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The definition of implementation is “the process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution.” This seems easy enough, and it can be if you pick the right partner. My 20+ years of experience in healthcare IT implementation has taught me that despite implementing the same exact product, no two projects are, or will be, exactly alike. This is because no two customers are exactly alike. One organization’s system setup will be different from another’s, and the technical capabilities and bandwidth of one organization can vary dramatically from another.
I am forever grateful to all of my former employers and coworkers – and for the variety of experiences I was able to have across a range of roles – for seeding and growing my implementation philosophy, which I now put to use as the Senior Director of Implementations at 1upHealth.
Developing a passion for healthcare interoperability
My very first job out of college was implementing HL7v2 interfaces for a well-known EHR (electronic health record) company. I gained a lot from my first job. I met my best friend and many of my current friends during my time there. I learned how to work in a professional office setting as a functioning adult, and how to get along and collaborate with people from different walks, and stages, of life. It also ignited my passion for healthcare interoperability.
I learned that getting two disparate systems to communicate and exchange data was quite a feat, but vital for comprehensive and effective patient care – something we all have a vested interest in. Tack on ensuring security of the exchange plus other barriers to entry, like cost, for some organizations. Let’s just say I love a challenge and interfacing healthcare data was definitely that, so I was all in!
My first role opened the door to all of my subsequent roles, including working at a hospital to convert its Radiology department from film to PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), and then implementing CPOE (Computerized Physician Order Entry). Learning about the PACS hardware and software, ensuring the successful data exchange and communication between the hospital’s EHR and PACS, and then training physicians and technologists was a 24-hour a day role, but one that left me feeling proud that I was a cog in the wheel of advancing interoperability, even if just for my little hospital.
Understanding and empowering users
That role also helped me to understand the value of expectation setting and empathy for end users. The providers I worked with were apprehensive of change, so it was critical to set the right expectations of what was changing, when, and how it impacted their day to day. This required viewing the change from their perspective, and understanding their motivations and concerns. This knowledge enabled me to tailor the system configurations and the subsequent training so each individual felt empowered to use the system – and use it correctly – in order to provide optimal return on investment for the hospital, while also enhancing patient care.
I also learned the value of frequent and effective communication, providing transparency into the status of the implementation, and later supplementing the training with documentation to ensure end users’ success, especially the providers that worked overnight. I’m proud to say I was only woken up a handful of times, most often due to forgotten credentials.
More systems, more integrations, more communication, and very human leaders
My next two roles were back at EHR vendors. At the first company, I implemented integrations between practice management systems and other systems to ensure all transcribed documents, provider notes, and information crucial to patient care and billing were communicated between systems.
Here, I developed a deeper understanding of the implementation experience from the perspective of a provider office. The providers we worked with didn’t have deep benches of implementation resources, so it was important that we worked efficiently, communicating what deliverables were expected and when, as well as the support they would need to provide and the timeframe we expected these individuals to participate. We took as much off of their plates as possible, but there were certain tasks that required the customers’ specific expertise and decision making.
The second role allowed me to work with a different system and backend, and helped to refine my understanding of hospital workflow and the different integrations required by each department in order to provide optimal patient care and accurate billing of services. I was fortunate to work with intelligent, experienced, shrewd, and yet very “human” leaders at this role, and it helped to develop my perspective of how I wanted to lead.
These two roles further shaped my understanding of how to run successful implementations and implementation teams, knowledge that I looked forward to further cultivating and employing when I took an implementation role at 1upHealth in 2023.
Building and supporting a talented implementation team
What is a leader without his or her team? 1upHealth would not be where it is today without the talented people behind-the-scenes that show up day in and day out, putting forth their best efforts to move the 1upHealth mission forward. In Part 2 of this “Implementation Matters” blog series, I’ll cover the cornerstone of the 1upHealth partnership and solutions, our world-class implementation team.
This blog is part of a series. Read Part 2 now.
