CONSIDERATIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL HIM IMPLEMENTATION
By LeMar Oleson
In the transition from paper-based to electronic medical records, the Health Information
Management (HIM) department is one area most affected by the dramatic change. The switch from
an all paper world can have lasting negative impacts on the entire hospital if certain objectives
are not brought into consideration at the beginning of the project. By focusing on some
relatively straightforward concepts, like current state workflows in the department and the
necessity of retaining historical paper medical records, the team will be prepared for a
successful implementation.
When determining current state workflows, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The more work done by all levels of the staff in the beginning of the project to determine
departmental workflows, the more workflows can be streamlined moving forward. Sometimes it is
decided that only the supervisor, manager and director should be involved in the design phase of
the project. However, the daily operations in the eyes of management could be somewhat different
from what is actually taking place in the department. That’s why it’s necessary to involve all
levels and department roles in the design phase of the project. Utilization of knowledgeable
staff members well versed in what goes on each day in the department, combined with supervisors,
managers, and directors with greater knowledge of policies and procedures, can help avoid costly
errors post implementation. By incorporating end users with management when determining current
state workflows, areas requiring change are often uncovered. Discovering areas of concern, as
well as those functioning as desired, in the beginning make it easier to incorporate necessary
changes and streamline workflows when making decisions on their future state.
The decision to retain historical paper medical records or utilize back-scanning prior to
implementation is another area which warrants extensive research. By determining the activity
level for accessibility to historical records for continuation of care, research, and release of
information, combined with the yearly cost of internal storage space, outside storage, delivery
of records, and reproduction for release of information purposes will play a major role in the
decision to retain paper records or not. Choosing to back-scan historical data at the beginning
of a project is extremely time consuming and expensive, but can be a substantial savings to the
facility over the long run. This financial savings combined with improved patient care, as a
result of immediate access to historic records, may far outweigh the initial cost and time taken
to back-scan the chart. Also, the sooner the decision is made the sooner scanning can begin,
which guarantees all records are available during implementation.
These are a few of the objectives to consider when beginning the HIM project at your
facility. For more information on these and other important objectives leading to a successful
HIM implementation please contact our corporate office at 610-444-1233 or visit our website at
www.getvitalized.com.