If you have done your homework and preparation, "go live day" should not create any undue stress or anxiety. Mostly it should go smoothly. Certainly, expect some glitches and problems that were not anticipated. Here are some things to consider for three to nine months after that initial day:
- Continue to concentrate on "retiring charts." The paper charts should be signed off and retired no later than the second patient visit after the electronic health record is implemented. Establish a protocol for inputting all useful information into the electronic chart. Certainly your staff can do some and you can do the other real-time. Many offices put in medications, allergies and established a problem list at the time of the first and/or second visit. The provider can tag certain pages that need scanning. By six to nine months there should be very few paper charts left that need to be archived.
- Continue to have weekly or biweekly meetings with your staff and certainly be open and honest and address all problems associated with the record. The meeting should be structured such that anyone is an able to speak their mind without fear.
- Your new electronic health record mandates a new workflow and a new approach. It can help your office illuminate wasteful work and redundant effort. Continue to be on the lookout for steps that accomplish no useful work and can be eliminated. Continue to think of new ways to use your new record efficiently. This step never ends.
- Get help if you need it. The American Academy of Family Physicians has great online resources as well as people willing to help you. Feel free to contact other offices that have been through this same type of start up and have been successful.
Most of all, keep at it. Your electronic health record represents the foundation and nervous system for your new way of working. It enables the future of family medicine to occur.