NextGen Office is a suggested electronic health record (EHR) system that can provide Alpha, a fictional organization, with essential advantages. Now, it is reasonable to comment on the system implementation with respect to the system life cycle. In particular, checklists and appropriate questionnaires are suitable evaluation instruments, the implementation phase consists of numerous processes, while one should also add that the system positively affects the existing processes, which leads to better outcomes.
Evaluation Phase
It is essential to evaluate any EHR system during and after its implementation to determine whether it produces the expected outcomes. According to HealthIT.gov (2019), evaluation should start shortly after the system starts working. This approach is needed to identify any drawbacks and address them quickly. The assessment itself should consist of a few important processes. For example, an organization should look at whether the system meets goals and needs, affects workflow positively, and leads to improved health outcomes. In addition to that, the evaluation should determine if there are any interface issues, vendor challenges, or staff training difficulties (HealthIT.gov, 2019). The focus on these phenomena can help an organization comprehensively assess the EHR system. One should further clarify that a suitable option to collect the data above is to ask employees and managers complete checklists or questionnaires. These instruments are effective because they are free and time-effective, while their findings can be easily systematized and processed to make reasonable conclusions about the system implementation.
Implementation Phase
The implementation phase covers an extended time period, which explains that the system life cycle consists of a few processes. Firstly, it is necessary to deal with data entry, and it is necessary to draw attention to ensure that data is correctly introduced into the system. An essential step is to minimize data entry errors since they can harm individuals and lead to worsened health outcomes (Franklin, 2019). Secondly, testing should be performed to determine how the system works and whether it can achieve the expected goals. A single department should test the system before it is implemented for the entire organization. Thirdly, employees and managers should participate in education and training sessions to prove that all the individuals understand why NextGen Office is implemented and how to deal with it. Fourthly, the implementation itself starts when all the employees begin to use the system to perform their job functions and communicate with patients. Shortly after, it is important to assess the system to determine any inefficiencies and solve them.
Existing Processes
In conclusion, it is reasonable to explain how the selected EHR system works alongside the existing processes. Since NextGen Office is a cloud-based system, it provides the organization with essential benefits. For example, the EHR system improves medication administration and adherence. The rationale behind this statement is the NextGen Office makes patient-provider communication better and easier. In addition to that, the system results in some improvement regarding patient flow and patient transfers to different locations and departments. This outcome is possible because NextGen Office is a web-based system that establishes connections with labs, monitors room status dashboards, and deals with reporting (NextGen, n.d.). Finally, one should highlight the positive effect that the EHR system has on the financial affairs of the organization. NextGen Office draws significant attention to billing and simplifies financial management (NextGen, n.d.). This feature is also beneficial because it often leads to increased revenue for medical organizations.
References
Franklin, R. (2019). Top 5 tools to reduce data entry errors in EHRs. Mobius MD.
HealthIT.gov. (2019). How to I conduct a post-implementation evaluation?
NextGen. (n.d.). NextGen Office.