Hi,  I have attached the vendor evaluation matrix that you will use in the final report. You will list the name of the fictional hospital or ambulatory clinic at the top followed by the vendors that you be evaluating. You will need to list your requirements on the left side of the matrix. It comes pre-populated with some requirements which you can use, but you only need to list your top 10-15 requirements. Then weigh each vendor on the requirements with a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest rating. Then total up the scores and you can use this as part of your decision making process for the recommendation.

I have also attached the vendor evaluation matrix that you will use in the final report. You will list the name of the fictional hospital or ambulatory clinic at the top followed by the vendors that you be evaluating. You will need to list your requirements on the left side of the matrix. It comes pre-populated with some requirements which you can use, but you only need to list your top 10-15 requirements. Then weigh each vendor on the requirements with a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest rating. Then total up the scores and you can use this as part of your decision making process for your recommendation.

One more thing for you for the final project 

Please go to https://klasresearch.com/ and request a free account. This site can help you in the evaluation of your vendors. This site is known to be the leader in reviews for acute and ambulatory vendors. Please log on and see the different vendors and modules that they offer and how they rate compared to others.

Use chapter 7 as your guide I attached in page 146. Follow the steps in page 146 from the book. Tell the story as a narrative. Who are you? Whats your role? What health system hired you. 

Students are required to submit a minimum  eight-page research project at the end of the semester. The topic is that you are an information technology consultant and have been hired to evaluate the vendor information system alternatives and select a new healthcare information system for a hospital, clinical department or other provider entity. You will prepare a consulting report on analyzing current systems and providing needs analysis. You will evaluate potential vendors and provide a recommendation for a new system.
A special project is required as follows:
Consider that you are an information technology consultant. You have been hired to evaluate the vendor information system alternatives and select a new healthcare information system for a hospital, clinical department or other provider entity. You will prepare a consulting report that includes the following:
1. Situation Analysis. Describe the "real" or hypothetical work environment, provider objectives and current information systems configuration as well as any unmet needs or issues. What current clinical systems does the hospital or ambulatory clinic have? What are their pain points with the current setup?
2. Functional Requirements. List or otherwise characterize the key functional requirements to be met by a new or upgraded health information system.
3. Evaluate Vendor Alternatives. Describe and evaluate two to four vendor alternatives. Indicate pros, cons for each alternative. You must evaluate real vendors ex. Epic, Allscripts, Meditech
4. Provisional Recommendation. Given the information available to you, what are you recommending to your client? Options may include upgrading the current system or implementing a new enterprise-wide clinical system. Be specific and indicate your rationales for your recommendation.
5. A table comparing features of the vendor alternatives
6. A graphic representation depicting the workflow of one department in your fictional hospital.
*Define the process that you will be taking to make a decision. For example, you as the project manager with be forming a steering committee, have vendor demonstration days etc. Use the steps defined in  in Chapter 7 as your guide.

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Workflow Redesign Templates Provided By:

The National Learning Consortium (NLC)

Developed By:

Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC)

Practice and Workflow Redesign Community of Practice

10/21/11 • Version 1.0 www.HealthIT.gov

National Learning Consortium

• The National Learning Consortium (NLC) is a virtual and evolving body of knowledge and tools designed to support healthcare providers and health IT professionals working towards the implementation, adoption and meaningful use of certified EHR systems.

• The NLC represents the collective EHR implementation experiences and knowledge gained directly from the field of ONC’s outreach programs (REC, Beacon, State HIE) and through the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) Communities of Practice (CoPs).

• The following resource is a tool used in the field today and recommended by “boots-on-the-ground” professionals for use by others who have made the commitment to implement or upgrade to certified EHR systems.

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Template Instructions:

Mapping an Existing Workflow • To use these templates, first identify the current type of workflow you want

to redesign, and then identify the staff responsible for the activities in the workflow.

• In collaboration with the implementation team, they should review the workflow and adjust it as necessary to match the typical scenario in their office.

• Assign a note taker/recorder to enter the steps into the boxes and arrows on the PowerPoint slide. The note taker/recorder can move the PowerPoint boxes and arrows to reflect how the staff order the interactions.

• In the workflow templates, boxes indicate steps in the process. Blue diamonds indicate “yes or no” decision points and lead to appropriate next steps depending on the “yes or no” decision. Staff can indicate decision point steps by turning a sticky note sideways 45 degrees or by drawing a diamond on the box.

Note: Double-click workflow diagrams to make edits

2

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Template Instructions :

Examining Areas for Improvement

• After mapping existing workflows, the staff should ask themselves the following questions:

– What are the best steps in the process?

– What makes those the best steps?

– What are we doing right? (Best can be defined by practice goals and vision, such as efficiency, client satisfying, etc.)

– What steps could use improvement?

– What are the least effective?

– What makes those steps the least effective?

– How could we improve those steps?

• Use the answers to these questions to aid in planning a future workflow with the new EHR

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Key Steps to Optimize Workflow

Redesign

• Analyze current workflow – Document the practice’s existing paper workflows in all areas of patient care

• Solicit clinician and staff input regarding roles in current paper workflows

– Involve everyone who handles paperwork in the analysis and redesign

• Review and finalize documentation of current workflow – Ensure that the final diagram incorporates the entire “paper trail”

• Identify waste and opportunities; then redesign workflow – Recognizing the steps that should be changed to improve office functionality; the

redesign will reveal the practice’s needs regarding EHR system selection and training

• Identify and implement the EHR system and new workflow – Enlist the necessary support and work with the right EHR vendor to implement a

system that meets the practice’s needs; ensure proper EHR implementation through staff training on the new workflow

• Analyze new EHR workflow and refine as needed – Continue to monitor the EHR-driven workflow and adjust the workflow to optimize

efficiencies

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Patient Check-In • SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section will help practice staff

map out the patient check-in process; it provides several different templates that can describe the existing check-in process and the check-in process that might be achieved with an EHR. These interactive templates focus on what happens once the patient enters the office until the patient meets with the physician or nursing staff.

Templates included in this section include the following:

– Paper Process: The paper check-in template describes an office setting that relies solely on paper charts for patient documentation. This template will be useful for outlining the workflow of offices that currently do not have an EHR.

– EHR without Integration/Interface with Practice Management System (PMS): This template provides a draft workflow for an office with a non-integrated EHR. This template will be useful for offices that require front desk staff to enter patient documentation separately into the PMS and EHR.

– EHR is Fully Integrated/Interfaced with Practice Management System (PMS): This template outlines the check-in process for a practice that uses a single system for its check-in process and does not have separate EHR and PMS systems for managing patients. This template may be more useful when mapping out how the desired patient check-in process after implementing the EHR.

5

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Patient Check-In, continued

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: The front desk/reception staff play a critical role in the practice: they serve as the welcoming face of the practice, gather important patient history and updates and manage payment collection. They do all of these things during the check-in process. Before transitioning to a fully integrated EHR check- in process, mapping out the existing paper check-in or non-integrated EHR check-in process will help the front desk/reception staff to identify current workflows could be adapted to accommodate the forthcoming EHR.

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES: – Use of the paper process does not meet any of the meaningful use

requirements. Use of a non-integrated EHR or an integrated EHR satisfies the meaningful use requirement: Core 7 – record patient demographics as structured data.

6

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Patient Check-In Paper Process

P a

ti e

n t

F ro

n t

D e

s k

R e

c e

p ti

o n

is t

Signs in at

Front Desk

Marks Patient Arrival

Patient Check-in Paper Process

Patient

Arrives

New Patient?

Give Pt. Forms to fill out, collect & copy insurance

card

Pull Paper Chart (from staging

area)

Patient Completes

Forms

Does Pt Info need

to be updated?

Does co- pay need

to be collected?

Collect Payment & generate record of payment for billing

department

Record updates in paper chart,

collect & copy insurance card if

needed

Collect and file

forms in newly created chart

Put chart & flowsheet in bin indicating patient is

ready for rooming

Yes

Generate Flowsheet

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

7

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Patient Check-In Process:

EHR without Integration/Interface with

Practice Management System (PMS)

P

a ti e n t

F ro

n t D

e s k

R e c e p ti o n is

t

Signs in at

Front Desk

Marks Patient

Arrival into PMS and/or

EHR

Patient Check-in Process –EHR without Integration/Interface with Practice Management System (PMS)

Patient

Arrives

MU Objective:

Record Pt

Demographics as

Structured Data

New

Patient?

Give Pt. Forms to

fill out, collect & copy or scan

insurance card

Select Patient

from PMS and/or EHR

Patient

Completes Forms

Does Pt

Info need to be

updated?

Does co-

pay need to be

collected?

Collect

Payment & record into

PMS

Record updates in

PMS and/or EHR,

collect & copy

insurance card if needed

Collect and enter

information into PMS and/or EHR

Mark “pt is ready” for

rooming into PMS and/or EHR

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

8

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Patient Check-In Process:

EHR is Fully Integrated/Interfaced with

Practice Management System (PMS)

P

a ti e n t

F ro

n t D

e s k

R e c e p ti o n is

t

Signs in at

Front Desk

Marks

Patient

Arrival on

EHR

Patient Check-in Process –EHR is Fully Integrated/Interfaced with Practice Management System (PMS)

Patient

Arrives

MU Objective:

Record Pt

Demographics as

Structured Data

New

Patient?

Give Pt. Forms to

fill out, collect &

scan insurance

card

Select Patient

from EHR

Patient Completes

Forms

Does Pt

Info need to be

updated?

Does co-

pay need to be

collected?

Collect

Payment & record into

EHR

Record updates in

EHR, collect & scan insurance

card if needed

Collect and enter

information in EHR

Mark “pt is ready” for

rooming into EHR

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

9

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Office Visit

• SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section covers the office visit workflow. It should help you and your practice staff detail what happens when a patient enters your practice for an appointment and what should happen once the EHR is implemented. This interactive template contains:

– Patient arrival at the office and checks in through the encounter close out in the EHR;

– How nursing, support and provider staff roles interacts with the patient and EHR;

– Measurement and entry of vital signs, medication updates, and patient complaints;

– Patient examination; and,

– How the EHR supports decision making and prescribing (see e- Prescribing section for more information and instructions on mapping e- Prescribing workflows).

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Office Visit, continued

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: As office visits are the primary activity of most practices, It is essential to navigating the patient as efficiently as possible through a typical office visit. Research has shown that an EHR can increase patient volume between 2 and 15% (Keshajvee 2001; MedicaLogic), In addition, the data collected will enable time savings associated with quality reporting as well as conduct population health activities. Integrating an EHR into that office visit can also improve the quality of care and patient safety by offering electronic triggers to remind staff about patient considerations (e.g., allergies, pre-existing conditions) and to prevent drug interactions (see e-Prescribing workflows for more details).

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES:

– Core 3 – maintain an up-to-date problem list of current and active diagnosis

– Core 5 – Maintain active medication list

– Core 6 – Maintain active medication allergy list

– Core 8 – Record and chart changes in vital signs

– Core 9 – Record smoking status for patients 13 yrs or older

– Core 11- Implement one CDS rule

11

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Office Visit Workflow Template

P a

ti e

n t

N u

rs e

/S u

p p

o rt

P ro

vi d

e r

Views EHR schedule &

patient “arrived”

status

Greets patient

and escorts to clinic area

MU Objective: Record and chart

changes in vital signs

Office Vis it Workflow Template

Arrives & checks in

Obtains patient’s

weight, height, blood pressure,

temp., etc.

Escorts patient to

exam room & logs into

EHR

Select & open patient’s

electronic record

Enters vitals & chief

complaint

Secures workstation and leaves

room

Record history: past medical, social, family,

substance (smoking

history), etc.

Verify & record

allergies & current

medications

MU Objective: Maintain active

medication & medication allergy list

MU Objective:

Record smoking status for patients 13 years old

or older

Performs chart review before entering exam

room

Enters the room, greets patient, and logs onto

workstation

Consults with patient and records HPI

Performs physical exam

Documents review of

systems & physical exam

into EHR

Updates problem list & triggers CDS rules

if needed

Provides patient with instructions/

materials

MU Objective: Maintain problem list of current and active

diagnoses & implement relevant

CDS rules

Assigns Level of Service (LOS)

Places orders as necessary

(see Orders workflow)

Closes the encounter in

EHR

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

12

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e-Prescribing

• SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section will help practice staff map out the e-prescribing workflow, both during an office visit and out of an office visit for renewal requests These interactive templates focus on what steps need to be taken to:

– Populate an EHR with the current medications and existing medication allergies for the patient;

– Enter an order in the EHR, including updating medication history, checking drug formulary data (if enabled), and selecting the medication;

– Transmit the prescription order to the pharmacy, which may be manual (by the patient), fax/e-fax, or electronically (e.g., through the e- Prescribing networks available);

– Process the prescription at the pharmacy; and,

– Pick up by the patient

13

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e-Prescribing, continued

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: E-prescribing represents an

opportunity to greatly streamline practices in the office. Research has shown that there are significant time savings from processing prescription renewals, with 80 to 95% reductions in renewal times that average 18 minutes (Corley 2005, MedicaLogic). It presents an opportunity to remove the chart pulls and office worker handling of the renewals, sending requests directly to a prescribing provider who can access the patient’s medical history and select a previously prescribed medicine. There are also safety benefits that need to be considered, as adverse drug events, including drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions, can be reduced by 23-34% (Smith 2006, Wang 2003). In addition, drug-formulary checks can help save patients 15- 20% on their prescription drug costs (Wang 2003, MedicaLogic). It is therefore important that the person entering the medication order into the e-prescribing system be able to process any alerts properly or that an alert processing steps are streamline to mitigate their impact on workflow.

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES: – Core 1 – Use CPOE for medication orders

– Core 2 – Implement drug-drug and drug allergy checks

– Core 4 – Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx)

– Core 5 – Maintain active medication list

– Core 6 – Maintain active medication allergy list

– Menu 1 – Implement drug-formulary checks

14

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e-Prescribing Workflow Template:

During Office Visit

P

a ti e n t

C le

rk /T

e c h /

N u rs

e P

h a rm

a c y

e P

re s c ri

b in

g N

e tw

o rk

P re

s c ri

b e r

Interviews patient

for Rx details of current medications

and allergies

Asks patient

for pharmacy

information

Prescriber sees

patient and

identifies need for

Rx(s)

Reviews and

updates Rx History & allergy list

Print or Fax

Rx(s) &/or Call-in Rx(s)

Select, update,

and order Rx(s)

New

Rx?

Select Rx(s), check

for alerts, & order Rx(s)

Can Rx(s) be

ePrescribed?

Rx transmitted Check patients Rx

benefit information

Notifies

patient that Rx(s) filled

& ready for pick-up

Rx(s) filled Receives

Rx(s)

Patient drops-off

Rx(s) at pharmacy or

sends mail order

MU Objectives:

Maintain active medication and allergy

lists

Verify patient

pharmacy information

MU Objectives:

Implement drug-drug, drug- allergy, drug-formulary

checks

MU Objective:

Use CPOE

MU Objective:

Implement drug- formulary checks

No Yes

No

Yes

ePrescribing Workflow Template –During Office Visit

Patient arrives

Patient picks

up Rx(s)

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

15

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e-Prescribing Workflow Template:

Medication Refill

P

a ti e n t

C le

rk /T

e c h /

N u rs

e P

h a rm

a c y

e P

re s c ri

b in

g N

e tw

o rk

P re

s c ri

b e r

Interviews patient

for RX details of current medications

and allergies

Asks patient for

pharmacy information &

sends request to prescriber

Receives Rx refill

request

Reviews and

updates Rx History & allergy list

Print or Fax

Rx(s) &/or Call-in Rx(s)

Select, update,

and order Rx(s)

New

Rx?

Select new

Rx(s), check for alerts, &

order Rx(s)

Can Rx(s) be

ePrescribed?

Rx

transmitted

Check patients Rx

benefit information

Notifies patient

that Rx(s) filled & ready for

pick-up

Rx(s) filled Receives Rx(s)

Patient drops-off Rx(s)

at pharmacy or sends mail order

MU Objectives:

Maintain active medication

and allergy lists

Verify patient

pharmacy information

MU Objectives:

Implement drug-drug, drug-

allergy, drug-formulary checks

MU Objective:

Use CPOE

MU Objective:

Implement drug- formulary checks

No Yes

No

Yes

ePrescribing Workflow Template –Medication Refill

Patient picks up Rx(s)

Patient

requests refill

Pharmacy

transmits Rx refill request

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

16

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Appointment Scheduling

17

• SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section will help practice staff map out the appointment scheduling process during an office visit. This section covers: – Finding the patient in the EHR; – Creating a new patient record (if applicable); – Selecting a reason for an appointment; – Finding a time for the appointment; and, – Finalizing with the patient.

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: Appointment scheduling is likely to vary depending on the communication method (i.e., phone call, post-visit, or email). In addition, interfacing between the practice management system and the EHR will vary depending on the vendor products installed at the practice. It is important to ensure a proper process is in place to sync these two systems.

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES: – There are none that apply with the current stage of Meaningful Use

criteria

10/21/11 • Version 1.0 www.HealthIT.gov

Appointment Scheduling Workflow

Template

C

le rk

o r

P ro

vi d e r

S c h e d u le

r

Search for patient

in system (MRN, Name, DOB, etc.)

Appointment Scheduling Workflow Template

Patient needs

appointment

New

Patient?

Select provider

and Open appointment

schedule

Summarize

appointment verbally or give

appointment card

Select Reason or

Type of Appointment

Create new record

in system

Enter patient

information

Search for specific

date or next

available

appointment

Select

appointment slot(s) and save

Appointment

Scheduled

Yes

No

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

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Laboratory Orders

19

• SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section will help practice staff map out the laboratory ordering process during an office visit. This section covers three different workflows:

– Laboratory Ordering in the Office: This workflow focuses on what happens to laboratory tests under two different scenarios: 1) the laboratory test is conducted during the office visit; or 2) the patient leaves the office visit with a laboratory test order.

– Laboratory Results: This workflow captures handling of the laboratory results receipt and entry into the EHR.

– Laboratory Orders and Results Management: This workflow focuses on what happens to the results of laboratory orders under three different scenarios: 1) the office staff generate a list of orders; 2) the patient calls the office for results; or 3) the provider receives the results from the laboratory.

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Laboratory Orders, continued

20

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: Laboratory tests are critical component of patient care. Office staff are responsible for ensuring that both the test and the results are completed communicated to the patient and the provider in a timely fashion. Before transitioning to an EHR with electronic laboratory ordering features, mapping out the existing workflow for ordering laboratory tests and tracking the results will help the office staff to identify how the workflow needs to be adapted to accommodate the forthcoming EHR. The office staff responsible for laboratory orders, in collaboration with the implementation team, should imagine each of the steps involved in ordering laboratory tests, tracking their status, and obtaining the results and communicating those results to the patient and provider. An EHR can improve the efficiency and timeliness of laboratory orders by eliminating paper documentation, integrating an current freestanding database with the EHR, or simply eliminating redundancies. Research has shown that between 4 and 23% of lab costs are for redundant testing (Wang 2003, Girosi 2005, Garrido 2005), the majority of which could be avoided by recording the results electronically and sharing that data with other providers.

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES: – Core 11 – Implement one CDS rule

– Menu 2 – Incorporate clinical lab-test results into EHR as structured data

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Laboratory Order Workflow Template:

During Office Visit

P

a ti e n t

L a b o ra

to ry

Laboratory Order Workflow Template –During Office Visit

Patient Arrives

Order test with

appropriate diagnosis code(s)

MU Objectives:

— Implement CDS Rule

Test

needed?

P ro

vi d e r

Yes

No

Office Visit

Patient leaves

No labs needed

Patient leaves

with lab order

Point of

Care Test?

Specimen

collected?

Test

performed?

No

Notify provider

Test results

generated & Sent to provider

See Lab

Results Workflow

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

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Laboratory Results Workflow

M A

o r

C le

rk P

a ti e n t

Laboratory Results Workflow

Lab results received

MU Objective:

Incorporate clinical lab test results into certified

EHR technology as structured data

Critical lab

values?

P ro

vi d e r

No

Route results to

ordering provider

Patient receives

notification of lab results

Provider receives

lab results

Alert provider

immediately

Provider takes

action, if necessary

Provider signs off

on lab results

Notify patient of

lab results

MU Objectives:

— Provide patient with electronic copy of their test results upon

request — Provide patients with timely

electronic access to their lab results

Yes

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

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Lab Orders and Results Management

N

u rs

e , M

A o

r C

le rk

P a ti e n t

P ro

vi d e r

Lab Orders and Results Management

Generate list of

pending orders

Search for patient

and lab results in EHR

Send

message to

provider

MU Objectives:

— Provide patient with electronic copy of their test results upon

request — Provide patients with timely

electronic access to their lab results

Test

Performed

Lab results

available?

Send reminder

or follow-up

with patient

Patient calls for lab results

L a b o ra

to ry

Test results

generated

and sent to

provider

Patient receives

notification: reminder or lab

results

Provider

receives lab results

Provider

signs off on lab results

Notify

patient of lab results,

if needed

MU Objective:

Incorporate clinical lab test results into

certified EHR technology as

structured data

Yes

Yes

No

No

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

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Referral Generation

24

• SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section will help practice staff map out the referral generation process. This interactive template focuses on what steps need to be taken to:

– Generate a referral request by the provider;

– Create the referral order, including insurance checks and generation of necessary data from EHR;

– Send the referral order to the referred provider;

– Visit with the referred physician and patients; and,

– Communicate results from the referred to the referring provider.

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Referral Generation, continued

25

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: A major source of health care fragmentation, duplication and miscommunication is in the transition of care from one provider to another or the co-management of patient care among two or more providers. Office staff are responsible for ensuring that referrals are generated to both the patient and the specialist and that the status outcomes of those referrals or transitions are closely monitored and documented. Before transitioning to an EHR with electronic laboratory ordering features, mapping out the existing workflow for transitions and will help the office staff to identify how the workflow needs to be adapted to accommodate the forthcoming EHR. Staff should identify how and where an EHR can improve the tracking and documentation of referrals by streamlining the point of entry, providing prompts or reminders, and allowing all who need the referral information ready access to it. Research has shown that EHRs can save up to 210 hours per physician per year through use of electronic referral generation (MedicaLogic).

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES: – Menu 8 – Provide a summary of care record for each transition of care or referral

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Referral Generation Workflow Template

P

C P

S p e c ia

lt y

P ro

vi d e r

O ff ic

e

Referral Generation Workflow Template

Determines patient

needs referral

MU Objective:

Provide Summary of Care Record for each transition

of care and referral

M A

o r

C le

rk

Receives

referral order

Generates

referral order

Generates

encounter documentation

P a ti e n t

Obtains insurance

authorization, if

needed

Generates referral

Patient

receives

referral

Contacts specialty

provider for

appointment

Generate

Summary of Care Document

Send referral

documentation via eExchange,

secure email,

faxing, or printing

Receives referral

documentation

Schedules

appointment

Provides specialty

service(s) to patient

Generates

encounter documentation

Routes specialty

documentation to

PCP

Receives

message from specialty provider

Generate & send

Summary of Care Document to PCP

Receives Summary of

Care document from specialty provider

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

26

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Office Discharge

27

• SUMMARY OF MODULE/SECTION: This section will help practice staff map out the office visit discharge process, including steps that need to be taken post-visit to ensure the practice meets Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria. This interactive template focuses on what steps need to be taken to:

– Complete visit documentation;

– Provide the patient with all necessary orders and information, including electronic transmittal depending on the type of order;

– Schedule any follow-up appointments; and,

– Send any public health data to the necessary local, state, and/or federal agencies.

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Office Discharge, continued

28

• RATIONALE/PURPOSE OF THE SECTION: The office visit discharge largely encompasses those activities that provider patients with any data or orders that are ready when they are leaving. By the Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria, clinical summaries (Core 13) are required within a specified time and are not necessarily part of the discharge process. Care transition summaries (Menu 8), which will be required by Stage 2 criteria, do not have a time requirement, and may be transmitted at any time prior to the patient’s first appointment with the new provider (likely when the referral order is completed). In addition, submission of immunization data (Menu 9) or syndromic surveillance data (Menu 10), which are also to be required by Stage 2, do not require that data be transmitted at the duration of any appointment, or at any time at all; they are only required to test this capability to support future requirements in this arena. It is important to note that majority of activities with this workflow can be conducted outside of a patient visit, along with other requirements of Stage 1 Meaningful Use. As these are non-value-added activities (i.e., they don’t generate revenue per se), it is important to understand the time it takes to do these activities and how these processes can be streamlined with the adoption of an EHR.

10/21/11 • Version 1.0 www.HealthIT.gov

Office Discharge, continued

29

• MEANINGFUL USE OBJECTIVES:

– Core 1 – Use CPOE for medication orders

– Core 4 – Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx)

– Core 13 – Provide clinical summaries for each office visit

– Menu 8 – Provide a summary of care record for each transition of care or referral

– Menu 9 – Capability to submit electronic data to immunization registries or immunization information systems

– Menu 10 – Capability to submit electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies

10/21/11 • Version 1.0 www.HealthIT.gov

Office Discharge Workflow Template

P a ti e n t

Office Discharge Workflow Template

Patient exits

exam room

N u rs

e , M

A , o r

C le

ri ca

l S

ta ff

Completes

encounter documentation

P ro

vi d e r

Review patient

instructions and orders

Print or send

orders to

appropriate

recipients

Schedule follow-

up appointment(s), if needed

Print or send summary of care

document (including instructions,

patient-specific education materials,

and medication list), if needed

Receives orders,

instructions, follow-up

appointment, etc.

Patient

exits office

MU Objectives:

— Use CPOE — Generate and transmit

permissible ePrescriptions

Submit data to

Immunization Registry, Public health agencies,

quality measures to CMS or States, etc., if needed

MU Objectives:

— Provide clinical summaries — Provide summary of care record

for transition of care

MU Objectives:

— Capability to submit electronic data to immunization registry — Capability to submit electronic syndromic surveillance data to

public health agencies

Note: Double-click workflow diagram to make edits

30

,

Introduction

Vendor Evaluation Matrix Tool
Presented By: The National Learning Consortium (NLC)
Developed By: Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC)
Vendor Selection and Management Community of Practice
Version: 1.0
Date: October 21, 2011
Description: The Vendor Evaluation Matrix tool is a general evaluation tool that rates the basic functionalities of an electronic health record (EHR) using a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).
Table of Contents: Vendor Eval Matrix Ratings
The National Learning Consortium (NLC) is a virtual and evolving body of knowledge and tools designed to support healthcare providers and health IT professionals working towards the implementation, adoption and meaningful use of certified EHR systems. The NLC represents the collective EHR implementation experiences and knowledge gained directly from the field of ONC’s outreach programs (REC, Beacon, State HIE) and through the Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) Communities of Practice (CoPs). The following resource is a tool used in the field today and recommended by “boots-on-the-ground” professionals for use by others who have made the commitment to implement or upgrade to certified EHR systems.
Table of Contents
Vendor Eval Matrix Ratings

&A Page &P October 21, 2011

Vendor Eval Matrix Ratings

Hospital/ Ambulatory Site Name
Vendor Evaluation Matrix
Instructions: Score each vendor on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on each of your prioritized items. Total up your ratings for each vendor to help make your comparisons. Write the names of the vendors you are comparing in the watermark space provided in vendor columns. Use the blank rows at the end of the worksheet to ask your own questions.
Functionality/Usability Epic Cerner Meditech Allscripts
Charting
tele visit 5 4 4 4.5
Does the system offer a variety of data entry options, e.g., dictation, voice recognition, structured notes, etc.?
Can I make subsequent edits and addendums to clinical documentation?
Does the system alert me about unfinished portions of the clinical documentation and can I bypass it if necessary?
Can I access other such clinical information as previous labs, progress notes, etc. from a patient’s “electronic chart” while charting?
Does the system allow me to multi-task, e.g., create task, order lab, etc. while charting?
Does the system allow me to forward patient information to staff, other physicians, etc. via e-mail, electronic faxing, messaging, etc.?
Does the system ensure that only authorized clinicians can sign clinical documentation?
Prescriptions
Can I complete a prescription within a few clicks? 5 4 5 4
Can I look up medication information and is this information valuable?
How extensive (and how sensitive) is the system’s interactions checking capability, e.g., drug-drug, drug-allergy, drug-food?
How accurate is the system in identifying drug-condition warnings, e.g., pregnancy?
Can I refill a medication within a few clicks? Can previous sigs be viewed from the refill screen?
Can the system handle multiple drug formularies?
Can the system send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies in my local market?
Lab and Results Management
Can I complete a lab order within a few clicks?
Can the system send lab orders electronically to laboratories, hospitals, etc. in my local market?
Can I pull up and review lab results within a few clicks?
Can the system receive lab results electronically from laboratories, hospitals, etc. in my local market?
Does the system notify me of abnormal lab results and provide normal ranges?
Can the system show me trending of results over time?
Can I create and/or customize “off-the-shelf” order sets?
Decision Support
Does the system utilize clinical information from all parts of the chart to provide decision support?
Does the system alert me when patient data indicates intervention is recommended?
Can I access medical literature, clinical guidelines, etc.?
Disease and Population Management
Assuming good data entry for all patients, can I query the system and identify patients that have a particular condition, are on a certain medication, etc.?
Does the system track patients for follow-up and send out reminders?
Can I create ad-hoc reports or am I limited to ones provided off-the-shelf? Can I customize these reports?
Does reporting module handle “and/or” queries together?
Health Record Management
Can I look up a patient by a number of different criteria, e.g., name, MRN, SSN, etc.?
Does the system provide a summary view of a patient’s health status?
Does the system handle other such clinical documents as x-rays, reports, etc.?
Does the system allow me to maintain patient lists, e.g., problems, allergies, medications, etc.?
Can I organize patient information within the system in a similar way to my paper charts?
Clinical Tasking & Messaging
Can I access and manage various tasks, e.g., sign progress notes, review labs, etc. within a few clicks?
Can I task or message someone else in the practice and do it with a few clicks?
Does system alert me of overdue tasks and urgent lab results?
How disruptive are the alerts, are they customizable and can they be overridden?
Can I manage tasks and messages from a computer other than my own?
Financial considerations
Roughly how much could the system cost my clinic?
Can you offer an Application Service Provider (ASP) option, purchase option, or monthly subscription option?
Roughly how much do the software licenses cost?
About how much will on-going maintenance and upgrades cost?
How often will a support person(s) be available once the system goes “LIVE” in case of any system difficulty?
How are the licenses issued? Concurrent user versus per practitioner?
TOTAL SCORE

&A &P October 21, 2011

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