Quammen Health Care Consultants Leads Platte Valley Medical Center to Quick Electronic Health Records Success

MURFREESBORO, Tenn., Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With looming government incentives propelling the need for speed, Quammen Health Care Consultants recently led Platte Valley Medical Center to implement a sophisticated electronic health records system in just nine months. The success is just one of several illustrating how the strategic consulting company is helping small- to mid-sized hospitals get on the electronic health records (EHR) fast track.

The 78-bed, Brighton, Colo.-based hospital flipped the switch on eCareNet, powered by Soarian Clinicals from Siemens, Malvern, Pa., on July 24, 2011.  Quammen's unique software deployment methodology enabled Platte Valley Medical Center (PVMC) to experience EHR implementation success and get on the road toward the attainment of the federal government's meaningful use requirements.

"We question commonly held EHR implementation assumptions and work closely with providers such as PVMC to implement unique, innovative strategies that are designed to produce results. What we are doing is helping these hospitals – many of which are typically on the wrong side of the digital divide – realize that they can successfully implement comprehensive EHRS.  And, as such they can receive incentive money from the government and experience all of the operational efficiencies and cost reduction advantages associated with a digital environment. But most importantly, hospitals such as PVMC, can use information technology to provide better care and service to the patients that they serve," said Becky Quammen, CEO of Quammen Health Care Consultants.

The innovative approach includes implementing strategies such as:

• Strategic system selection.  Instead of focusing only on systems built for small- and mid-sized hospitals, Quammen worked closely with the software vendor to come up with a plan to "right-size" a solution that is typically deployed at large health systems and academic medical centers.
• Accelerated system development. Quammen utilized a unique development methodology that modeled the hospital's current records protocols and processing against an idyllic future electronic records vision – and then quickly designed the system to enable immediate adoption.
• Big-bang implementation. Instead of implementing the system department by department or in stages, Quammen worked with PVMC leaders to implement the system in one fell swoop. By taking this "big-bang" approach, clinicians and staff members face the change once as opposed to having to deal with multiple changes over a long period of time.
• Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) focus. Many hospitals initially zero in on nursing documentation – and then, at a later time, target CPOE. Because the diagnostic and pharmacy ordering process is integral to the care of the patient and communication with the entire care team, Quammen targets CPOE as an initial EHR implementation goal and builds CPOE into the EHR design from the beginning of the project  

The approach was designed to help PVMC quickly comply with the government's EHR incentive program requirements – and qualify for its share of the $27 billion in incentive funds.  For example, on the very first day of EHR implementation, clinicians placed about 60% of all orders electronically, far eclipsing the CPOE adoption percentage required for Stage 1 Meaningful Use.  

"Quammen Health Care Consultants proved to be an instrumental component of our hospital-based efforts in actualizing a "big-bang" go-live with our enterprise-wide suite of applications.  Launching a highly integrated, system-wide, clinically robust EHR project is truly a humbling experience, especially given the repercussions of failure and missed deadlines for respective elements of the collective system," said Kurt Gensert, RN, Vice President, Nursing at Platte Valley Medical Center. "From vendor selection to project planning, to building, testing and deployment -- the stakes are simply too high to attempt a pioneer effort of this complexity without a well-informed guide. Quammen brought this important role of  'owner's representative' to every important discussion with the vendor, and more importantly, operated as the key interface with the disparate array of silos and personalities – both internal and external of the organization – inherent in projects of this scope and complexity."

About Quammen Health Care Consultants

A full-service healthcare information system and business consultancy, Quammen Health Care Consultants (QHCC) offers planning, assessment and implementation services that support a wide range of health system initiatives. Healthcare providers of all sizes rely on QHCC for high-level analysis, vendor selection, deployment and support of any healthcare system available today. From strategic advisory services to hands-on implementation, QHCC helps health systems make the right choices, improve operations and achieve clinical and business objectives. For more information, visit www.quammengroup.com or call 407-539-2015.

SOURCE Quammen Health Care Consultants