Professionals across public, acute, and behavioral health rely on electronic health record (EHR) software to support patient care and documentation every day. Entering diagnoses, care plans, and administrative information supports the care continuum, and in-house technology teams help to make this as seamless as possible.
Each new system and wave of advancements requires a learning curve. Examine how IT can navigate a new EHR, and use that knowledge to support clinical end users.
Make IT experts for EHR training.
While they use the software much differently, IT personnel need to gain a deep understanding of a new EHR just as much as any clinical end user to configure the system. The problem is that most hospitals don’t give them enough time to learn about the software.
Juggle the demands of learning the EHR.
For IT and super users, becoming EHR experts should begin with involvement across training, integrations, and data migrations to fully understand the system’s functions. Support is preventive, not just reactive. But without dedicated training time, balancing this with day-to-day responsibilities could delay team competency and user support.
The key is to remain agile. Continuously review documentation and updates to reconfigure workflows as your EHR evolves. After initial training, engage in ongoing learning. Refer to vendor release notes and test scripts to understand workflows and use cases to maintain your system. This documentation is a lifesaver for in-house IT during user acceptance testing before the go-live date and during software updates, helping the team provide comprehensive software and workflow support.
Build a robust support system.
EHR support can make or break the end-user experience. Create your support system to investigate and resolve issues quickly, implementing features that make this easier as they become available. A multitiered support structure can accommodate different levels of need across the organization. It might include three levels:
- Tier 1: Clinical super users/informatics specialists for immediate, bedside support
- Tier 2: Specialized IT staff for complex system issues and customization
- Tier 3: Vendor support and system administrators for critical system failures and upgrades
Spearhead on-site triage.
The more clinicians can do with their EHR in-house, the more in control they are. With this in mind, IT should use its intimate knowledge of both software and user needs to assist with smaller issues so clinicians can get back to work. In-house teams should establish dedicated helplines and on-site staff with aggressive response time metrics to conduct simple triage, including:
- Connectivity and hardware concerns, such as power, network connectivity (local and internet), and related peripherals
- System resources checks related to RAM, CPU, and disk capacity
- Customer-loaded software issues, such as anti-malware, patching/monitoring, and firewall/VPN settings
The golden rule of troubleshooting is “Never skip steps,” so look for patterns to determine how widespread individual problems are and if they affect specific users or system setups. Leverage customer workflows to help, and if your team can catch a reported issue and note where it happens in the workflow, you may help vendors implement a fix.
Escalate to vendors.
Corrupt files, system-level problems, and other complex issues can occur no matter how skilled clinicians are with an EHR. Unfortunately, problems of this magnitude require a more expert touch. IT can submit help tickets to the vendor to investigate and quickly patch repairs to support clinicians doing more with limited resources.
Leverage data analytics and performance monitoring.
IT has the power to monitor infrastructure. Ensure that everything is flowing through your system as intended for seamless operations, focusing on:
- CPU/RAM usage
- Network utilization
- Response times
As technology advances, so will your monitoring. EHRs are on the cusp of being capable of proactive alerting to detect issues across lab orders and appointments before they impact patient care.
Bridge the clinical-technical divide.
Quality EHR support thrives on clear communication. Make it easy for clinicians to share feedback both with IT and with the EHR vendor about system functionality to address patient needs.
Collaborate with clinicians.
Lean on users who understand the EHR like the back of their hand. Work with clinician champions to customize workflows, order sets, and templates across specialties, and cement a sustainable support network. These advanced users can often provide peer support to get users up to speed on the fly.
Implement cross-functional committee meetings.
IT, product management, and clinical leadership must weigh in on how well the EHR meets the organization’s needs. Bring members across departments together during and after the implementation to discuss issues and provide feedback. Establishing this level of rapport can only help; end users feel more comfortable bringing issues to IT and vendors as they use the software.
As healthcare becomes more complex and IT teams are spread out across facilities and geographies, you need baseline practices in place for EHR support. Keep the lines of communication open to ensure users are equipped to use the system and can navigate key dashboards to support the flow of information.
About Chris Mercier, Vice President, Research and Development, Juno Health
Chris Mercier’s extensive experience includes over 30 years of IT experience, with 25 years focused on healthcare IT and customer service excellence. Throughout his career, he has designed and implemented multiple healthcare billing and electronic health record applications while overseeing complex system integrations and migrations. When Chris is not leading Juno Health’s development efforts, he enjoys 3D printing, hot-rodding, skeet and trap shooting, woodworking, and spending time with his son.
