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OPINION
Page 4
Joining An HIE Without Hitting The Wall
These Tips Can Make a Tricky Implementation Easier
applications can improve communication with
Many healthcare organizations are faced
IT staff, vendors, and other healthcare leaders.
with the challenge of multiple information
For example, there is a difference between a
technology systems, including disparate
clinical data warehouse and a health
electronic health records, practice
information exchange. The two concepts,
management applications, clinical and
however, are interrelated, as an HIE can be a
nancial decision support applications,
major supplier of data to a clinical data
document repositories or registries, and
warehouse. Both types of software might even
more.
be marketed, sold, and implemented together,
In lieu of standardizing all the
thus confusingly appearing as one solution.
applications onto complimentary platforms,
many organizations choose to implement
Integrate Organizational Silos. While building
enterprise software to exchange data
consensus and buy-in is important, do not let
between different systems, part of a health
the desire for decision-by-committee supersede
information exchange. It is a growing niche
the need to integrate all organizational
within the larger health information
initiatives that need to leverage the HIE. It is
technology industry segment.
common advice to nd champions for IT
For organizations that have decided to
projects – when strong supporters are identied
implement an HIE, there are roles and
and promoted, they work to help
By
responsibilities for many staff groups
shepherd along initiatives. Crossboth in and out of the IT department.
Wren Keber pollinate initiatives with champions
Executive leadership has the ultimate
that sit on multiple committees, so
responsibility to ensure the success of the
that one group can communicate their needs
implementation and reduce complications
and priorities with others. For major initiatives,
which may be paramount given the
convene a steering committee overseeing
investment of human and nancial resources
multiple initiatives that will use the HIE.
involved. Here are four high-priority
Think Big, Start Small. There are grand
recommendations to avoid common pitfalls
possibilities to conceptualize when IT systems
during this major endeavor:
work together through an HIE. The big picture
Take Inventory. An important task that's
outcome for an HIE implementation is to
often skipped at the beginning of an HIE
enable a vibrant network of users circled
implementation is to take inventory of all the
around high-quality and accessible clinical
data systems in the organization. Ensure that
data, no matter where it is stored. Healthcare
the chief information ofcer or HIT staff
organizations can realize efciencies, report on
creates an authoritative and comprehensive
quality indicators, and improve accessibility
list of what systems exist throughout the
and accountability of clinical data. Thinking
organization. In addition to documenting
outside the physical walls of a hospital or
major known systems, it is good practice for
practice, there are positive implications in the
the CIO or IT staff to interview key
community with afliates, owned practices,
stakeholders who will use the HIE.
emergency service providers, and more. The
Stakeholders will have knowledge of any
possibilities can be daunting, so grounding the
"workaround" systems, data repositories, or
vision with a dose of reality keeps project
system peculiarities adapted for their own
scopes in-check, resulting in small wins that
specialized reasons. For example, if a
build consensus and lead to a larger, more
practice management platform does not
sustainable success.
support a custom billing code, ofce staff
may have created an alternative database to
Wren Keber is a manager with The Camden
track it, and thus ultimately that nancial
Group, an El Segundo-based healthcare
data might not be available through the HIE.
consulting firm.
These interviews are also prime territory to
build consensus.
Learn the Lingo. While technical terms may
be frustrating and difcult to grasp, learning
the differences between major classes of
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