EHR Pros Share Secrets

[Information Management, December 30, 2009] When Allina Hospitals and Clinics in Minneapolis decided to implement inpatient and ambulatory electronic health records across its 11-hospital delivery system, it adopted the single-vendor model and chose Epic Systems Corp., Verona, Wis. The selection process took six months, "which for a system of our size is quite remarkable," says Susan Heichert, senior vice president and CIO. Allina completed its hospital installations in October and continues to implement EHRs in ambulatory facilities. Lessons learned along the way have produced processes that other delivery systems can use to implement EHRs on a fast track to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentives for meaningful use of EHRs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Read the entire article at Information Management Online.