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EHR Clinical Overview
EHR Technical Overview
EHR Walk Through
Preparing for EHR
EHR Current Status
Key EHR Program Contacts
Patient Information Management System (PIMS) Application
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Preparing for EHR

Transitioning to an electronic healthcare record requires substantial changes in a health care organization's business processes, as well as in the computer hardware and software needed to support and run the EHR. Moving from the paper to the electronic environment will force changes in routine for every employee connected with clinical services or activities. The IHS-EHR Program will be providing expert consultation to EHR sites on how workflow patterns and business processes may need to be redesigned.

Rolling out an electronic record system at any facility will require a considerable training effort at the time of implementation, as well as an ongoing program of training and support in anticipation of staff turnover and application upgrades. At a minimum, facilities should expect to add a full time Clinical Applications Coordinator position for support and training of the product, and should consider whether additional Information Technology staff will be needed to support potentially increased demand on this department.

Because medical providers and other users of the EHR will need access to the system at the point of service, many facilities will need to extensively upgrade their network infrastructure and install new computer hardware. In addition, the latest versions of and patches to RPMS applications will need to be installed.

There is something of a learning curve for providers using EHR for the first time, so most organizations should expect to see decreased provider productivity during the first few months of EHR implementation. On the other hand, improved efficiencies in other areas (fewer chart pulls, decreased data entry, improved coding, more timely billing, and reductions in medication errors) may be anticipated as well.

The following documents are provided to assist sites in preparing for implementation of IHS-EHR:

General Information:
EHR Site Survey [DOC-50KB]
Site Preparation Checklist [DOC-95KB]
Hardware Infrastructure Recommendations [DOC-48KB]

Clinical Application Coordinator sample Position Descriptions:
Clinical App Co pd 4-03.doc [DOC-52KB]
Clinical AppCo pd.doc [DOC-308KB]
HEALTH SYSTEMS SPECIALIST-cac.doc [DOC-34KB]

Patient Information Management System (PIMS) information:
PIMS Web Page

Pharmacy information:
Pharmacy Preparation: What You Really Need to Know [DOC-102KB]
Addendum to Pharmacy Preparation [DOC-50KB]
Pharmacy Data Management Implementation Guide [PDF-682KB]
Adverse Reaction Tracking - PCC Options [DOC-24KB]
VA Drug Classes [DOC-88KB]
Security Keys, Pharmacy Inpatient Suite 4.5 [DOC-38KB]

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arrow box EHR Clinical Overview
arrow box EHR Technical Overview
arrow box Patient Information Management System (PIMS)
arrow box EHR Current Status
arrow box Key EHR Project Contacts
arrow box EHR Frequently Asked Questions

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This file last modified: Wednesday September 29, 2004  4:21 PM