Endorsed Partner: CHMB Solutions • Billing Solutions

Electronic health record (EHR) software implementation is a complex process affecting physicians, staff, and patients - it needs to be approached carefully and methodically in a multistep process in order to avoid disastrous outcomes:

1. Practice Needs Assessment: Ask practice staff to identify how an EHR will improve their job and what they believe they need from a system. Identify stakeholders who will ultimately use the EHR and assist in the implementation within the practice, garner staff feedback, and help facilitate and improve "buy-in" from physicians and staff on use of the system later on.

2. Readiness Assessment: Look at internal and external environments to assess your practice's readiness to move towards EHR - this will become your "EHR Road Map." Review the practice's financial status and strategic plan. Do you plan to implement other technologies during this time? Are there major staff changes on the horizon? Are you understaffed? Are the existing charts ready for conversion? Are there plans for relocation? Is there a physician EHR champion? Is high-speed Internet connectivity available?

3. Workflow Analysis: Review how your practice completes the work associated with the patient encounter and all related components - practice management, clinical and patient care.

4. EHR Vendor Selection: Take your "EHR Road Map" - which has the needs assessment and key functions required for your practice - and identify EHR software systems that meet your requirements. Check with your IPA, affiliated health system, and SDCMS for their recommended EHR and possible subsidy programs.

5. EHR Implementation: Work with the EHR vendor to further define workflows, build and test the software, train staff on its use, and provide onsite "go-live" support. Active communication between all stakeholders to manage expectations and concerns will assist in having a well-organized and planned implementation.

Implementation of an EHR system requires careful planning and will consume a large amount of resources. When done properly and with preparation and resources, practices can realize true efficiencies, improve communication and coordination, and improve the quality of patient care.

YOUR ENDORSED PARTNER BENEFIT:

• Endorsed Partner: CHMB Solutions (www.chmbsolutions.com) provides outsourced medical billing, revenue cycle management services, information technology support, and hardware solutions to physician practices, clinics, and multispecialty organizations.

• Member Benefit: SDCMS members receive a 50 percent discount on startup fees and a $33 per-physician-per-month services credit, 10 percent off of outsourced IT support, 10 percent off of already-discounted Dell hardware solutions, and a free coding hotline.

• Contact: Ron Anderson at (760) 520-1340 or at randerson@chmbsolutions.com. Email your coding question(s) to SDCMS at Coding@SDCMS.org.

• Potential Value: $1,000!