How to get Started
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Integrating Information Systems
for Disease Management
A Step-by-Step Approach
to CliniPro® Implementation
By Melissa Freels, NuMedics,
Inc.
Acknowledgements:
Stephanie Bamford, RN, UniMed;
Marty Bohm, NuMedics, Inc.; Jeff Brewer, NuMedics, Inc.
Healthcare providers will spend as much as $39.5 billion on information technology by 2008, according to new research by Datamonitor.
1
Care providers and payers in the United States and Canada are accelerating their spending on IT, largely driven by national initiatives toward electronic medical record adoption, said Jocelyn Young, who authored the report Technology Opportunities in the North American Healthcare Market.
The adoption of a new system – whether it’s an
electronic medical record program or billing process software
package – is a major project. Thomas Reed, president
of the consulting and project management firm Vision Forward,
likens the prospect of converting a healthcare organization
from a paper medical record to an electronic system to construction
projects like the Hoover Dam (which, by the way, took five
years to build).3
Comments like that, however, aren’t meant to scare healthcare
organizations away from adopting new technologies – they’re
actually intended to prepare healthcare professionals. Despite
Reed’s analogy, he agrees that electronic medical records
have a “revolutionizing effect” on the industry.
The key to achieving this effect is a thorough strategic plan
for implementation – beginning with an understanding
of why automation is necessary and ending with a procedural
blueprint to follow after the new system is installed.
With the help of our current CliniPro users, NuMedics has
established this guide, which includes a detailed list of
considerations to make implementing our innovative diabetes
management system a little easier.
1“Healthcare providers will spend as much as $39.5 billion on information technology by 2008..."
<http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=4242>, Bernie Monegain, Editor, January,
6, 2006.
2“A Look Behind the Rapid Growth
in Healthcare IS.” Sheldon I. Dorenfest, Healthcare Informatics,
<http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/issues/1997/06_97/doren.htm>,
June 1997.
3“Dam It! How to Harness EMR Power.”
Thomas Reed, Healthcare Informatics,
<http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/issues/1997/04_97/dam.htm>,
April 1997.
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Setting Your Goals and Preparing a Budget
The first step is to outline your organization’s goals.
What do you want to accomplish by implementing an information
system like CliniPro?
One of the most common objectives, according to TechWeb’s
Tom Dellecave, is to simultaneously cut costs and improve
care. “The introduction of managed-care plans, which
predetermine what providers can charge, and capitated plans,
which cover individuals at set rates, have redefined the way
healthcare providers and suppliers make money,” he writes.
“Technology will be key to maintaining profitability.”4
Coinciding with the desire to streamline operations through
increased profitability and efficiency is the need to have
information at your fingertips. A patient’s healthcare
concerns are immediate – they can’t wait. With medical
data like lab and exam results available directly from the
desktop, medical professionals can make informed decisions
faster.
No matter what your goals and expectations may be, maintaining
a realistic “vision” is the key to success. So what’s
realistic? Perhaps our summary of the four essential capabilities
outlined by Dorenfest5 (and, according to him, generally agreed
upon throughout the healthcare industry) provides a good reference
point.
A Realistic Vision
- Automated systems should allow healthcare professionals
to serve all episodes of care from any workstation within
the organization. With CliniPro, for example, the care provider
or support staff can schedule a patient’s next visit
or collect any data (lab and exam results, for instance)
at the point of care from anywhere in the clinic, whether
in the front office or exam room.
- Automation should allow immediate access to the entire
patient database and all healthcare records from any workstation
in the clinic.
- Information technology should organize and analyze data
in a variety of ways – just as CliniPro presents blood
glucose results in several different formats – to better
serve care providers making clinical or business decisions.
- Information systems should provide an electronic medical
chart that will effectively replace the paper chart.
Just as important as defining your goals and expectations,
is the task of preparing a budget. Financial considerations
will vary from clinic to clinic, but any organization implementing
a new information system should keep the following expenses
in mind:
- Software costs, including any complementary programs such
as a Windows® operating system and an office productivity
suite.
- Network hardware costs, including server, workstations,
modems, printers, etc.
- Additional personnel costs, including temporary data entry
help and IS support.
- Training costs, including basic Windows training from
local organizations.
Note: NuMedics also provides hardware
and service recommendations, which may be helpful in preparing
your clinic’s budget.
4“Healthcare providers will spend as much as $39.5 billion on information technology by 2008, according to new research by Datamonitor.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=4242>, Bernie Monegain, Editor,January,
6, 2006.
5“A Look Behind the Rapid Growth
in Healthcare IS.” Sheldon I. Dorenfest, Healthcare Informatics,
<http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/issues/1997/06_97/doren.htm>,
June 1997.
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Creating Your Step-by-Step Plan
Once you’ve tailored your goals and expectations to
your healthcare organization’s abilities, it’s time
to establish a step-by-step plan that is just as realistic.
One tip, mentioned in Thomas Reed’s Healthcare Informatics
article, is to take it slow: “A common mistake is to
try to go too far, too fast. Don’t expect to prepare
for the technology at the same rate as the supplier can install
it.”6
A demo version of the information system software is a good
place to start when designing a strategic plan for implementation.
Viewing a system’s full capabilities and deciding which
modules serve your current and future goals is imperative.
(Which features will you implement today? Which features will
you implement in six months?) NuMedics, for instance, provides
a comprehensive presentation of CliniPro, with a walk-through
of the software’s features; we also offer an evaluation
copy of the diabetes management package, allowing healthcare
professionals to get a hands-on, interactive demonstration
of the program.
Preparation for CliniPro – or any other information
system – is a detailed process that includes the following
considerations and steps:
Prior to System Installation:
- Appoint a Project Manager to oversee implementation
- Select a Program Administrator to maintain the system
- Develop an implementation schedule (Which features will
be implemented first?)
- Allocate financial and personnel resources for implementation
- Create job descriptions for implementation phase and actual
system use
- Create a blueprint indicating each workstation and outline
the workflow process
- Appoint IS staff (internal or external)
- Determine how the existing database will be transferred
to CliniPro
- Set a date for CliniPro installation
- Evaluate the staff’s computer literacy and plan for
training
After System Installation:
- The Program Administrator enters NuAdmin data (user information,
default data)
- Convert the database or manually enter patient data
- Provide CliniPro and basic computer training
- Begin using CliniPro in daily operations
6 “Dam It! How to Harness EMR Power.”
Thomas Reed, Healthcare Informatics,
<http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/issues/1997/04_97/dam.htm>,
April 1997.
NuMedics has developed a more detailed outline of the steps
listed above. Anyone considering the purchase of a CliniPro
system can request a copy of the workbook from the NuMedics
sales team.
Anyone interested in exploring CliniPro further or receiving
more information about this diabetes management software should
contact NuMedics at:
Marketing Communications
Phone: (503) 296-1360
Contact Kazi Ahmed
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