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Question 3: Develop a draft system selection plan for this practice. What do you envision will be the practice's greatest challenges in selection a replacement practice management system and a new EHR? Explain your rationale.

Seeing around four thousand patients per month, this dermatology practice is a small (compared to a hospital or integrated system) eight-physician practice looking to replace its management system with an integrated program with an EHR component. Their concerns consist of a cumbersome program that will not work as needed, and they do not want the patient care process to be disruptive. They wish to have a system that allows nurses to easily dictate so physicians can spend more time with patients.

For this practice to select a practice management program with an EHR addition, they would have to start with a project steering committee that included a representative from each section of the physician's group, including a physician (possibly Dr. Martin since she has experience with EHRs), a nurse, administration, and billing. A representative from each group will allow input on what works best for each section and, therefore, will help develop a program with the least disruption to workflow. The committee should then determine the system's goals and screen the marketplace for vendors with systems that meet those goals. Being a smaller facility, the physician's group will need to look for a product that has lower upfront capital expenses and requires minimal IT staff and support. The physician's group may hire an IT support staff member to minimize the time physicians or administration have to manage program maintenance. Many cloud-based programs allow a fixed monthly fee, which enables the business to better predict costs and could possibly be the best option for a smaller company such as this one. The 24/7 assistance is another benefit.

If the physician's group decides to opt for cloud computing services, the next step would be to request program demonstrations. Following this, they should visit two to three other businesses similar in size. This step is crucial as it allows the group to assess how workflow is achieved in these businesses and if the programs can meet their system and usability goals. Finally, an RFP should be constructed. A scaled-back RFP may be a better starting option for this physician's group since they are new to these systems and are adding an EHR instead of replacing a previous one.

The physicians group will have to overcome a few hurdles that could effect the drafting of a new EHR system. One issue is the highly uncertain and unique circumstances surrounding a dermatology office, which may not have already developed vendor products that adequately meet their needs. Developing their own in-house system is an option, but the cost and time to do so may not be realistic with the facilities work flow. Other issues could include developing a reasonable RFP and involving and training the close-to-retirement employees since this will involve the new process of an EHR system. The more the physician's group works together, the better and more successful the technology architecture phase will be.

Reference

Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2017). Health care information systems: A Practical Approach for Health Care Management. John Wiley & Sons.