Building Effective Teams
Building effective teams for collaboration in selecting a new EHR system for the clinic requires careful planning. The plan must follow several steps, the first being the identification of professional roles that should be represented. A diverse group of professionals must be involved in the process to ensure that the best EHR system for the clinic is selected (Hartley & Jones, 2012). In particular, professionals such as clinical staff, IT staff, administrative staff, and compliance experts must be involved in the collaborative process of selecting the EHR system.
The rationale for including these professionals is that clinical staff use the EHR system daily and are thus better equipped to provide insight into the functionalities and features that are most important for their workflow. The IT staff advises on the compatibility of the selected system with the existing hardware and other technology infrastructure at the healthcare facility. The administrative staff can advise on the usability and efficiency of the system in terms of billing and patient scheduling. Finally, the compliance experts ensure that the selected system complies with the existing laws and regulations.
The next step involves defining the project’s objectives and scope. This step ensures that everyone selected for the collaborative effort understands the project’s goals and objectives. At the very least, the participants should understand the reasons for implementing the new system, the expected benefits from the new system, the expected timeline for its implementation, and the amount set aside for procuring the new EHR system.
The third step is to form various teams to evaluate the system that the hospital should procure. At the very least, there should be steering, technical evaluation, and functional evaluation teams (Barner & Barner, 2012). The steering team is responsible for the overall project and ensuring it keeps to the time and budget estimates. The evaluation team is responsible for assessing the technical aspects of the systems under consideration and ensuring that the selected system meets the hospital’s technical requirements. Finally, the functional team evaluates the system’s functional aspects to ensure they align with the healthcare facility’s functional requirements.
Finally, one must utilize consensus-building methods to ensure the teams decide what each member can agree on. Some consensus-building methods that should be utilized include brainstorming, the nominal group technique, and the Delphic technique. Brainstorming enables group members to collectively generate ideas and solutions.
The nominal technique involves members generating ideas individually and presenting them to the group for discussion and evaluation. On the other hand, the Delphic technique uses surveys to gather opinions from members anonymously. These consensus-building methods ensure that disagreements do not emerge throughout the project, as teams work cohesively.
Change Management
Implementing the new EHR system is a significant change within the organization that will necessitate the implementation of change management strategies. Change management is best described as the planning, implementation, and management of change to achieve a specific set of goals. One of the anticipated challenges that may arise during implementation is resistance to change. People often fear change due to the uncertainty it brings and their comfort with the status quo (Hodges, 2021). Resistance to change can manifest in several ways, including a reluctance to familiarize with the new system, skepticism about the benefits of the new system, and unjustified concerns about job security.
The second challenge that may arise includes workflow disruption. With the implementation of the new system, employees might be required to change their workflow, which could lead to inefficiencies and confusion. If this challenge is not addressed, it can lead to lower productivity and job dissatisfaction.
Lewin’s Change Management Model and Kotter’s 8-Step Model are well-suited for this case, enabling the organization to navigate its challenges effectively. Lewin’s Change Management Model holds that change occurs in three stages: unfreezing, changing, and freezing. Thus, to overcome resistance to change, a sense of urgency must be created by communicating the benefits of the new EHR system and involving staff in the decision-making process. At the implementation stage of change, the organization must support the transition to the new system (Hodges, 2021).
The final stage involves integrating the new system into the organizational culture, ensuring it remains sustainable in the long term. Kotter’s 8-Step Model for Change Management outlines that change occurs in eight distinct steps: creating a sense of urgency, forming a powerful coalition, and articulating a clear vision for change. Other steps include communicating the vision, removing obstacles, achieving short-term wins, building on the change, and anchoring the change to the organizational culture.
Kotter’s 8-Step Model for Change Management is ideal for addressing workflow disruptions during the implementation of the new EHR system. In particular, the focus should be on removing obstacles and creating short-term wins (Hodges, 2021). These can be achieved by involving staff in the planning process and seeking their input on reducing disruptions during the implementation stage. Training and support during the transition stage would also be essential, and celebrating successes along the way would help foster staff buy-in.
Strategic Planning, Benchmarking, and Risk Mitigation
Implementing the EHR would face several risks that would require mitigation to ensure the smooth adoption of the new system. One of the risks that the new system is likely to experience is potential data breaches or unauthorized access to sensitive patient information. To mitigate this risk, the company can implement security plans that include data encryption, regular security audits, and multi-factor authentication (Harrison, 2021). Additionally, staff should be trained to protect patient data and be aware of the specific measures to take if a breach is detected. These measures will ensure that the risk of data breaches is minimized and that access to patient data is restricted to authorized personnel only.
Procurement is a necessary process in an organization because it enables a healthcare organization to acquire goods and services necessary to provide quality services to patients. The procurement process aims to ensure that the healthcare organization achieves value for money, complies with regulatory guidelines, and obtains high-quality goods necessary to provide better services to patients. Procurement involves several steps, including needs identification, identifying potential suppliers, evaluating suppliers, negotiating contracts, and managing supplier relationships (Olson, 2015).
In addition, there are generally three main procurement requirements: request for proposal, request for information, and request for quotation. The request for proposal solicits bids from vendors who can provide certain goods and services that the healthcare organization requires. The request for information requires potential suppliers to provide information on their delivery capacity. Finally, the request for quotation requires potential suppliers to provide a healthcare organization with price quotes for the goods and services requested.
References
Barner, R., & Barner, C. P. (2012). Building better teams 70 tools and techniques for strengthening performance within and across teams. Pfeiffer.
Harrison, J. P. (2021). Essentials of strategic planning in Healthcare. Health Administration Press.
Hartley, C. P., & Jones, E. (2012). EHR implementation: A step-by-step guide for the Medical Practice. American Medical Association.
Hodges, J. (2021). Managing and leading people through organizational change: The theory and practice of sustaining change through people. Kogan Page.
Olson, D. L. (2015). Information Systems Project Management. Business Expert Press.