Overview: In this assignment, you will determine the skills the HIM professional needs to evaluate the implementation of an EHR system and discuss how change-management theories were or were not successfully applied.

Case Study: Clinic A had difficulty choosing an EHR system largely because the vendor selection group lacked agreement about key workflows and organizational priorities. After finally selecting an EHR, the CEO of the organization and driver of the EHR adoption process appeared to lose interest and stopped attending planning meetings, delegating leadership tasks to a low-level aide. The providers, taking their cue from leadership, likewise disengaged from the planning process, not focusing on critical tasks that needed to be completed in advance, such as workflow redesign. The EHR vendor gave the clinic a list of tasks such as creating charting templates, order sets, and diagnosis preference lists; however, no one in the clinic took responsibility for making sure each task was understood and completed. Training took place one month before go-live and there was no additional, reality-based training the week of go-live, which is a crucial period for training. The end result was that providers and staff were equally dissatisfied with the EHR and EHR implementation process.

Prompt: Respond to the case study by considering the following questions:

 What were some of the specific leadership errors that caused an unsuccessful implementation of the EHR system?  What obstacles in implementation (i.e., workflow, training, provider/stakeholder issues) were faced and resolved?  What change-management principles, theories, and activities should have been applied to facilitate a successful implementation?  What was the purpose of the change? Why is the change important and how does the change impact healthcare?  What stage is the organization in, and how can it move forward to the next stage?

This assignment will help you understand ethical and cultural dilemmas in healthcare that you can incorporate into your final project.

Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a 1- to 2-page Microsoft Word document in APA format with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three cited sources.