Content area
Full Text
There are two major strategies to implementing an EMB: the big-bang approach and the phased, or incremental, approach. Each strategy has pros and cons that must be considered. This article discusses these approaches and the risks and benefits of each as well as some training strategies that can be used with either approach.
Key words: Big bang, phased, incremental, approach, implementation, EMR, strategy.
Editor's Note: This is the third of a series of six articles. The first article, The Search for an EMR System: Weighing Every Option to Ensure the Best Fit, appeared in the November/December issue. The second, Customizing an EMR: Lessons Learned, appeared in the January/February issue. The remaining articles, appearing in the next three issues, will cover: Triumphs and Tribulations of Our First Office; The Evolving Role of the EMR Implementation Team; and A Retrospective Review of Our Implementation.
The implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) system involves major reengineering of every workflow in the practice. Resistance to change can sabotage the entire project. With the rate of EMR implementation failure still relatively high, the strategy that a practice uses for implementation can significantly impact the success, or lack thereof, of the change initiative. There are two basic approaches to EMR implementation: the "big bang" and the phased, or incremental, approach. Do you go -live with all functions and features of the program at one time and with all users? Or do you take your time and slowly implement the EMR system following a defined methodology? There are advantages and disadvantages to both strategies, and practices must weigh the options to determine which best meets their needs.
THE BIG BANG
The big bang approach involves a rapid rollout of multiple users on new functions and features at once. This is analogous to staffing a practice with completely new employees that all require training on front/back- desk and clinical operations. Small practices have the best odds with this type of deployment. The scope is relatively contained, and most likely the physicians are completely on board with the initiative.
With a significant part of the practice being reengineered, every related task and function that was once instinctively completed now requires forethought and conscious decision making. Such a large amount of change at...