patient care duties to promote engagement, effectiveness and accountability.
As a result, the MSUHT Board approved payment for successful completion of 26 hours of EHR super-user training for up to 25 physicians and 25 staffers, with continuing financial support for physician super-user time (10 percent) throughout 2011. Super-users must master EHR functionalities and workflows needed for meaningful use, participate in clinical content and workflow validation sessions, and provide clinical content to fill gaps. Super-users also are responsible for helping others meaningfully use the EHR, report problems and serve as liaisons between clinics and the project team.
The Board also approved up to 16 hours of paid EHR meaningful use training and skills assessment for all faculty and resident physicians, ensuring that all eligible professionals and their residents can use the EHR according to meaningful use criteria. In addition, funds were authorized to upgrade classroom and online training resources to support meaningful use.
Super-user performance and continued appointment will be based on evaluations of how well each assists in and advances EHR implementation, upgrades, optimization, user acceptance, communications, training, local support and eligible professional accountability for meaningful use. Continued financial support of the EHR Super-user Program will be based on assessments of how effectively Super-users promote MSUHT quality and meaningful use goals.
We are excited about our Super-user Program and grateful to leadership for providing the resources to make it possible. Now it is time to apply the talents and energy of our Super-users to assist their colleagues in reaching our shared goals for patient care quality and EHR meaningful use.
It should be a very interesting year.
The availability of meaningful use payments also can give practice leaders greater confidence to invest in change management resources needed to maximize the number of their eligible professionals qualifying for meaningful use payments. Such an investment is being made in the Michigan State University HealthTeam (MSUHT) multispecialty group practice where I work.
The MSUHT Board recently approved funding for an EHR “Super-user Program,” recognizing that meaningful use requires attention to all three major components of successful change management: people, processes and technology. The Super-user Program came to them from our Clinical Informatics Steering Committee (CISC), a representative body comprised mostly of physicians, all of whom are clinically active.
These experienced, credible and pragmatic clinicians communicated the rationale, business case and operational details of the Super-user Program in a manner that made it clear, 1) why we needed both physician and staff super-users, 2) how they would be used, 3) what their deliverables would be, 4) our diminished meaningful use payment prospects without them, and 5) why we need to pay physicians to release them from some patient care duties to promote engagement, effectiveness and accountability.
As a result, the MSUHT Board approved payment for successful completion of 26 hours of EHR super-user training for up to 25 physicians and 25 staffers, with continuing financial support for physician super-user time (10 percent) throughout 2011. Super-users must master EHR functionalities and workflows needed for meaningful use, participate in clinical content and workflow validation sessions, and provide clinical content to fill gaps. Super-users also are responsible for helping others meaningfully use the EHR, report problems and serve as liaisons between clinics and the project team.
The Board also approved up to 16 hours of paid EHR meaningful use training and skills assessment for all faculty and resident physicians, ensuring that all eligible professionals and their residents can use the EHR according to meaningful use criteria. In addition, funds were authorized to upgrade classroom and online training resources to support meaningful use.
Super-user performance and continued appointment will be based on evaluations of how well each assists in and advances EHR implementation, upgrades, optimization, user acceptance, communications, training, local support and eligible professional accountability for meaningful use. Continued financial support of the EHR Super-user Program will be based on assessments of how effectively Super-users promote MSUHT quality and meaningful use goals.
We are excited about our Super-user Program and grateful to leadership for providing the resources to make it possible. Now it is time to apply the talents and energy of our Super-users to assist their colleagues in reaching our shared goals for patient care quality and EHR meaningful use.
It should be a very interesting year.