Admittedly this is an unfair question in the moment because there isn’t an answer yet! We have, however, seen CMS’s initial definition of meaningful use for hospitals and to describe it as invasive is not an exaggeration. At a recent meeting of hospital CIOs a key point was driven home; the doctors must have “hands on keyboards”, not simply dictate or provides notes to others for entry into an EHR system. This mandate suggests not only the capturing of information as a requirement, but also changes to the workflows surrounding the data capture. The hospital CIOs agreed that implementing the technology in their companies was much easier than ensuring the clinical staff adopted the technology and adjusted their workflows accordingly. In other words, implementing an EHR solution is a business challenge which includes a technology component, not an IT project.
It is not possible to control food costs if the manager does not know where the money is going. It is also not possible to make good decisions if the manager does not know how the money is being spent.
Even though the MDS has been used for more than a decade, it continues to be re-tooled. Now, seventeen years later, the MDS 3.0 and RUG-IV are scheduled for implementation in October, 2010. With roughly a half year left before this major change, we find ourselves wondering what needs to happen to assure success. Let’s look at the process from 10,000 feet.
