If you’re running a private clinic, and you’re having to switch all your old files to EHR data, then it’s a big mistake to attempt it all in one sitting. If your business isn’t quite ready for the transition, then trying to get it out of the way may only serve to overwhelm and burn out your staff. This can mean sacrificing patient care, which I’m sure you don’t want to do! When bringing EHR into a small or medium clinic, here are some of the main challenges you’re going to face.
Limited tech resources
In a typical small clinic, you’re not going to have a dedicated, in-house technical team to lean on. Larger hospitals, on the other hand, have all kinds of staff who are able to integrate regular, day-to-day business processes with the new EHR programs, supported by programmers and other IT staff who will be able to make little tweaks as and when they’re needed. Having the right hardware and equipment, such as your own servers, can also make the process a lot easier! When you switch over to an EHR system, you’re probably going to be relying heavily on the provider for any technical know-how and support. This is true for many other pieces of medical tech, like a practice management system or a HIPAA answering service for doctors. If you haven’t chosen a vendor already, look for one who will give good tech support!
Smaller workforce
When you’re looking for an EHR system to use in your clinic, it’s essential that you consider the limitations your staff are already working under. A notably small clinic may only employ you, being the physician and CEO, a nurse, and two customer-facing assistants. Even a standard-sized clinic may only have fifteen to twenty employees. The point here is that you can’t suddenly pull these workers out of their shifts when they’ve got patients to care for, so implementing the new software and training your staff up for it is going to take a very careful approach. When choosing a vendor, try to look for one who has experience working with clinics of a similar size to yours.
Limited in-house training
Although making the plunge into EHR in general can be extremely challenging when you’re running a smaller clinic, one of the biggest pitfalls you’re likely to come across is your lack of in-house training resources. While larger, corporate medical establishments usually have their very own training facilities, you’re probably going to have to rely on the vendor’s training resources. If the business you’re running is especially small, then the vendor may be able to train everyone directly in using the system. Obviously though, this isn’t always going to be a practical option. If you’re running a slightly larger clinic, I recommend getting familiar with your EHR system yourself first, then training your upper management personally, and tasking them with passing that knowledge onto the rest of your staff. It will take longer for the clinic to start reaping the benefits, but your patients will come out much better for it in the long run!
