Let’s spend a minute here on testing our EMR Implementation Awareness:
What’s the most cost-intensive area when you start implementing an EMR system? It is…..
A. The actual software.
B. Computers and Servers.
C. Configuring the EMR.
D. Transition Management.
All those who have answered anything other than D) for an answer, it is high time you schedule a session with your EMR training partner or if you don’t have one, go ahead and get one first. For those of you who did choose D) you deserve a little pat on the back, and then we move forward.
EMR represents a significant shift in the way you manage your patient records and your clinic’s workflow, besides of course being federally mandated (in other words they would not take “no” for an answer. Mario Puzo would have put it as “An offer you cannot refuse”, unless of course you are ready to pay penalties starting 2015.
And that is not just for not using an EMR, but inclusive of not “using an EMR meaningfully”. So, if your clinic has not started rolling the ball on the EMR front yet, consider this as a final wakeup call.
HUGE DEMAND FOR EHR TRAINED PROFESSIONALS IN 2012:
At the end of 2012, there was a huge increment in demand for EHR trained professionals when compared to the previous year, around a staggering 250%. This was no surprise, considering that Stage 2 meaningful usage criteria had been finalized, and of course many clinics were nearing the end of the first phase of meaningful use and were not taking any chances of derailment.
It had been well-known by then that inadequate EHR training of the staff was one of the major culprits of EMR implementation failure. But then the “one size fits all” training methodology of almost all the EHR vendors did not suffice in meeting the demand for EHR-knowledgeable personnel.
Many personnel who underwent these kinds of training were none the wiser when the time came for actual EHR usage in differing capacities like medical billing or medical transcription or revenue cycle management. 
YOU MIGHT SAY ABOUT 50% OF THE PHYSICIANS ARE STILL WITHOUT ANY SORT OF AN EMR
Supplemental training was and has always been the order of the day since the early days of EMR implementation. This usually came in the form of a medical coding vendor or medical billing vendor. However, these entities tried to avoid the following four deadly sins when it came to EMR training.
4 Deadly Sins of EMR Training
1. A Huge Time Lag between Actual Training and Actual Implementation Date: These supplemental trainers (the best at least) did their best to train the personnel in the order of their “Go Live” date, since most EHR vendors go through the motions without an actual idea of the implementation date. Many of the staff who got trained invariably forgot the nuances of EHR operations after a gap of 2 to 3 weeks.
2. Training conducted in huge conference halls with no real personal involvement. A more personalized training in small groups and remote training sessions stood these supplemental trainers in good stead.
3. Non-existence of follow-up refresher programs: A refresher EHR program was never on the EHR vendor’s agenda, but these small medical billing companies and medical coding companies made sure to come back and refresh the staff on the nuances.
4. Not informing the clinic that their training is not the “Be-All End-All” of EHR training, and that it is an ongoing process and the clinic and its staff should eagerly avail themselves of additional training; formal & informal, paid or free. This includes the best practice of constantly checking CMS, ONC, AMA etc., websites for ongoing online training programs.
Escaping The Federal Non-EHR Compliance Inferno:
If you do want to survive beyond 2015 without any federal backlashes on the EHR front, it would be a good idea to avoid the above 4 deadly sins when it comes to getting trained. But if you have already committed these sins; then let the EHR supplemental trainer be your Virgil, guiding you through the purging process, and leading you into EHR heaven, in other words the federal incentives.
