What you need to know about your project
(But nobody will tell you)
When done right, it’s just plain hard, that’s the good news
When done right, it will be infinitely better than what you do today; it just won’t feel like it.
When you get used to your new computer system, it will change. Deal with it. Remember Pac Man?
Computers fail, Networks bomb & printers jam, and that’s the least of your problems.
Do not read technical manuals from software companies, they will just make you feel stupid
Do ask others that have done this before, learn from their experience, and don’t do this alone. Be patient with those who offer help, it’s not their fault you misunderstood them.
Your staff will get mad, your Doctors will obstruct, your IT department won’t cooperate and your Medical records department will see you as a threat. But one thing they will all agree on, it’s the vendors fault.
But, remember that the price of excellence is high
Interfaces are just plain maddening, get used to it. There is no simple solution. Period.
HL7 is the international standard for interface protocol. No two are the same. Deal with it. There is nothing else.
HL7 has 2 sides, theirs and ours; you will be billed by both sides. Plan on it and deal with it.
HL7 is text only, unless it’s not, in which case sometimes you can import images but most of the time you can’t. Unless, you have Cerner and then you can, sometimes. It depends on Cerner, and they don’t really care but they will bill you outrageously.
When you have an interface, you can’t add doctors easily, except sometimes. All of that doctor and patient information is in the hands of the hospital IT department, because it’s their data, not yours, not mine. Deal with it. When you call your IT department you will get voice mail, deal with it.
If the hospital sends you bad data, it won’t work. Deal with it. It usually works except on days you have crabby doctors and you are short staffed. Forget about it, that’s pretty much every day.
It matters where you put your data drops in the rooms.
It matters where you ask the Doctors to do their reports, go ahead, ignore them and see what happens. You’ll get a change order.
Change orders are very, very expensive and never discounted. Ask anyone who’s built a house. It’s not the builders fault you changed your mind.
Your software rep will honestly try to tell you everything you need to consider. They will make assumptions that you understand things. You don’t, ask a million questions.
You will make assumptions that things will work the way you imagine because you saw it on TV or in a movie. It won’t. Ask a million questions
You will assume that everyone on your team is in agreement. They are not, deal with it.
Heck, most of your team doesn’t even care what you’re trying to accomplish. Document your vision or lose it.
Whatever you do, no matter how hard you plan, this will expose holes in your current operating structure that are awkward. Get ready and don’t take it personally.
The president said that American Health Care will be electronic by 2014. He also said “Mission Accomplished” 5 years ago. You figure it out.
No two hospitals or GI labs do things the same way. Don’t expect your software supplier to do it your way from the start. If you don’t like Microsoft Windows call Bill Gates at home and let him know he needs to change it. He’ll be thrilled to take your call.
But, remember that the price of excellence is high
And at the end of the day
You’ll have a better way
