Theme 4. The “How to” stream
- Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2018
- Concurrent Session A
- Time: 2:30-3:15pm
- Room: Harbour C
- Style: Presentation (information provided to audience, with opportunity for audience to ask question)
- Focus: Balance between both (e.g. Presentation of a best-practice guideline that combines research evidence, policy issues and practical steps for implementation)
- Target Audience: Leadership (ED, clinical lead, board chair, board member, etc.), Clinical providers, Administrative staff, Representatives of stakeholder/partner organizations
Learning Objectives In this session, participants will:
- Learn about the EMR Practice Enhancement Program (EPEP);
- Understand (better) how improvements to practice-level data quality can enable quality improvement initiatives
- Build a stronger sense, through examples, of the real impact of workflow inefficiencies on patient care and practice management
- Have the opportunity to ask questions of a field team that has engaged with over 500 clinicians across the province, in a variety of care models, settings, and patient demographics
Summary/Abstract In the context of a busy practice, it can be challenging for clinicians and staff to find time to learn, sustain, and improve upon a new technology-based workflow. Informed by best practices in change management, OntarioMD’s EMR Practice Enhancement Program (EPEP) deploys both assessment tools and coaching methods to help practices harness their EMR towards quality improvement goals. Since its launch in 2016, the EPEP team has engaged over 500 Ontario physicians. The EPEP team work directly with clinicians to identify knowledge gaps, analyze workflow, review EMR data quality and develop action plans with achievable tasks. Baselines are established on key measures in priority areas for the practice - for example, blood sugar levels for diabetics). These baselines and a workflow analysis help develop a diagnostic profile and generate recommended actions targeted at the practice’s goals. Generally, an EPEP engagement consists of:
- Current state assessment using the EMR Progress Assessment tool and a gap analysis to help the practice identify priority areas for improvement
- Analysis of data quality and workflow to determine root causes of data discrepancies and establish baselines for specified clinical measures, and to identify ways to improve workflow efficiency
- Customized action plan development which provides concrete, achievable tasks designed to improve data quality in identified practice priority areas and overall practice management
- Post-engagement evaluation to measure EPEP-driven improvements in EMR data quality and proficiency, at three or six months post-baseline (and at 12 months, to assess sustainability)
Presenters:
- Reza Talebi, Manager, Practice Enhancement, OntarioMD Inc.
- Mavis Jones, Senior Policy Analyst, Insight, Engagement and Transformation, OntarioMD Inc.
Authors/Contributors:
- See above