So, you have finally completed the EHR implementation process and are preparing for Go-Live. After all of the hard work the team has put in to ensure a comprehensive build of your EHR environment, you want to make sure the Go-Live runs as smoothly as possible, allowing your team to take full advantage of all the capabilities of your new EHR.
Considering the time-sensitive, high-pressure nature of a Go-Live, it can often seem like an overwhelming task. To help you and your team prepare for Go-Live, we’ve put together a series of blog posts to help you get started down the right path and hopefully give you some peace of mind.
We’ve compiled tips and advice from some of the industry’s foremost experts in Go-Live preparation and project management. Drawing from his extensive experience guiding hospitals and health systems through Go-Lives and organizational change, David Chou, digital health evangelist and VP/Chief Information Officer at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, shared his deep knowledge on project leadership. Additionally, HCI Senior VP of Training and Activation, Stephen Tokarz, and HCI Executive VP of Clinical Services, Bob Steele, offered their perspectives from the training and clinical side, respectively.
Each individual post will cover a specific stage of the Go-Live process, from pre Go-Live planning to post Go-Live support. Whether you’re planning a “big bang” Go-Live or a gradual, phased rollout, all of the points discussed will still apply as best practices. For each tip, we will provide real examples from our extensive Go-Live experience of the kinds of things that can often go wrong if you’re team is not adequately prepared.
As we publish a new post each week over the next five weeks, you can expect to see the following topics covered:
1. Communication
- Communication channels
- Organizational hierarchies
2. Pre & Post Go-Live Planning
- Readiness plans
- Third party vendors
- “Transition to Support” plan
3. Training & Support
- Support commitment
- Super Users
- Enduring training strategies
- Certifications & competency-based checklists
4. Procedures & Reporting
- Downtime procedure
- “Severity & Issue Resolution” escalation plan
- Operational/Technical Dress Rehearsals
- Data Reports
5. Security/Access
- Security & Access issues during Go-Live
- Technical “SWAT” Team
- Device issues
To ensure that you receive the new posts as they are published, click below to subscribe to our blog. We’ll see you next week with the first blog of the series, Go-Live: Communication.