Four members of the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) testified yesterday before the Implementation Workgroup on challenges they foresee in implementing EHRs.
The following CIOs spoke about their experiences and provided input aimed at accelerating the adoption of proposed standards or mitigating barriers to adoption:
- Mitzi G. Cardenas, vice president and CIO, Truman Medical Centers (Kansas City, Mo.)
Charles Christian, CIO, Good Samaritan Hospital (Vincennes, Ind.) - David Muntz, senior vice president and CIO, Baylor Health Care System (Dallas)
- Michael J. Sauk, vice president and CIO, University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics (Madison, Wis.)
According to CHIME, Cardenas spoke about the challenges involved in implementing EHRs in a rapid timeframe, while Muntz stressed that transforming clinical care through the use of enabling technology can’t happen without process redesign and change management support. Christian emphasized the importance of getting applications and processes such as CPOE in place to support clinical transformation, and Sauk highlighted the fact that CMS can’t accept electronic data submissions, making it difficult for organizations to fulfill reporting requirements.
The Implementation Workgroup is charged with developing real-world implementation experiences that can be included into recommendations of the HIT Standards Committee, a federal advisory panel that reports to National Health IT Coordinator David Blumenthal, M.D.
