EHR Implementation Made Easier

Posted by CC Andrews

Jun 23, 2016 11:02:07 AM

Wouldn’t it be great if all long-term and post-acute care proEHR_blog_computer-1240311.jpgviders had an electronic health record (EHR) adoption blueprint that guides them through the process, step by step, to implementation? That’s exactly what LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technology (CAST) has done.

CAST announced very recently that it has updated resources on EHRs to include something called a 7-Stage Adoption Model. Developed by CAST for the following LTPAC entities:

  • Adult day care
  • Attending physicians
  • Assisted living
  • Acute rehab facilities
  • Home health/home care
  • Hospice
  • Life plan communities
  • Long-term acute care hospitals
  • Long-term care rehab facilities
  • Skilled nursing facilities
  • Intermediate care facilitites
  • Intellectual disabilities/developmental disability facilities
  • Programs for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

The resources also include an updated EHR Selection Portfolio, an interactive online guide, and a new case study that outlines one provider’s journey through EHR adoption. According to a statement from CAST, previous EHR adoption models focused primarily on inpatient settings like hospitals and nursing homes.

This model, however, is aimed at helping all aging services organization in “choosing an EHR system that fits the needs of the organization, its providers, and its consumers, patients, and clients.”

In my opinion, it’s refreshing to see a tool more reflective of where the industry is headed—a more integrated care model that is more about the patient and the care, not driven by the setting.

According to Majd Alwan, CAST executive director, “the CAST EHR Selection Portfolio’7-stages EHR implementations new 7-Stage Adoption Model was tailored to help long-term care providers not only improve efficiency, but also quality of care for their residents.” He also said that he hopes the model will make it easier for more and more providers to integrate advanced EHR functionalities into their operations, and use them to continuously improve care quality.

The 7-Stage model provides a framework to assess the level of adoption and sophistication of use, as opposed to just the overall rate of adoption, of EHRs in long-term and post-acute care. The model also draws from the HIMSS 7-Stage EMR Adoption Model, PointClickCare’s 7-Stage LTC EHR Adoption Model, and Gutkind-Savage’s 10-Stage International EHR Adoption Model.  

Even if you’ve already implemented EHRs in your communities, it can help you determine if you’re in the right spot, ahead of the game, or if you need updates.

Topics: Senior care, technology, long term care, long-term and post-acute care