EHR System Case Study Essay

Implementation of an EHR system initially can be frustrating and require time to learn how to use. In this case, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) seems to have gone through such a stage. To begin, not only did they need to learn a new system, but they also had to deal with the increase in patient volume from the H1N1 pandemic. While attempting to compensate for the learning curve and changes with implementation of the EHR, CCHMC added staffing and an overflow clinic in order to deal with the increased patient volumes, lower the length of stay (LOS), and lower the time with providers. Despite their best efforts, LOS and time with providers increased quite a bit with both reaching between 6%-22% longer than before implementation.

This illness caused many to panic around the country at the sign of the flu. In turn this created a massive increase in patient volume for CCHMC; more than they were able to handle. Another major problem is lack of familiarization with the EHR system. A solution to this problem could be simply having a familiarization course for nursing staff, and providers before implementation (Boonstra, Versluis, & Vos, 2014). This would undoubtedly allow the staff to become more efficient, and more than likely decreased the amount of time (3 months) it took for the ED to return to optimal timeframes. Another interesting result of the study was that prior to the implementation of the EHR, 10% of patients were referred to the overflow clinic, and during the EHR implementation, only 5% of patients were referred. Somehow the criteria (flu symptoms) for referral to the clinic changed, and less patients were being diverted which certainly did not help with patient