Electronic Health Record Implementation Planning

Here are some tactical steps that typically occur during the planning phase. You may collaborate with and use tools provided by your Regional Extension Center (REC) or electronic health record (EHR) vendor to complete these activities.

• • Map Out Your Current State: Map out workflows and analyze how your organization currently gets work done (the current state).
  • Plan Your Future State: Then, map out how EHRs will enable desired workflows, creating new workflow patterns to improve inefficiency or duplicative processes (the future state).
  • Plan for Contingencies: Initiate contingency planning – or disaster recovery planning – to combat issues that may arise throughout the implementation process.
  • Build an EHR Implementation Plan: Create a project plan for transitioning from paper to EHRs and appoint someone to manage the project plan. This person should possess the necessary skills to ‘own’ the project through completion.
  • Plan for Chart Migration: Establish a chart migration plan to help you decide how you will to transfer information from paper charts to your EHR. Identify specific data elements that will need to be entered into the new EHR and if there are items that will be scanned.
  • Understand Data Elements: Understand what data elements may be migrated from your old system to your new one, such as patient demographics or provider schedule information.
  • Start Thinking About Privacy and Security: Identify and appoint a person in your organization who will be responsible for managing the implementation of privacy and security measures necessary during EHR implementation and adoption. Get started using the Health Information Privacy and Security: 10 Step Plan.

For More Information

For more information on EHR implementation and building your EHR implementation plan, see the following resources.

• • Step 2: Plan Your Approach
  • When and how should I start EHR implementation planning?
  • Who should be a part of my electronic health record (EHR) implementation team during the planning process?
  • What does electronic health record (EHR) workflow redesign mean and why is it important?