Workflow Redesign Tips

Adopting an electronic health record (EHR) will change the flow of patients through your organization. Workflow redesign is important because it can help your organization you get the most value out of your EHR. Check out the below tips to get started with the workflow redesign process.

  • Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in your current workflow: Decide which aspects of your workflow need improvement and prioritize them. Your organization’s staff members and clinicians can be the best resources for identifying workflows that create bottlenecks.
  • Cross-reference your workflow redesign ideas with your EHR vendor’s suggestions: Your EHR vendor can bring experience from other implementations that can help you during workflow redesign, so be sure to gather feedback and suggestions from your EHR vendor.
  • Pilot test new workflows: Try out new workflows in small steps, or test different ways of doing a task to identify what works best for your organization. Try using the Plan-Do-Study-Act rapid-cycle improvement strategy.
  • Listen to staff: What sounds like resistance is often valuable information about a process issue.
  • Use workflow redesign templates: Workflow redesign templates can help you get started with the process of mapping out your current workflows.

 During the workflow redesign process, look at all aspects of your organization from an electronic point-of-view. Remember, it doesn’t matter so much where you start — as long as you start somewhere.

For More Information

For more information on workflow redesign, see the following resources.