Meaningful Use Attestation: Two Reasons Attestations Fail
I recently read an article about a keynote who predicted 80% of hospitals will fail stage 2 attestation. There are obviously many factors that contribute to such a failure, but I am passionate that the educational efforts for implementations are partly to blame for missed goals. You see, unfortunately, training is often an afterthought to implementations. Here are are two reasons I think attestations often fail:
1. Analysts are usually tasked with creating the education for the systems they have built.
After all, who knows the system better than those who built it? Unfortunately, the system must be built and tested before analysts can turn their attention to the education piece. With last minute changes and fixes, it is just hard to get everything done, let alone focus on education.
2. Money for implementing an education plan is sometimes an afterthought.
Aside from having an actual education planning, the money to implement that education is often overlooked. The cost of implementing EHR systems is staggering. This big-ticket item often overshadows the smaller one (education), but has a huge impact on end-user adoption and usage.
If end-users are not adequately trained to be independent, confident users of a system in their day-to-day work, we will get mediocre results at best. A mediocre result from a multi-million dollar investment is just not acceptable.
Points to Consider for Attestation and Implementations
Science of Education
Education is an art that needs attention and focus to get the intended results and should never be an afterthought but a parallel process in an implementation. Get your education department involved early in the process. If you are not fortunate to have a department dedicated to providing education for your implementations, find a great partner.
Partner Well
Find a partner that specializes in education that can partner with you to understand your unique build and processes. Many consulting firms will send warm bodies that can teach, point and click, but most educational outcomes fail because end-users do not understand the process and timing of utilizing the system to provide care.
Find a partner that capitalizes on engaging your end-users whether it be with interactive e-Learning, classroom experiences or a combination of both which is always a great approach. Also, check to see if they offer informal learning tools via web or iPad that will increase learning retention and utilization.