LAS VEGAS – Some hospitals see their electronic health record go-live as an endpoint. But one expert speaking at HIMSS16 Tuesday said the smart providers realize that’s only the beginning.
According to Elizabeth Regan, department chair and professor of integrated information technology at University of South Carolina, it's what comes after the EHR implementation, what's done with the patient data collected, that will decide how much value an organization will realize from that investment.
Regan offered the advice Tuesday at her session, "EHR Optimization: Why Is Meaningful Use So Difficult?"
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People, processes and a host of other factors can affect these projects' outcomes, she said, which is why providers are seeing such a disparity of results even when the technology is the same. It’s also why many hospitals abandon projects such as computerized provider order entry rollouts, even after investing thousands of hours and millions of dollars.
"Realizing value requires more than technology," said Regan. "If we want different results, we have to do things differently."
Innovation is a journey, not a destination, she said. "The path from technology to value is not a straight line. In many ways, it's much more like putting puzzle pieces together."
Too often, healthcare providers are focusing on wrong things when it comes to EHR deployments, said Regan – offering a list of these misconceptions and a plan for each.
Value doesn't come from capturing data, she said. It comes from using it, and allowing it inform changes in the way care is delivered.
By the same token, "value doesn't come from customizing technology to fit the way we always do things," said Regan. "It comes from using it to improve way we do things."
Also, changes in thinking do not lead to changes in behavior, she said. In fact, it's the other way around: True behavior change can eventually upend old misconceptions.
That's why the purpose of meaningful use "is not to pay for technology," said Regan. "It is to incentivize behavior change."
But that change doesn't come easily, she said. "Buy-in does not lead to engagement. It's the other way around," she said.
Meanwhile, "cost cutting does not lead to streamlined processes" – in fact, it usually leads to taking shortcuts, said Regan. Instead, streamlining processes can lead to lower costs.
"Individual innovation projects don't necessarily lead to improved outcomes or lower costs," she said. True value comes from changing the entire system, not isolated pieces.
Adding technology to existing processes often only makes for expensive old processes, said Regan. "Using technology to integrate workflows and improve continuity of care reduces cost and improves outcomes.
Finally, it's a myth that people naturally resist change; change is a natural process that most folks are fine with. Instead, she said, "People resist having changes – especially those they don't understand – forced on them."
Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.
