Thus, EMR projects have not always achieved the benefits promised in the time period allotted. A look at three hospitals that have built first-rate systems provides a glimpse at successful construction management techniques. These hospitals' officials planned their projects, understood the complexities and set appropriate expectations of themselves and the tools. Once they got past the basic installation to the workflow level, each new automated work process reinforced the decision to implement an electronic medical record. The value of cultural acceptance, especially when it comes to physician buy-in, is clearly recognized at Borgess Medical Center.
Physicians use workstations in the emergency room for patient care.
Workflow queues documents for review and electronic signature, and proactively retrieves documents to build work lists based on registrations. The business office also makes extensive use of automated work process control. The biggest challenge at Borgess, according to Sally Korth, clinical project leader, was getting the technology configuration correct. Once the project team had that figured out, they began focusing on work processes and the improvements began. By focusing on success, Borgess realized cost savings.