Considerations before the next big system project

Electronic health record (EHR) projects are moving to the top of the executive agenda at hospitals, but major system deployments in healthcare fail far more often than they succeed. It might be useful to consider these insights before you start your next big systems project.

 

1. Stop looking at demos. Demos are a software vendor's game. The last software demo I saw, the salesperson practically promised that the software it could wash a car. Software demos offer little opportunity for pragmatic evaluation of capability. Your 'requirements' will almost always be 'possible' if you pay. And of course, most of the cost of big systems is ultimately in the installation and configuration phases, not in that base package demoed in the conference room.
2. Forget your title. Too many executives misuse their power when it comes to technology projects. Of course you want to ensure your investment is working, but, when it comes to big system projects, huge mistakes are often the result of combining organizational clout with a lack of understanding. No one every listened their way into a failed project.
3. Find a trusted advisor. Major information technology projects are infrequent, and they are expensive endeavors. This makes them worthy of an impartial, trusted advisor. Find someone with no political ax to grind, and with the skills needed to conceive and architect the solution. These people are tough to find and expensive, but they pay for themselves ten times over. The important thing is to listen to their advice! (More on this next week.)
4. Define the outcomes you want to achieve. Top executives who have spent untold millions on electronic health records are openly wondering why. Always define your goals in terms of outcomes. Technology has to improve your business, keep the focus there.
5. Hold you advisor accountable for the outcome, not project milestones. Have your advisor put the plan and budget together that achieves your objectives and then hold her to it. This sounds like common sense, but too many executive project debriefings include too much technical minutia. Pay attention in the project updates meetings, but focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) that point to the desired outcomes, not the project milestones.
6. Clear the field. Hospitals are notorious for trying to achieve comprehensive agreement on every decision. You aren't going to get the full benefits of major new technology platforms without ruffling a few feathers. Relax! Anyone worth their salt appreciates a disciplined work environment and the challenge of achieving excellence. The stories of Vince Lombardi (Green Bay Packers) or Herb Brooks (1980 USA Olympic Hockey Gold Medal) are legendary and no one complained about being on those teams. Have the courage to stand up to those who behave irrationally or are labeled "resistant to change" while you're trying to improve the hospital.
7. Spend the money on the basic infrastructure. Major systems projects are big money projects and ought to provide a dramatic return on investment. Unfortunately too many executives try to save a few nickels by deploying state-of-the-art technology across a crumbling infrastructure. If you want people to use these new tools, get out the checkbook and buy the computing infrastructure needed to run them: servers with lots of RAM, fast CPU, reliable & up-to-date PCs, high speed networks, superior backups, security, et al. Spend the money on the infrastructure or don't do the project.

    

See these related articles:

Click hear to read about UK's 24 BILLION Dollar "Prescription for Disaster."

. Click here to learn about how some doctors believe that EHR actually increase the chances for medical error