Readiness Assessment: Setting the Right Goals for Your Organization

Goal setting is an important part of the readiness assessment process. The goals you set will be the guide posts for electronic health record (EHR) implementation. Whether your organization sets clinical goals, business/productivity goals, or work environment goals, choosing goals that are important to your organization will help you and your staff stay motivated throughout the EHR implementation process.

“SMART” Goals

You should set “SMART” goals during your readiness assessment. Goals should be:

• Specific – Achieving the goal would make a difference for our patients and our organization.
• Measureable – We can quantify the current level and the target goal.
• Attainable – Although the goal may be a stretch, we can achieve it.
• Relevant – The goal is worth the effort.
• Time bound – There are deadlines and opportunities to celebrate success!

For example, your organization may want to use your EHR system to improve prostate cancer screening rates for at-risk patients. A SMART goal for your EHR implementation may be to improve your prostate screening rate for at-risk patients by at least 20% in six months. Using the SMART framework will ensure EHR implementation benefits your organization and your patients.