Healthcare is bombarded with opportunities to improve or upgrade clinical information systems. Most healthcare magazines are laden with ads for the latest and greatest tools for the job, and there’s the perception that every other successful hospital in existence is up-to-speed with the latest generation Meaningful Use Certified IT Solution.  Without said system, staff is less happy, less efficient and patient care suffers. 

You’re forced to wonder, what’s the next hospital over doing? And when you hear that one of the other hospitals in your purchasing group just chose the EMR you’ve already crossed of your list, you feel the need to go back and reassess.

It’s time to stop wondering—stop worrying! The right solution for Medical Center X is probably not the right solution for Medical Center Y. This is not to say that discovering the right solution is easy. It involves a great deal of analysis. This analysis is best orchestrated by a team that isn’t prejudiced to certain systems or functionality. An objective perspective from a team that has experienced a variety of solutions in a number of settings can offer important insights.

Having helped hundreds of people through transitional IT periods, I can tell you: each facet of the planning and implementation process is made more efficient with strategic advisement. Without a strategy in place, it’s easy for an organization to become frayed. Irreparable divides arise because no one is there to wrap their arms around the conversation. An expert in these situations helps address needs and concerns, identifies commonality among committee members and steers all in an agreeable direction. Buy-in from key stakeholders is essential, but that won’t happen without solidarity and accord.

Making the right decisions the first time around provides organizational stability and ultimately helps reduce costs.