Category: Healthcare

After Leading Epic Go-Lives for over 15 Years, here’s what we’ve learned.

Posted on | by Jasdeep Mann

At ReMedi Health Solutions, our decades of experience leading Epic implementations have taught us invaluable lessons about ensuring successful go-lives. From taking a clinical-first approach to engaging end-users and investing in comprehensive training, we’ve honed in on best practices that drive Epic adoption, efficiency, and better care delivery. Below are some non-exhaustive insights we’ve collected over the years from a healthcare executive’s perspective.  

Epic Go-Live Lessons Learned from a Physician Executive

Lesson One. Solve clinical first, then IT.

For health IT leaders, one of the biggest decisions is determining how to optimize clinical workflows within Epic to support superior care delivery and revenue cycle management. All too often, the technical capabilities drive decisions rather than clinical needs.

For a health system that is transitioning from, merging, or acquiring a practice using an EHR like Cerner, Allscripts, or Meditech and going live on Epic, it’s critical to understand the ins and outs of both systems at the outset of the migration project. Using a strategic Change Management approach, it’s vital to know deeply how clinical workflows facilitated care on Cerner and how they will be optimized using Epic. Implementing new workflows across the entire system is difficult, but possible when the leadership team can explain both systems.

At ReMedi, we advocate a clinical-first philosophy. This means understanding and seamlessly integrating Epic into existing workflows for each role – from physicians to nurses, to billing specialists. Training staff to the top of their licensure by role allows them to practice at their highest level within Epic’s functionality.

We approach Epic solely through a clinical lens first, before examining the technical/IT requirements. Solutions are built around enhancing medical practices and decision-making capabilities, not structured around Epic system specs. For any issues that arise, our physician informaticists determine whether they stem from functionality gaps requiring optimization or necessitate system builds/integrations.

Lesson Two. Engage your end-users early and often.

One key challenge health IT leaders face is achieving buy-in and adoption from frontline clinical staff. Epic go-lives are major transformations – without end-user engagement, satisfaction plummets. According to a recent 2024 Arch Collaborative report, some examples of the tops methods that improve EHR satisfaction include:

  • Making EHR education more accessible to all clinicians and staff
  • Prioritizing effective communication with clinicians 
  • Involving clinicians in the EHR decision-making process
  • Working closely with vendors to address challenges
  • Promoting clinician well-being

From the start, ReMedi emphasizes consistent communication and incorporating feedback from doctors, nurses, care teams and administrators. We make them partners, not recipients, fostering a sense of control over the Epic implementation. This cultivates organizational investment and overall culture change.

The effects of end-user engagement on Epic adoption are tangible – when staff feel their voices are truly heard, there is a stronger sense of team cohesion and ownership over the success of implementing Epic. This personal stake translates to higher satisfaction ratings and adoption rates.

Lesson Three. Training is everything: build an army of super-users.

No amount of Epic functionality matters if staff aren’t trained comprehensively on leveraging those tools. Yet creating a structured, effective training program is one of the most complex decisions health IT leaders face.

At ReMedi, we advocate developing a multi-pronged training program for a frictionless go-live. This includes immersive classroom sessions, web-based training resources, and most importantly, building an army of super-users. This approach has proven to foster trust, boost adoption rates, and maximize the long-term return on your Epic investment.

Empowering a dedicated group of end-users with in-depth training and ongoing support creates a core group of internal champions. These super-users, familiar with your organization’s culture and workflows, become in-house experts and resources for their peers throughout implementation and beyond. 

By providing super-users with advanced Epic training and developing their skills as educators, healthcare organizations create reliable support systems. Staff have a trusted network of peers to turn to for issue resolution and continued optimization of Epic use. 

Graphic depicting ReMedi's steps to build a Super User program.
ReMedi’s strategic approach to build a Super User program

Lesson Four. Epic Personalization is critical, especially for physicians.

Physician burnout and Epic dissatisfaction are well-documented challenges in the era of electronic records. Epic interruptions and administrative burdens are often cited as root causes.

However, ReMedi’s approach illustrates how proper personalization and optimization can instead make Epic a productivity multiplier for doctors. We provide functional Epic training tailored specifically for physicians, so they understand the tools geared towards their specialty and responsibilities.

For more details on our approach to personalization, read ReMedi’s case study with UTHealth to conduct Epic User Settings Labs and personalization sessions. 

Inside of personalization and physician efficiency sessions, we unlock powerful Epic capabilities like smart phrases, order sets, and preference lists – all personalized to each doctor’s unique speciality and workflows. These shortcuts and efficiency hacks save physicians significant time per patient encounter. Rather than being a burden, Epic becomes streamlined for their workflow.

Furthermore, by pairing doctors with ReMedi’s physician informaticists specialized in their clinical area, we shed light on new ways to maximize the potential of Epic across the continuum of care. Doctors gain an enlightened perspective on Epic’s full potential directly from peers who have optimized the system for their respective field.

ReMedi’s approach to Personalization utilizes real-time analytics dashboards to validate training and outcomes.

Lesson Five. The investment paradox: spend now or pay later.

Perhaps the biggest decision for health IT leaders is determining the optimal level of investment for Epic go-live and optimization efforts. At-the-elbow support is an additional cost, requiring short-term staffing for hyper-personalized assistance as issues arise during an Epic Go-Live.

However, skimping on knowledgeable resources risks crippling issues, workforce frustration, and sub-optimal Epic facilitated care down the line. ReMedi has found that implementing a hybrid model with both on-site and virtual support can optimize implementation costs without sacrificing quality. For an example of the outcomes from a hybrid Epic Go-Live, read this case study. 

The investment paradox really comes down to taking a short-term perspective versus long-term view. While the upfront expenditure for comprehensive training, embedded resources, and persistent optimization is high, ReMedi has seen how this approach catalyzes positive impacts for decades in a healthcare system’s operations, clinician satisfaction, and quality of care metrics.

A major achievement upon going live on Epic is maintaining normal patient volumes and wait times from day one. We have found that patient data strategy plays a major impact on the ability to serve normal patient volumes during the Go-Live phase. We advise our health system partners that the optimal approach to optimizing patient data in Epic not only includes electronic conversion, but also data abstraction and chart preparation. 

Patient data must be reconciled in Epic prior to a patient’s first visit in order to avoid “every patient feeling like a new patient” for clinicians. Working with a clinically trained, outsourced data team is an efficient method for health systems to achieve better data quality upon Go-Live at a sustainable cost. 

Health IT leaders who take the plunge achieve instrumental wins – staffing costs decline as productivity skyrockets, medical errors reduce as decision support tools are maximized, and revenue cycles become more efficient and lucrative long-term.

By taking a clinical-centric approach, engaging staff as partners, providing multi-layered training, personalizing for providers, and making a focused investment, healthcare organizations can revolutionize the delivery of quality care using Epic. ReMedi’s 15+ years implementing this blueprint have proven these strategies overcome even the most daunting implementation challenges.

To meet with ReMedi’s talented Physician Executives about Epic, contact us here.

Epic User Settings Deep Dive

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An In-depth View of Customizing Epic User Settings for Physicians

Epic provides patients, clinicians, and their care teams with numerous possibilities to deliver outstanding patient experiences. Specifically, when discussing the Personalization of Epic, the system enables clinicians to customize their experience to match the demands of their unique speciality.

Why User Settings are Important for New and Experienced Epic Users

Physicians and clinicians are already overwhelmed with the number of features to learn and the need to maintain patient volumes around the time of Go-Live and post-implementation. With proper training and customization of their Epic User Settings, physicians can have better control and discretion over personalizing their Epic accounts according to their needs and way of working with their patients and staff.

Personalizing the Epic User Settings for Physicians and Clinicians

Fundamentally, we believe the success of Epic is based largely on personalization. Over one-third of all physicians believe that personalization is the most important factor in clinical electronic medical records’ effectiveness.

To date, prominent providers have established specialty-specific templates and workflows for their health systems, but each provider can go a step further and “personalize” their user settings and learn advanced workflows that help them use the system more efficiently. When hospitals offer providers the ability to personalize Epic, it leads to more efficient workflows, better patient care, positive outcomes for patients, and better metrics for hospitals. 

Preparing for Epic Go-Live

Through customization lab sessions and peer-to-peer training, ReMedi’s Epic Physician Team dedicates itself to reducing physician stress, minimizing burnout, and increasing efficiency. Our ReMedi Team consists of board certified and Epic certified MDs that have a deep understanding of clinical and IT environments. The peer-to-peer training model that ReMedi offers hospitals leads to high satisfaction for training physician end-users on Epic. 

Working with ReMedi physicians, healthcare providers and clinicians can learn how to set up and implement Epic SmartPhrases and Macros, templates, order sets, and preference lists to simplify order and note input in personalization labs. ReMedi Physicians assist doctors in creating a toolkit for the most common workflows, allowing clinicians to focus on fine-tuning personalization to meet workflow-specific requirements. Personalization labs, Epic champions, and concierge services also help providers improve their competency and efficiency. 

Improving Physician Efficiency and Organizational Performance

Giving providers one on one training with peers further establishes the health system’s commitment to improving the clinical setting. Training leads to optimizing the way that providers use Epic; hands on training creates the opportunity to build better habits as well as learn advanced workflows. As providers and clinicians learn more about Epic, they develop better control of their workflows, optimizing and boosting their charting and ordering tasks.

The Basics of an Epic User Settings Lab

For new Epic users, it is important to first learn how to create notes and create orders.

Note Creation Inside of Epic

The note is the central point of all patient data, and Epic offers efficiencies within its note functionality that helps doctors prepare comprehensive notes faster and easier. Within the context of creating notes, it’s important to first recognize the specialty of the physician as this will influence the customization of the note. Specifically, using SmartLinks inside of note templates, ReMedi physicians help physicians tailor their note templates so that the notes automatically pre-populate with specific information that allows doctors to focus more on what matters and less on time consuming documentation measures. 

The reason why physicians mastering note writing in Epic is so important is because it leads to better documentation. Moreover, it creates a better story about the patient, and enables clinicians to provide better care and more value to the patient over the long term.  Finally, better documentation results in higher operational efficiency for health systems at large, which when implemented effectively across the board can make significant impact to the way in which healthcare is successfully delivered. 

Learning the Ins and Outs of Orders in Epic

Orders are foundational to getting anything done inside of the clinical setting. Labs, immunizations, transfers, it all begins with an order whether a clinician is providing care in the inpatient or outpatient settings. Order creation is catalyzed by the clinician’s preference list in Epic, so ReMedi physicians generally teach physicians how to update and manage their preference lists to help streamline their workflows. Within preference lists, ReMedi trains physicians on creating favorites, sharing lists, and utilizing order sets based on the specialty of the doctor. 

It is a best practice for organizations to create order sets for different specialties. They are available for all physicians to use to expedite placing orders. Clinicians can personalize these order sets and save them as their own version.

Notably, SmartPhrases and order preferences are the basic benchmarks per Epic. Moreover, ReMedi Physicians go above and beyond when training doctors on Epic by teaching the following tactics:

  • Diving Deeper Into the Why – Our approach is to train doctors to fish instead of simply feeding them with the answers to problems in Epic. Rather than merely providing information, we ensure that providers understand how to use the new EHR effectively.
  • Providing Insight and “Eyebrow Raisers” – ReMedi physicians confront the most difficult challenges and concerns head-on. Furthermore, they provide insight, such that upon “discovering something, this leads to this.”
  • Helping with Navigating – We ensure that the Epic build is up to date and that a clear communication channel is open between our Physician Executives and providers. Furthermore, we aid clinicians in retrieving and entering data, relieving them of the stress of dealing with the technological part of the service.

Undoubtedly, Epic is getting better and better, making work significantly easier for clinicians.

Case Example: ReMedi’s Advanced User Settings Approach for UT Health

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) recently contracted ReMedi Health Solutions to streamline the implementation of Epic Systems for its 2,000 doctors.

The Epic Implementation process relies largely on having the proper people guiding an organization’s team to ensure success. Moreover, ReMedi acknowledges that Epic implementation is not one size fits all. ReMedi has proven that using physicians to undertake Epic personalization provides clinicians and end-users with an advantage. In fact, as part of a recent partnership with UTHealth, ReMedi’s physicians were able to train and support UTHealth’s practitioners before the transition to Epic. 

At UTHealth, ReMedi provided specialty-specific workflows to over 18 specialities at the academic healthcare institution. Before going into personalization, ReMedi takes the time to understand the clinician’s workflow first. ReMedi believes that however useful Epic can be, it will remain futile if workflows do not match the process of teaching clinicians how to apply them. After getting a good grasp on their workflow, only then will ReMedi proceed with personalizing Epic and updating User Settings.

More specifically, below is ReMedi’s Clinically-Driven approach to personalizing Epic user settings for physicians:

  • Create at least one note template with the SmartPhrases tool
  • Create at least one version of an Order set
  • Create at least one preference list of orders
  • Create at least one Haiku Charges preference list
  • Create at least one QuickAction
  • Create at least one version of a SmartSet
  • Discuss How to setup SmartTools

Conclusion

Epic holds great promise as the future of EHR. But, no matter how great the potential Epic has in streamlining healthcare processes, it would remain stagnant if the EHR training is inadequate and physicians do not receive training from their peers with Epic experience. With ReMedi’s expertise, healthcare providers can be sure of a seamless shift towards the world’s leading modern EHR, Epic Systems.

To connect with our team of physician executives about Epic Systems and EHR, email us at info@remedihs.com.

How a Clinically-led EHR Migration Can Make Data Abstraction a Non-invasive Process

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Implementing a new EHR is an increasingly difficult process for healthcare institutions. Adding to it is another hurdle of migrating data and records from an old EHR system to a new one like Cerner, Epic, or others. It becomes incredibly difficult and time-consuming to filter, check, and transfer data from traditional medical record keeping methods to a new, advanced EHR system. The problems that generally arise with migrating from an existing system stem from compatibility, duplicates, or different codes/forms. 

Successful data migration requires proper planning and expert support with healthcare IT experience to seamlessly transfer records and data. However, what is the exact cost of spending resources, time, and effort in the data migration process? 

Why Data Matters to Clinicians and Patients

Electronic Health Records and substantiating data that go along with them have steadily become a very large concept in the minds of the public; it works as a cohesive document that in a single eyeshot, disperses pertinent information and stats. Everyone can easily recognize some of the ways their data can be important, but for healthcare institutions that data can be life-changing. 

Some examples of useful and relevant EHR data include:

  • Accurate Problem Lists
  • Demographics
  • Histories
  • Allergies
  • Current Medications
  • Lab Results
  • Immunizations

There’s so much information about every single patient which is critically important to the physician serving them. Even social determinants like, “the conditions of the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect an individual’s level of health risks,” are important when looking at the big picture of a patient’s health. Physicians are required to keep track of all this data and even more such as insurance plans and visits to other healthcare institutions.

EHRs help manage all this data and allow physicians to use this data in even more impactful ways. Analytic systems built into EHRs can help physicians see things they might normally miss or automatically push for certain tests based on the available data. Vast amounts of data can be an intimidating variable when it comes to transitioning to a new EHR system though.

EHR Migration: Moving Data Efficiently and Effectively

The most daunting task for a healthcare institution when digitizing systems is the migration of data from an old EHR system to a new system like Cerner or Epic. Some hospitals and institutions opt for a fresh start all together, foregoing data migration and not transferring all of their existing data into the new EHR system. This results in both patients and physicians losing out on significant value and insights from medical data. Naturally, medical providers lose optimal functionality of the EHR software and it becomes more expensive than migrating systems due to all of the value lost from customers.

To make this process smooth and non-disruptive to allow health institutions to operate and grow their businesses with their data strategy, ReMedi helps to plan out all of the strategic steps of EHR migration. We make sure that ability or cost don’t become limiting factors when evaluating the implementation of a new EHR system and process.

Here are just a few of the benefits of working with ReMedi to migrate data to a new EHR:

  • Eliminate the burden of switching back and forth from EHR to legacy system
  • Meet all quality guidelines and regulatory compliance
  • Find information, electronically perform tasks, and prescribe more efficiently and easier
  • Reduce errors from out-dated, missing, or duplicate data
  • Greener than traditional systems or keeping multiple systems

Another important reason for migrating data forward to a new EHR is that more healthcare institutions are exchanging data regularly for patients that visit multiple healthcare providers. This means every healthcare institution requires a reliable and compatible EHR system to facilitate exchanging data without errors that could cause detriment to the patient.

ReMedi’s team of Physicians and clinicians lead you and your organization across the EHR finish line with empathy.

There is a lot of planning and resources involved with EHR implementation and data migration. ReMedi’s leadership and EHR consultants come from a clinical background, and have experience that can help healthcare institutions better understand the opportunities that arise from an innovative approach to EHR data.

ReMedi’s core EHR team are physicians first, so they understand exactly how EHRs and data migration affect physicians directly. 

ReMedi’s approach to EHR data migration is to develop and provide strategic and supportive services to augment and assist healthcare staff based on specific project characteristics, goals, challenges that the healthcare organization faces. From timing and budget to the manpower necessary to review and abstract all records, ReMedi improves all aspects of the EHR along the way. With access to a ReMedi IT support team, institutions of all sizes are able to migrate their data promptly and support their staff during critical moments of patient care.

A critical component of data migration is filtering the medical records; deciding how to organize them for migration and ensuring older codes and forms will be properly migrated and work within the new system. This is also the best time to clean up records by scrubbing duplicate or outdated records, checking for errors, and other valuable data cleaning measures to ensure old problems are not going into the new system.

ReMedi has over 15 years of experience with developing and implementing multiple EHR systems across medical systems of all sizes. We ensure the highest accuracy and compliance when migrating EHR records. Successful data migration alone does not simply translate to overall provider growth and patient satisfaction. ReMedi helps implement ambulatory workflows and scenarios to ensure all medical services are correctly and properly supported with EHR data and processes that provide patients more value. ReMedi continues to serve its mission of impacting healthcare providers positively and helping healthcare institutions go above and beyond with their EHR strategy.

If you’d like to connect with one of our experienced EHR Physicians or EHR consultants, send us a message at info@remedihs.com.

How the Efficient Use of Epic EHR Helps Alleviate Physician Burnout

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Doctors today are burdened by so many administrative tasks. From prescription notes and billing to patient records and order forms, these tasks can sometimes take away from the quality of care doctors want to provide to their patients. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can help lighten this burden, but even then can cause more problems.

As Catherine Hambley, PhD, puts it: “I am hearing more physicians become completely demoralized by what [the EHR] has done to their ability to really provide the kind of personalized and quality patient care [they wish to give patients].” So then it’s not much of a mystery as to why the top 20 hospitals according to US News all use Epic for their EHR. Epic helps streamline all facets of medical administration, workflow, and patient communication.

Epic’s software offers countless innovations and solutions to common hospital tasks:

  • Pre-built custom forms and orders
  • Dedicated Modules for most specialties
  • Automated billing, revenue cycle tracking, and analytics 
  • Easily access and share records with other EHRs or other hospitals with Epic software 
  • Mobile/App connectivity and support
  • Telehealth support and integration

The demanding world of medicine today requires new solutions to traditional problems. Epic helps provide accurate information quickly when needed at critical times and can help patients access their own records. With the amount of data that goes along with each individual patient, it becomes too big a task for any human to keep up with consistently.

ReMedi Helps Hospitals Understand the Benefits of EHRs to both Patients and Physicians

ReMedi Health Solutions works with numerous healthcare institutions in EHR implementation, including Epic software. ReMedi is a physician-owned and driven National Healthcare IT Consulting Firm, and that means it understands the value Epic and other EHRs offer physicians and patients alike. Epic provides personalized and accurate healthcare records which greatly reduce errors made, speed up many processes, and provide immediate results to doctors and patients.

Epic’s user interface helps doctors keep track of all the details according to relevance, and allows for custom forms/orders to be made and then automated easily. Patients can utilize their own Patient Portal with MyChart, allowing them to access their own records and share them with other physicians even outside of Epic. Patients can also even receive price quotes for procedures while discussing them with their physician. Easy access to data and information improves the overall patient experience. Ease-of-use on the physician side also means it’s even easier to provide patients with more personal and quality care.

Epic Software Allows Healthcare Providers to Build Relationships with Patients

ReMedi Health Solutions and Epic software go beyond just the immediate transactional benefits of patient visits, medical billing, and electronic records. Epic provides a system of communication between patient and physician which helps build a relationship. Epic enables hospitals and healthcare institutions to create customized channels for questions, test/procedure results, and even video visits.

“Ask-a-Doc” is an Epic workflow interface that allows a hospitalist to ask a specialist simple questions without the need to schedule a separate consultation. This drastically cuts down the time before patients get the answers they need, and even allows specialists to request specific testing ahead of consultations. 

MyChart Bedside is a patient-focused user interface on a tablet provided to patients that allows them to interact with their own records and charts. They can ‘post’ questions to their doctor as well as update their current condition so doctors can better assess patients’ needs. These services and more help establish a relationship between the healthcare providers and patients. The consistency and reliability of these services and communication channels build loyalty and comfort for patients and practitioners. It means less unnecessary testing and visits for the patient, and less time waiting for the healthcare system and processes to ‘catch up’ for the physician. 

ReMedi Offers Solutions and Innovations to Make EHR Implementation Painless

EHR implementation can be difficult, but ReMedi Healthcare Solutions helps make the transition easy and seamless. For many healthcare institutions that still use traditional record systems, updating to an EHR like Epic can seem like a daunting challenge. It requires tremendous planning, coordinating, and communication to ensure everything happens without affecting workflow. Even after a successful implementation, it takes time and training to get everyone trained to effectively use the new system. ReMedi offers support in bridging the gap between technology and clinical knowledge.

ReMedi’s System Selection Advisory Services first help institutions identify which EHR will work best for them. ReMedi’s physician-minded approach to implementation means they focus on the entire process from timing the live release all the way to post-launch training and support. ReMedi EHR training is very comprehensive, using group and one-on-one sessions to ensure all end users fully understand how to use Epic to their full potential for their specific institution. Many super users will see the benefits of Epic immediately thanks to ReMedi focused training, and they will be the ones who help lead the ‘charge of change’ among other end users. 

ReMedi and Epic Together Provide Countless Innovations and Solutions to Healthcare

  • Automated medical billing, forms, and processes
  • Simpler and quicker user interfaces
  • Improved patient experience
  • Customization to fit any clinical need
  • Predictive analytics and embedded decision support tools

ReMedi helps healthcare institutions successfully and stress-free implement Epic into their systems, and then provides continuing support in fully utilizing and understanding all that Epic can offer. ReMedi Healthcare Solutions understands physicians’ needs because they are physicians.

If you’re interested in learning more about our approach to Epic optimization, email us at info@remedihs.com.

EHR Personalization: Enable End-Users and Get the Most Out of Your IT Investment

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Technological advancements in the healthcare ecosystem have enabled safer medical workflows, efficient communication, and better clinician-patient management. With the natural progression of paper records to digitization, these systems have proved to benefit clinicians, administrators, and patients. Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are a robust version of patient’s history, diagnosis, and treatment. When implemented effectively, personalized EHR healthcare technology transforms patient care, making it easier for doctors to spend more time with patients and spend less time doing paperwork. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the integral elements of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, training, implementation standards, and the positive impact EHRs have on healthcare when personalized and implemented effectively.

The Convergence of Technology and Healthcare: Electronic Health Records

EHR systems have proven to be a game-changer, now replacing paper records on a grand scale. Here are some of the meaningful benefits of EHR Systems:

Easy access to patient data 

Patient records, history, diagnosis, and reports from other clinicians are seamlessly shared without worrying about writing out forms, filing, and time-consuming administrative work. 

Consistency and quality management 

With records accessible in real-time, there’s less chance of human error in reporting, dramatically improving workflows for clinicians. 

Secure data 

Unlike paper records, EHR systems are built for authorized users, making them less vulnerable to being lost or stolen. The cloud is a reliable source of data storing, with backups saved to ensure it’s safety. 

Patient satisfaction 

Providers can ensure a smooth administrative process to make the patient experience less uncomfortable. By being able to access information on the go, it takes logistic hinderances away from the process.

Traditional EHR Training Methods

Healthcare institutions use traditional training methods to train their staff for using EHR Systems. These include the following:

Arranging Workshops 

In these workshops, a trainer guides the team step-by-step through a proper demonstration of the system by helping the staff become familiar with the system.

Hands-on Experience 

Although workshops are beneficial for learning, demonstrations alone do not familiarize clinicians enough to become expert users. Hands-on experience is an integral part of the process. By completing tasks repeatedly over time, clinicians better understand how to use the system. 

Team-based Training Methods 

Making teams consisting of different patient care professionals is also an essential training method, as it helps the staff understand how the system works, and how their interactions will change with the implementation of this system. 

The Gap Between EHR Technology and Healthcare

Traditional methods of implementation lack a vital step in the digital shift: the personalization of EHR systems. Supporting clinicians and showing them how to maximize their workflow is best done by… well, clinicians. 

The traditional methods of EHR implementation involve training a group of clinicians together, instead of being personalized to each clinician individually. As a result, it is highly likely that the clinician is not able to understand how EHR technology can make a positive impact on their practice, and thus may not take an interest in the training at all. 

Apart from this, some clinicians may be reluctant towards this change and may not accept it wholeheartedly. Healthcare administrators must deal with this problem head-on as it can cause significant problems, especially if the clinician is solely responsible for data management.

Bridging the Gap between Healthcare and Technology

For successful EHR implementation training, organizations should focus on using an EHR consultant with a clinician background, as well as making the training exercises more personalized. ReMedi Health Solutions designs customized training solutions that incorporate real clinical workflows, evidence-based content, associated financial performance, and keep the patient experience at the center of it all.

In conjunction with formal classroom and training sessions, ReMedi physicians engage in one-on-one meetings with healthcare clinicians and conduct training tailored to the duties they carry out in a highly professional and knowledgeable manner.

A 30,000 foot view of ReMedi’s EHR Personalization process:

  1. ReMedi leads clinicians through the development of preference lists and custom order set defaults within the new EHR system. 
  2. ReMedi hosts small team-based training sessions, where clinician team members shadow EHR super users for additional user support. 
  3. ReMedi provides post-go-live service and support, where ReMedi consultants assist clinicians with issues that they might have immediately after the implementation of a new EHR System. 

The Bottom line: EHR Personalization is Key

Working with ReMedi Health Solutions results in several core improvements for healthcare providers: improved operational efficiency, better knowledge about the EHR, and, most importantly, a greater clinician acceptance towards the system. Ultimately, our mission is to work with healthcare providers to positively impact the future of patient care.

If your organization is migrating to a new EHR system or is looking to optimize its existing EHR, get in touch with ReMedi Health Solutions. We would love to have a friendly chat to see if we can make a substantial impact on the operational and financial quality of your healthcare organization.

Email us at info@remedihs.com or send us a message.

In-house vs. Outsourcing: The Benefits of a Chart Abstraction Service

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This article was originally published on LinkedIn by ReMedi’s Chief Revenue Officer, Scott Collins. 

Sometimes you have to let go. As an entrepreneur, business leader, and a father, it took the longest time in all three roles to figure out that maybe, just maybe I was holding on too tight to the daily minutia of my role. As an entrepreneur I wanted to make all of the decisions regarding the direction of the companies I founded, as a business leader I could take on my role and everyone else’s just because I needed it to get done, and as a father, well… I’m still learning.

When it comes to healthcare organizations taking on new or existing projects, I’ve experienced similar sentiments. I’ve heard phrases such as “my team can handle that” or “we do that in-house”. This is no discredit to the leaders in our industry or the faith that we have in our teams’ capabilities, but rather a nod to today’s staffing shortages, increase in employee burnout, and the rising cost of resources.

Outsourcing services is nothing new to healthcare – but it is more important today than ever. For example, let’s talk clinical data/chart abstraction. When acquiring or merging with other healthcare entities, or even transitioning to a new EHR system, healthcare organizations have the skillsets, know-how, and overall expertise within the four walls to provide chart abstraction in-house. This seems to be the smarter, more affordable, and most convenient option. But that’s not necessarily true. Enlisting the help of a clinical abstraction service can provide more complete and accurate patient charts without placing any additional burden on your clinicians.

The end result – making an acquisition or EHR transition more efficient and often at a lower cost than managing the process on your own.

Less burden on clinicians

Clinician burnout is at an all-time high. We are not just speaking of physicians, but our nurses as well. Clinicians are committed to providing the best care possible and if that means completing or correcting patient charts at home, many will do it. But is that really in the best interest of your organization, healthcare staff, or patients? Probably not. A little more personal time goes a long way for morale and better patient care.

More accurate, timely patient data

By outsourcing your chart abstraction to a clinically experienced team, providers find the information they need when they need it, allowing the best delivery for quality care. Clinicians don’t feel like they are rushing to access accurate data into the patient chart (risking certain data points like medications, allergies, etc.) and existing patients get the familiar attention they deserve. Clinicians feel valued and patients feel cared for, keeping everyone’s satisfaction levels high.

Lower costs, higher efficiency

With staffing shortages and increasing wages, keeping your chart abstraction in-house can become expensive. Clinicians are working overtime to ensure that charts are complete. With that comes higher overtime rates. Those costs add up quickly. Outsourced services typically offer a rate that is more competitive than what you’d wind up paying your clinicians.

Outsourcing chart abstraction can also improve the quality of care and increase patient volumes. When providers can focus solely on care, each visit moves faster, taking up less time and creating space for increased patient volume. It also improves care by making each visit more patient-centric resulting in higher patient retention – a topic for another day.

Final thoughts

Is it possible to manage your chart abstraction in-house? Yes. But should you? I’d argue you shouldn’t.  With the rise of clinician burnout, wage increases, and the competitive landscape of healthcare, outsourcing chart abstraction to clinical experts leads to more accurate data that’s available to providers when they need it. You can avoid burnout by not overloading your team with additional abstraction responsibilities while improving the overall efficiency of the process… and potentially save a few bucks along the way.

Scott Collins is the Chief Revenue Officer for ReMedi Health Solutions. Learn more about Chart Abstraction Services or contact Scott at s.collins@remedihs.com.

The Future of EHR: Automation, Interoperability, and Value

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Now more than ever, technology has the potential to change every aspect of our lives. Given the current health crisis, our healthcare system is evolving to meet the current crisis which will shift into lasting changes. Electronic health records (EHR) are the digital version of your health records. Using EHR efficiently has enormous potential to change the landscape of the future of healthcare.

Electronic Health Records, or EHRs, are real-time, patient-centered records that are available to anyone that is authorized to see them. Patient electronic health records (EHRs) contain a wide range of medical information, including:

  • Medical histories
  • Diagnoses
  • Medications
  • Treatment plans
  • Immunization dates
  • Allergies
  • Radiology images
  • Laboratory test results

EHRs can enable intelligent evidence-based tools to help doctors make better, informed decisions on the best treatment for patients. When used proactively, EHRs help automate clinician workflows so that work is done more efficiently and the quality of care improves.

The Future of EHR Will Shift Into a Tool For Communication Between Healthcare Professionals

There are several important reasons that EHR have the potential to change the healthcare world for the better. For starters, there is interoperability. This allows patients and providers to provide access to health records no matter where they go. EHR can be moved from one medical setting to another to help with communication and relevant medical data. This allows doctors to communicate with other doctors and those who are conducting a test, pharmacies, medical imaging facilities, emergency facilities, and even school or workplace settings. Healthcare patients can confidently visit various healthcare providers, and trust that their medical records with travel with them.

Source: https://healthit.gov

The Data Stored In Your EHR System Will Help You Automate Processes and Decision Making

Hospitals collect vast amounts of data from patients, and EHR systems provide a way to store and organize this data. The data stored in your EHR system can then be used to start the process of automating your processes throughout your healthcare office. This occurs when the hospital’s IT and healthcare workflows are synced up.

The Future of EHR Will Increase Value for All

EHR can also significantly improve the quality of care that patients receive. When a doctor has access to the most current and complete healthcare record of a patient accessible, it allows them to make better decisions in regards to their treatment. This ultimately helps to improve the care and treatment that the patient receives.

Over the long-term, EHRs have the potential to save patients money. This can only occur once the EHR, like Epic or Cerner, has been successfully implemented and optimized. Once once this happens, there can be an efficient reduction of labor, and that will reduce the cost to provide healthcare to patients.

Conclusion

Electronic health records have the potential to change the landscape of the healthcare industry. They allow doctors to communicate better which can help provide better care to patients because doctors can make a better decision based on what the record is showing. EHR can also benefit patients by lowering the cost of medical care and make it easier for patients to bring their records from one doctor to another. Finally, EHR is beneficial for the hospitals with a sound data migration strategy, because they can better utilize the large amounts of data that they collect and can start to automate their system. As the technology behind EHR systems grows, they’ll quickly become the core operating foundation of any healthcare facility.

At ReMedi Health Solutions, we believe healthcare IT projects shouldn’t cause stress for physicians and staff. 

As trained clinicians, we recognize the need to create value using technology and data solutions that help hospitals and physicians provide better care for patients in a highly sustainable manner. Our EHR solutions coupled with our empathetic approach not only cuts costs and reduces expenses, but it allows for our clinically-driven resources to make a direct impact to your medical workflows. 

If you have questions or would like to connect with our team, email us at info@remedihs.com.

7 Reasons Why Physician Personalization is the Key to EHR Success

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Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems are becoming a large part of the medical community. EHR systems offer a range of collaborative and customizable tools that help centralize patient care.

However, with all the different opportunities that EHR offers the medical community, some hospital systems and especially doctors find it hard to transition to this new, digitized solution.

Change is rarely easy, but adopting an EHR system into your practice is an advancement that can help everyone in your practice, from the staff to the patients, become more connected, organized, and efficient.

The best way to adapt to using an EHR system is to personalize it for each end-user as much as possible. At ReMedi Health Solutions, we believe that Personalization should be conducted by physicians with clinical experience in the new EHR. Now, from the Virtual Command Center, ReMedi physicians can support more doctors than ever before with their EHR Personalization needs. The virtual solution enables just ten ReMedi physicians to support up to two thousand practicing physicians with Personalization lab sessions!

Here are seven reasons why physician Personalization is key to EHR success:

1. Adoption of the New EHR

Personalization is important for a physician because it helps patients and doctors adopt new EHR systems. A 2019 study conducted by KLAS’ Arch Collaborative found that the adoption and evolution of EHR are cultivated best in an environment where physicians personalize their patients’ systems.

The EHR system or usability does factor into the adoption of new EHR. However, every EHR system is a tool that improves clinical workflow. Similarly to every tech innovation, every EHR system has different functions and interfaces.

Yet, if physicians don’t make it a genuine part of their practice, it will never reach its full capabilities.

To make an EHR system a part of your practice, ensure that every physician sees the benefits of using this powerful technology. Then, doctors need to use it and understand its functionality to become comfortable with it.

Once doctors and staff become genuinely comfortable and excited about the technology’s capabilities, patients will follow suit.

2. Specialty-Specific Workflows

Everyone in the medical industry has an important job to do. Yet, every position in the medical field has a specialty-specific workflow. A doctor and a nurse have two different workflows, schedules, and duties. When you evaluate the means by which surgeons versus anesthesiologists versus primary care physicians see their patients, you realize that each one is tangibly different and will completely use the EHR in a unique way. Therefore, any EHR system you use must adhere to each staff member’s specialty-specific workflow. 

The best way to do that is to personalize the system with someone with an understanding of each specialty. This opportunity is a wonderful way to get your staff involved and invested in learning the system. When people understand that you are helping make the system great for their use, they are more inclined to learn the design and use the system to tailor it to their needs.

3. MD to MD (Peer to Peer)

A 2019 survey indicated that poor EHR training largely impacted the system’s personalization and usability. This survey solidifies the importance of learning from a clinician with background and end-user experience with each EHR system. At ReMedi, our approach to peer to peer training helps our physicians explain and personalize the EHR focusing on the “why” we do things in a specific way with the new system. Most EHR trainers simply show you “how” the EHR works — leaving room for uncertainty, error, and inefficiency. One step further, we share why we document things in a certain way, why we utilize the InBasket/Message Center in the appropriate way. It’s hard for a non-physician to teach a physician why things should be done a certain way, so we have found the MD to MD training to be the most beneficial of all during EHR implementations. 

A clinician with such experience can offer real-world data, best practices, and shortcuts that reduce clicks, making the process much easier. Plus, in this environment, trainees can have all their questions answered for their specific system.

Physician trainee confidence levels grow exponentially when trainees see that another clinician has learned and found success with an EHR system.

At the end of the day, an MD is more inclined to listen to and learn from another MD. Especially when the training EHR physician is outside of their institution, there is little bias involved, and the approach is strictly based on strategy, efficiency and ease of use. The doctor now has a peer who is assuring them that they can understand the EHR system and it will be beneficial to their productivity and patient care practice.

4. Preferences, Favorites, and Customization

A system can only passively pick up on so many preferences. So, the more an individual personalizes a system to fit their needs, the better it performs. However, while professionals personalize their desks, phones, mousepads, and other office supplies, 66% of professionals surveyed by KLAS had little to no personalization added to their EHR system.

The personalization of your EHR system is an integral part of the experience. If you don’t personalize the experience, you disregard a large portion of the system’s overall capabilities.

With most EHR systems, you can input note templates and favorite data unique to the user. Therefore, as the doctor gets accustomed to the EHR, the system tailors itself to optimal customization and productivity.

Our Personalization team at ReMedi has found that if the physician is taught how to correctly use the EHR within the first weeks of the implementation, every hour they spend personalizing and learning the system results in a saved working hour every week from then on.

5. Ease of Use / Functionality

The overall EHR systems design responds well to customization. The system’s best informational asset is the people who are using the system. The more they can offer the system in terms of personalization and customization, the better it can provide ease of use and optimal functionality.

The design intention is what makes it beneficial to have peers teaching peers during the initial setup. However, cultivating ease of use and functionality extends to the willingness of co-workers to train new hires.

Every medical office has specific jargon, ways of filing, and customization of unique operations. Therefore, when a person is new to the practice, even though they will have the ability to customize their own EHR systems workspace, a peer must explain how to use the system.

Similarly to the overall teaching experience, when a peer teaches a peer about the practice’s system, they can share their knowledge and offer tips to make the transition easier.

This collaboration improves usability and functionality overall because everyone is on the same page and can help anyone with a range of aspects throughout the system.

6. Better Patient Care

Ultimately, every medical technological advancement gets implemented to help physicians improve patient care. The implementation of EHR systems is no different.

Personalizing your EHR workspace makes it easy to find everything from patient information to form templates. You have control over the look, organization, and information you have close at hand.

When physicians apply the prior personalization points to their practice, each doctor can focus their full attention on the patient, using this technology as the dynamic tool it is designed to be.

7. Physician Satisfaction

Physician satisfaction occurs when the doctors can navigate the EHR confidently. The confidence they gain while continuously using and learning the EHR system’s capabilities allows physicians to serve more patients promptly, with a better focus on outcomes. Physician burnout goes away when the physician can finish their work inside of their working hours, and head home for some ‘pajama time’ with their loved ones. 

Ultimately, EHR systems are a powerful tool that can help physicians garner satisfaction in their work by organizing the medical process. However, that tool is only as useful as the extent it gets implemented. So, to reach the heights and get the best experience any EHR system can provide, physician Personalization is vital.

Conclusion

At ReMedi, we’re focused on serving physicians in the clinical environment. To learn more about how ReMedi supports its hospital partners with physician Personalization, send us an email at info@remedihs.com.

COVID-19 Updates and Resources

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In the midst of the COVID-19 national emergency, the ReMedi team hopes our clients, partners, and families are doing well. 

We’ve compiled a list of resources and updates regarding the COVID-19 national emergency. Please check the World Health Organization first for the most important and up-to-date news about the Coronavirus.

Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth

Telemedicine will play an integral role in dealing with the Coronavirus outbreak.

In an effort to help protect at-risk individuals, the U.S. Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has issued a notice for discretion of telehealth and telemedicine remote communications during the COVID-19 national emergency. The OCR will exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties for noncompliance with the regulatory requirements under the HIPAA Rules against covered healthcare providers in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the nationwide public health emergency.  The notice is effective immediately. 

Using discretion, doctors can use 1-1 communication tools to serve its patients during the emergency that may not have previously been HIPAA compliant. I.e. Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Zoom Video Conferencing, Skype, Google.

View the complete update here: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/emergency-preparedness/notification-enforcement-discretion-telehealth/index.html

Medicare Telemedicine Healthcare Provider Fact Sheet

This resource provides guidance on Medicare coverage and payment of virtual services. Includes: expansion of telehealth, types of virtual services, virtual check-ins, e-visits and HIPAA compliance.

View the fact sheet here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet

A summary of medicare telemedicine services
A summary of Medicare telemedicine services.

LOINC Prerelease Terms

Special Use medical codes are developed in response to an urgent or emergent situation. These codes are based on the most up to date information available at the time of their creation. They have undergone the normal QA terminology process. LOINC supports their use in the unique situation that resulted in their rapid creation. However, be aware that downstream users may not be ready to handle prerelease codes until they are published in an official release.

View the LOINC prerelease term updates here: https://loinc.org/prerelease/

Check back for updates and resources as we learn more. To contact our team, email info@remedihs.com.