Last month’s Hospital Operations Team and Santa Monica Hospital Operations meeting got a bit more interactive than usual, as CareConnect’s Deployment Team conducted a survey using immediate-response devices to assess how ready our hospitals are to receive the electronic health record system. The survey results were shown in real-time to respondents at both locations at the meeting.
Readiness for an implementation like CareConnect takes several forms. For example, from a system standpoint, readiness refers to the progression of how complete the system is approaching go-live. From the user perspective, readiness refers to how prepared individuals are to use the system to perform their jobs at go-live. CareConnect conducted this survey to provide a baseline for readiness efforts.
“We wanted to understand the current state of perceived readiness among the managers or directors who are working with us on this project, and highlight areas we need to focus our readiness efforts on,” said Deidre Keeves, CareConnect Operational Readiness Manager. “We’re gearing up to put a strategic readiness plan into action that will help support and monitor efforts around organizational readiness.”
CareConnect’s readiness plan provides the framework for a structured readiness program and the tools and information that all departments need to make sure they are operationally ready for CareConnect.
“It will give the front-line manager a clear understanding of all the tasks that need to be completed in the next year and how they will fit into the project,” Keeves said. “It will enhance business owner accountability in the success of the implementation.”
In the survey, more than 130 managers from inpatient departments answered a series of multiple-choice questions by clicking their choices on the handheld devices. Questions covered topics from who should be designated as readiness leads and how managers want to hear about the readiness tasks, to progress on the designation of super users.
When participants were asked: “Who should be the key contact in your area responsible for ensuring and tracking readiness for CareConnect?” 27% said their department director, 34% named the department manager or administrative nurse II, while 28% said a staff member. The results were somewhat surprising to Keeves.
“With inpatient departments, I didn’t expect the responses to be so varied. I expected a higher percentage would have said a department manager should be the readiness lead,” Keeves said. “We will use this information to tailor the readiness program to meet the varying needs of departments across the organization.”
When hospital leaders at the meeting were asked if they knew who to contact from CareConnect if they had a question or needed more information – 54% responded yes, 26% responded not sure, and 20% responded no.
“One of the concerns we’ve heard with the program thus far is that business owners are being contacted by multiple members of our very large team. One of the efforts of the structured readiness program is to streamline our approach to contacting them, and ensure that they know who their 'go-to contacts' are on the CareConnect team.” Keeves said.
In the survey, the team also asked questions about areas it knows departments have yet to do much work in. These are areas they’d like to get the department leads thinking about such as: “Have you identified departmental policies and procedures which will require review/revision related to CareConnect?” 22% said yes, 54% said no.
Keeves said CareConnect’s readiness team will use the baseline information gathered through the survey to determine where to focus its efforts. She expects the repeated surveys will reveal improvement as work toward readiness progresses throughout the health system.
The next step is for the business owners to identify their readiness leads. That individual will have the crucial role of tracking and reporting their department’s progress with readiness tasks, and to work with the CareConnect team on resolving issues if barriers to go-live readiness are identified. The lead will be the person accountable to ensuring that their departments have taken the steps they need to prepare for CareConnect.
Click here to read more about readiness on the CareConnect website.
Questions or comments? Visit our “Contact Us” page or send us an email at CareConnect@mednet.ucla.edu.
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| CareConnect Operational Readiness Manager Deidre Keeves (left) shows Ellen Wilson, director of therapy services, (right) how to use the clicker to take the survey at the combined Hospital Operations Team and Santa Monica Hospital Operations meeting in April. |
CareConnect Deployment Director Ellen Pollack, RN, and Keeves present an overview of training and readiness plans before introducing the survey. |
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Survey participants selected responses from the numbers 1 |
Survey results are presented to the audience in real-time. Approximately 130 attendees in Santa Monica and Westwood took part in the survey. |
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| Ellen Wilson, director of therapy services, (left) and Douglas Niedzwiecki, chief administrative officer for neurosurgery, (right) take part in the readiness survey by selecting their responses on a clicker keypad. |
