Essay on EHR Adoption: Stakeholders Working With Politicians for National Implementation

The implementation of EHR at the national level is usually a political issue where there is active development of policies by the ruling government to improve care (Hovenga & Garde, 2010). The adoption of the project begins with a political vision accompanied by a political decision then the implementation plan before the standardization of the practical use. Therefore, I propose that stakeholders work closely with politicians, whether at the local and state level, to fund the project. A successful EHR implementation would need adequate resources to fund all the processes needed at both the initial and final stages of implementation. Resource constraints translate to a lack of the intended equipment and methods to make the implementation successful.

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I would implement the project management processes by putting the project plan into action. The process would involve the coordination and direction of the project resources to meet the objectives of the plan. Although the project is not yet systemwide, I would direct and manage each of the activities and every step to ensure it remains within the required scope. The implementation would be made up of phases commonly regarded as the project life-cycle, where I follow the plan put together and address the potential problems that arise. Such stages include initiation, planning, execution, monitor and control, and closing.

The first step for the implementation of the EHR project would be building the implementation team. I would create a strong team that would assist in making the process flow smoothly. The team would comprise physicians, nurses, administrative staff, and medical assistants (Rohm et al., 2013). The team members will play a crucial role in educating colleagues about EHR skills and act as messengers in the implementation team to highlight potential problems along the adoption process. As a project manager, I would closely work with the lead physician and lead superuser to strengthen and build the team.

As a project manager, I would use diverse strategies to manage change resistance and address it until the EHR implementation becomes successful. Education and communication would be an appropriate technique for addressing resistance to change. Education would inform the team and the entire staff about the benefits of implementing the technology in the delivery of quality care. I would also address resistance to change by facilitation and support. I would be become actively supportive in the change process and offer the staff the necessary aid to ensure they succeed and change their perceptions.

A fully implemented project management methodology likely to impact an organization by providing the procedures and processes for implementation of the plan. It would increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and flexibility of the project to meet the desired goals and objectives. A fully implemented project management methodology would also help to keep up with the schedules developed to complete the plan. Additionally, it would also increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the budgetary projections. The project manager and even the entire organization will have a more accurate forecast of the financial needs of the project. A concrete methodology would also help to project on other critical factors, including the supply of materials and equipment need at specific time schedules.

The downtime is likely to occur in the use of technology in a healthcare facility, and proper communication should be made to address it. Various methods of communication, internal and external communication, might be used. The advantages of internal communication techniques ensure that the staff is well informed first, offers a holistic overview of the events, and gets them engaged. The cons include the lack of communication for people outside the organization. External communication strategies help to spin messages to avoid negative impacts and offer the opportunity to take corrective action. A potential con includes miscommunication and contradiction of the message based on what is reported and the actual event.

References

Hovenga, E. J., & Garde, S. (2010). Electronic health records, semantic interoperability, and politics. electronic Journal of Health Informatics, 5(1), 2.

Rohm, T., Skidmore, N., Bharadwaj, M., Hammoud, B., Gray, T., & Lloyd, K. (2013). Urgent care EMR implementation and workflow redesign. Journal of International Technology and Information Management, 22(2), 85.