Exclusive article at EMRIndustry.com by Tessa Boudreaux, MBA
We’ve all been there. During a meeting or a planning session, there is always one voice that is the “nay-sayer”. “We can’t do this…” and “We can’t possibly do that…”. This member of your team challenges any changes that appear on your practice’s horizon, be it regulatory or work-flow related. Here are some tried and true strategies for winning over this challenger and moving your implementation process forward.
Reaction and Response Address these questions and regard them as important. Acknowledging the question’s importance goes a long way in winning buy-in. Invite your “nay-sayer” into the planning process. Sure they may not have anything to contribute, quite the contrary, but in the end, Sun Tzu was right. Draw them closer to the project rather than pushing them away.
Empathy Recognize that this member of your practice may be worried about losing their job. Many of us experience fear when faced with learning a new technology. While your empathy will most likely not be returned, you can use this as an important tool for gaining buy-in from your staff who are most resistant to the coming change.
Knowledge Transfer Strategically plan your training package. Work directly with your vendor’s implementation team to ensure that they know where your “sticking points” are, in staffing and in workflows. As your vendor for support. Investigate available training modalities, as each generation of learners accepts a different approach to training. Baby boomers like manuals. Get them printed & ready for training. Generation X, my group, are less hesitant to learning, so I find humor works very effectively. Many of us were told “don’t touch, you’ll break it” during our young lives, which we are know learning is NOT true. Encourage this group of learners to create test patients, work the check in process or procedure through with a test patient so that they can see the entire process. The millennial will use an app on their phone and social media. Find out what your vendor offers for both.
Divide & Conquer An excellent approach I’ve seen used during EHR implementations is to divide the clinical staff. Pre-train all clinical and front office staff who prepare, document and check out patients online or using remote sessions ahead of your “go live” date. Challenge your team with incentives such as gift cards or the always popular, chocolate. On-site training is expensive, use it effectively. Pair your on-site trainers with your providers, especially your Champion Provider. This is your leader, and chances are very strong that once this provider is happy, and communicating to his/her team of about the success of the program, your team of providers will fall into place. Be sure to schedule the on-site trainer time with each one during your “go live” time.
Check with your vendor for their training offerings. Chances are soon, you’ll also need to onboard new hires. If your vendor offers online training, find out how quickly this can be accessed. What is their turn around time for new registrations? Are the online resources share-able via a URL?
Maximize Time with Trainer Communicate with your Project Manager on your practice’s hours. How long will you really need a trainer on site each day? You may want to plan ahead for the trainer to arrive early, stay late, skip lunch so that you can squeeze out every single detail while they are available to you. Discuss hours with your vendors project manager and the trainer, in advance, if you can. Order in lunch, or find menus for local, nearby eateries. Buy the trainer their favorite Starbucks. Going a little above and beyond for your trainer, will win you their loyalty and perhaps a little more support post-go-live.
Resistance to Change Remember, not everyone embraces change. I’ve spoken to many faculty providers and doctors who are retiring early with the onset of Meaningful Use and other changes in this fast-paced industry.
Plan a Post-Go-Live Festivity While not always popular with your bean counters, I’d strongly recommend a post-go-live celebration of some stature. Your team has been through a lot together, and provided patient care during the transition. This is no easy feat. Acknowledge this in order to share your appreciation with them. Chances are, it won’t be your last software change.
