Do you want to get the most from your MEDITECH investment? Plan for optimization.

During the implementation, teams are often forced to focus on the MVP, minimum viable product, based on budget and resource constraints. The bandwidth of your implementation team may be a limiting factor in your software rollout, requiring you to postpone optimization or implementation of new features and capabilities.  This can occur during upgrades as well. Organizations often plan to revisit optimization post go live, but fatigue, staffing challenges, resources, turnover and competing projects make this difficult.

Health Systems focused on optimization and continuous improvement get the most value out of their MEDITECH EHR, leveraging it to improve care, quality, user satisfaction, financial performance and reduce penalties.

MEDITECH makes tools and reference materials available to assist clients in these efforts, but system build, and configuration is not the only component. Executing well requires a plan that encompasses not only system changes but building leadership support, consensus, departmental coordination, workflow redesign, training and support.  We recommend scheduling this as a project with a designated start and end date to ensure resources are allocated and help manage conflicting projects and priorities. A fluid timeline or the sense of “squeezing it in” sends the message that the project may not be a priority and makes the work more difficult to complete.

The first step is to prioritize optimization and recognize it may require budgeting for additional resources. Next identify the pain points, prioritize the areas to address, and define the approach. We recommend balancing initiatives between efforts that will enhance user satisfaction and usability with initiatives that improve safety, quality and performance.

Outlined below are just some of the potential optimization benefits:

• Improved Patient Safety and Reduced Medication Errors: MEDITECH's robust clinical decision support tools can identify contraindications and manage medication orders efficiently.

• Clinician Burnout is associated with higher levels of medical errors, health care costs and turnover. Enhanced Clinical Decision Making will save time, proactively pinpointing areas of risk and focus. HCA Healthcare implemented a standardized, coded patient care terminology system that reduced redundant data entry, thereby enhancing nursing efficiency and patient-centered care​ (MEDITECH Blog)​. Streamlined Workflows, documentation templates, leveraging preadmission testing and call back functionality in Surgery and the ED can all save time and reduce the cognitive burden on healthcare providers, allowing them to focus more on patient care​ (MEDITECH Blog)​.

• Infection Prevention and Management: MEDITECH’s toolkits, such as the CAUTI Prevention Toolkit, support the prevention and early detection of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). These toolkits align with CDC recommendations and provide healthcare teams with the necessary tools to improve patient outcomes and comply with best practice guidelines​ (MEDITECH)​.

• Cost Savings, Revenue Capture and Improved Financial Performance

  • Faster Reimbursement: Optimized revenue cycle management reduces claim denials and ensures faster reimbursements, improving cash flow and reducing administrative costs​ (MEDITECH Blog)​. By expediting claims processing and improving billing accuracy, healthcare organizations can enhance patient satisfaction through quicker payments and simpler billing processes.

  • Supply Chain Management: Improved materials management through data-driven decisions and supply chain optimizations can lead to significant cost savings and more efficient use of resources​​.

  • Reduced Administrative Burden: Automation and streamlined processes cut down on redundant tasks, thereby reducing labor costs and enhancing overall efficiency​.

• Better Patient Experience and Engagement: Utilizing scheduling, online questionnaires, texting, appointment confirmation, refill requests, and bill pay can significantly improve patient experience.  At discharge, checking prescribed medication costs and adding required pre-authorizations to the authorization and referral management worklist can also be improvements and lessen wait times.

• Compliance and Quality Improvement

  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring that your EHR system is optimized for current regulations and best practices helps maintain compliance and avoid penalties​​​ (MEDITECH Blog)​.

  • Continuous Quality Improvement: Ongoing optimizations allow for continuous quality improvement initiatives, keeping your organization at the forefront of healthcare innovation​ (MEDITECH Blog)​.

• Data-Driven Insights: Leveraging data and analytics tools integrated into the EHR can provide insights that optimize both clinical and administrative processes.

• Usability/User Satisfaction: Personalizing how users view charts through widgets, setting preferences and creating favorites. Documentation time can also be decreased through use of typicals and quick text.

Optimizing your MEDITECH system is crucial for maximizing the return on your MEDITECH investment. By prioritizing optimization, organizations can achieve gains in quality, efficiency, and user satisfaction.

Haffty Consulting is here to support you in this journey. Our expert team can help you design and execute a comprehensive optimization plan tailored to your organization’s unique needs. Partner with us to unlock the full potential of your EHR and drive meaningful outcomes for your organization.