Successfully implementing cpoe in the march to meaningful use
1. Customer Testimonial
Paragon® HIS
Twin County Regional Healthcare
Galax, Va.
Janet Richardson, RN
Clinical Systems Coordinator
Successfully Implementing CPOE
in the March to Meaningful Use
“Perhaps the biggest physician satisfier I have seen with
Paragon is its flexibility. I am fond of saying that the way
Paragon is designed, if you can think of it, you can build it!”
-Janet Richardson
2. Successfully Implementing
CPOE in the March to
Meaningful Use
by Janet Richardson, RN
Everyone in healthcare these days meeting meaningful use to our rural,
seems to be focused on reaching independent community hospital. Upon
Stage 1 meaningful use by the 2013 certification, Twin County would qualify
deadline. Aside from cost, one of the for somewhere in the neighborhood of
biggest hurdles may be successfully $5 million in incentive payments. Those
implementing a computerized physician dollars will go a long way in enabling
order entry (CPOE) system and achieving us to provide new additional services
the utilization levels required by the to our community and acquire needed
American Recovery and Reinvestment equipment for several departments
Act (ARRA) incentive program. At to provide our patients the best care
Twin County Regional Healthcare, we possible.
realized that this alone would require
a significant change in how physicians Helping physicians understand the
At a Glance and other caregivers have always bigger impact on the organization, their
practiced medicine, so we decided to patients and the community in which
Organization take the challenge head on and have they live really started knocking down
been very pleased with the results. any initial resistance. Another key is
Twin County Regional Healthcare
Along the way, we’ve learned a lot. setting realistic expectations because as
Galax, Va. Dr. Pemberton also observed, “Rolling
We’ve managed to make great strides out any new computer system is not
- 141 beds and our hospitalists hit 30% CPOE going to be as convenient for physicians
utilization for total orders by the second and nurses for quite a while.” But we
- Recognized in 2009 as a “Most month after roll-out and have exceeded thought if the system satisfied our
Improved” Hospital in ‘Most that threshold for the subsequent four hospitalists, our other physicians would
Wired’ Survey1 months. We will continue to expand to be much more willing to adopt CPOE.
more of our physicians, and we expect
- Named a 2010 Top Performing to begin applying for our incentive That’s where the technological
Hospital on Quality Measures by payments by the first half of 2012. capabilities of Paragon started to shine.
the Joint Commission2
We think there are two key factors Simplifying the Transition
Critical Issues that have led to accomplishing our One important measure I have used
CPOE utilization success so quickly: when rolling out any new system or
- Achieving meaningful use 1) Establishing the right attitude and application is how easy the intended
involvement among our physician-users users can learn and understand how
and 2) The integration and capabilities to work it into their normal day-to-day
- Implementing CPOE successfully
of the Paragon® HIS. care of patients. If it is not complicated
to understand and use, that will
- Providing excellent patient care
Getting the Players on Board facilitate uptake and adoption. It is also
According to Art Pemberton, M.D., our a pretty good indicator of long-term
Results
Hospitalist Director at Twin County, success.
getting physicians to see beyond
- Rapid achievement of >30%
themselves as part of a bigger picture of The Windows®-based, point-and-click
CPOE utilization of total orders
the organization and of where national operation CPOE module in Paragon is
by hospitalists
healthcare is going is most important to both familiar and intuitive to physicians.
establishing the right attitude. In my experience in training physicians
- Physician buy-in and acceptance
to use it, they adapt to it pretty quickly.
of CPOE
Jack Roberts, Director of Information In rolling out Paragon CPOE, physicians
Systems, and my supervisor, often got an hour of training from the
- Well-positioned for
points out the importance of implementation specialist and then I
demonstrating meaningful use
3. was available to answer questions or For example, we can customize
assist if necessary. Our hospitalists order sets as we need to so that our
quickly learned the system and were physicians are comfortable and satisfied.
able to place electronic orders with just I am fond of saying that the way
a couple of follow-up questions after Paragon is designed, if you can think of
the initial training ... they just took it it, you can build it!
and ran with it. It was almost effortless!
We have been able to easily convert
One of our hospitalists actually existing protocols and standing order
compares it to shopping online. sets for physicians so what they are
You pick out orders, put them in a ordering is familiar to them, and the “We have found that the
basket and at the end when you have same Windows-based structure that flexibility and customization
everything you need, you submit them. enables ease of training also facilitates you can do in Paragon is
So using it is not something that is incorporation of the CPOE system into a real bright spot and a
complicated or unfamiliar to them. their day-to-day care of patients. particular strength of the
system. We’re able to easily
suggest improvements or
modifications and get those
implemented that same day.”
- Arthur Pemberton, M.D.
Hospitalist Director
A telling example of this simplicity and Dr. Pemberton and the other hospitalists “Our mission is to serve the
familiarity is a locum tenens physician have acknowledged that a more
healthcare needs of our
who had never seen our CPOE system rigid system would have faced more
before and was filling in for one of our resistance. “We have found that the
community and provide the
staff. After 30 minutes of training and a flexibility and customization you can do highest quality of care in the
couple follow-up phone calls, he began in Paragon is a real bright spot and a most cost-effective manner.
admitting patients and placing orders particular strength of the system,” he The Paragon information
on the system that same evening. has noted. “We’re able to easily suggest system is well-designed for
improvements or modifications and get community hospitals like ours
Technology that Works with those implemented that same day.” I with a mission like ours.”
Prescribers, not Against Them think that customization has given our
Perhaps the biggest physician satisfier I physicians greater ownership in the - Jon Applebaum
have seen with Paragon is its flexibility. success of our CPOE initiative and as a President & CEO