The NCBI (The National Center for Biotechnology Information) stated that, “Implementing an electronic health record (EHR) can be a difficult task to take on and planning the process is of utmost importance to minimize errors. Evaluating the selection criteria and implementation plan of an EHR system, intending interoperability, confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the patient health information data, while ensuring timely, accurate, and regulatory compliant generation of reports is a critical task.” The organization went on to say that “Implementation of EHR systems has become a requirement in the United States.”
In other words, expert EHR implementation help is not optional. It is imperative. That’s why smart healthcare organizations, like Ballad Healthcare, turn to proven and knowledgeable EPIC implementation training partners, like Blue Eagle Consulting (BEC), to deliver the spot-on help their organization needs.
Six significant qualifications to look for in your personalized implementation partner
The company you select has to:
- Meet your growing needs. For example, Ballad Health is in 4 states with 21 hospitals and over 200 ambulatory facilities and needed to train all of its more than 6,000 team members.
- Be familiar with Ballad’s operation and have a predetermined understanding of the process.
- Realize that the new Epic EHR system is not a “one and done” system. It’s a saga with many moving pieces and parts affecting many personnel and patients.
- Be ready to quickly provide sufficient personnel (with the ability to staff hundreds of consultants, if necessary) to handle it all throughout the entire 2-year project…despite the COVID-19 pandemic obstacles.
- Be able to handle the enormity of the project, from legacy support, through instructional design, to principal training, classroom training for personnel and finally at-the-elbow support for go-live…and beyond.
- Be able to change on a dime and adapt during unforeseen challenges.
Blue Eagle Consulting was able to meet all these needs for Ballad Health with aplomb.
During the first months of COVID-19, did the pandemic present specific EPIC EHR implementation issues and challenges?
YES, definitely! BEC met Ballad Health’s personnel needs, including the social distancing, travel and safety precautions of providing sufficient, healthy consultants even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, Klas Research found that, “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, EHR purchasing was up in 2020, fueled in large part by decisions among large organizations as well as standalone community hospitals. This report investigates the buying trends that prevailed in a year unlike any other.”
Sherry Pouncey, Blue Eagle’s Director of Operations and a Clinical Nurse
Informaticist with 25-years in ambulatory, clinical and surgical care, said, “We’ve had consultants there for the last 10 years, sometimes as many as 30 at a time, culminating most recently with over 280 ATE’s onsite during their Go-Live.” No small accomplishment with the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
What secured Ballad Health’s decision to turn to BEC?
Meeting Ballad Healthcare’s needs meant having the right BEC site leads in place at the top at each hospital. But what finalized Ballad Health’s decision to partner with BEC was their culture of:
- Results
- Teamwork
- Meeting quick staffing needs
- Adjusting quickly to changes… like the unforeseen staffing challenges brought on by COVID-19
- Commitment to patient safety and improved patient outcomes
- Quality of IT, software and training resources
Want to know more? Request the complete White Paper for more information on the Blue Eagle/Ballad Healthcare partnership
This article is basically an abbreviated version of a White Paper available for you to request on our website. The White Paper delivers details on the EHR partnership.
Whether you are implementing a new EHR system or converting from another platform, a well-planned implementation is vital. Ensure you have the right plan in place and the proper resources to execute. See how BEC supported one large health system throughout the process of migrating from Allscripts and other legacy products to Epic.
Also, discover what Ballad Healthcare personnel had to say about Blue Eagle, what the specific benefits were, and BEC’s special recognition.
Please fill out the form here to download the White Paper today.
Contact BEC for the professional EHR help you need
A team of our professional healthcare IT teaching consultants can help your medical organization make sure you’re reaping the maximum benefits from your EHR system. Get in touch today to let us know how we can help you.
To find out more about our implementation or activation support, simply call Blue Eagle Consulting at 1 (866) 981-1095, use the short and easy Contact Form at https://blueeagle-consulting.com/contact/, or send an email to info@blueeagle-consulting.com.
