Every organization has systems that must be utilized to conduct day-to-day business operations. In many cases the term ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is the title used for the one primary system the enterprise cannot function without. The ERP system covers so many of the fundamental elements of the operational and financial aspects of an enterprise, it’s unable to exist without it. In Healthcare, the ERP reference is called “Electronic Health Record System,” or EHRS or EHR for short.
This system facilitates and guides the organization’s staff through all of the major steps associated to their existence. The EHR system covers all of the following.
- Intake
- Diagnosis
- Treatment Plan Development
- Treatment Plan Management
- Measured Outcomes
- Fiscal (Billings to Payers)
EHR Systems in Health and Human Services
Specific to Health and Human Service agencies that focus on non-physical health, this enterprise resource planning system is the heartbeat of an agency.
Unfortunately, most EHR systems are not set up well. Both large and small health & human agencies struggle with the use (implementation) of the system. Leadership and staff have to focus on many other issues, making it nearly impossible to ensure all service lines and programs are configured properly to use the system from intake through to reimbursement.
In addition, many agencies use their EHR system on a partial basis. The agency’s EHR system becomes what we call a “half-baked cake.” As staff resort back to the use of spreadsheets and file storage solutions manage Protected Health Information (PHI), they’re only half baking it into the organization’s foundation. This creates inconsistencies, and the organization fails to fully leverage the benefits of the EHR.
Organizational Change Management (OCM) for EHR System Implementation
The lack of organizational change management into the “culture” of the agency furthers this piecemeal outcome when agency leadership and software vendors do not have successful system implementations.
Further, with the continuing development of consolidation in the agency space, we find mid-size and larger agencies with multiple EHR solutions to manage. In some cases, some smaller agencies still are without a true EHR System which means a single entity made up of several agencies has some utilizing an EHR while other aspects of the roll up are not.
What’s the difference between EHR System Implementation and EHR System Optimization?
Implementation is the initial engagement of the technology to the operational and fiscal aspects of the agency.
Optimization is the standardized operations model across all service lines and program areas to drive the Implementation.
Common Questions about EHR Systems:
- Do we need to optimize as part of our implementation? Short answer: you should do so, but optimization can occur after the initial implementation too.
- What is the value of optimization? Management’s job becomes easier, and staff can be shifted from program to program with less effort, when standards are implemented across all service lines and programs.
- Where do we start if we want to look at system selection or optimization? Get Help! Unless your agency has the financial wherewithal to hire, train, and manage an EHR team, you must find a partner to help guide you through the process.
- Is it expensive to work with a partner for our needs? Answers to several additional questions are needed to determine this. These include:
- Am I able to staff properly?
- How many reimbursements are being kicked back?
- How man reimbursements are we losing?
- What is my turnover rate for staff due to ineffective system automation? Turnover costs hard dollars to recruit, hire, train, and engage staff. Retention should be measured, and system use plays a major role.
- Is EHR optimization a project with a beginning and end date? NO! There are many changes that will take place in your agency. Some you control and others form outside of your agency. System optimization “tuning” along with a strong Organizational Change Management Model (OCM) must become part of your agency culture.
- How do we start the process of engagement to being optimization? Contact enkompas Technology Solutions Our EHR optimization team is working with a growing number of agencies to fix the issues and systems from poor implementations.
How enkompas Technology Solutions Engages with Health & Human Services Agencies
enkompas Technology Solutions’ healthcare practice is dedicated exclusively to working with agencies in the non-physical health space. Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, Addiction, Children and Family Services.
enkompas’ business model is vast enough to bring layers of skills to your agency that provides a broad capability to look across the entire agency landscape to ensure you have all of the necessary technology tools available beyond just the EHR System.
enkompas’ offerings include:
- System Selection Processing
- Standardization Planning and Execution
- Workflow Design and Documentation
- Help Desk Services
- System Update Services
- Organizational Change Management (OCM)
- EHR Managed Services
Our team is comprised of EHR and OCM experts, along with our IT Service group, who can ensure users have all they need to perform to a higher standard, enabling measured quality outcomes to those you serve. Contact us today to learn more.
