Where does one start on the EHR journey? At the beginning. Where is the beginning? The beginning should be squarely focused on the business needs of the organization.
Our journey grew out of series of strategic development sessions. Our two major medical groups had been acquired within the past 10 years and each had developed a business model centered on a regional hospital. Each regional business unit had developed the basics necessary for a functional EMR but there were no true links between the units.
A number of tactical initiatives grew out of our strategy sessions. We discussed how we might achieve the various initiatives and came to the conclusion a system wide EHR was a prerequisite.
Lesson: The EHR (or any other initiative) has to be based on the business needs of the organization.
