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Answer to Your Question

What types of goals or metrics should I use?

We recommend that you set goals in areas that are important and meaningful to your practice. These may be clinical goals, revenue goals or goals around work environment. Goals in all three areas will help assure balanced processes after the implementation. Goals that are important to you will help you and your staff through the change process. We recommend you follow the "SMART" goals process. This process includes setting objectives and goals that meet the following criteria:

  • Specific – Achieving the goal would make a difference for our patients and our practice
  • Measureable – We can quantify the current level and the target goal
  • Attainable – Although the goal may be a stretch, we can achieve it
  • Relevant – This is worth the effort
  • Time-bound – There are deadline and opportunities to celebrate success!

These goals become the guide posts for an electronic health record (EHR) implementation project, and achieving these goals will motivate providers and practice staff to make necessary changes and attain new skills.

For example, your practice/hospital/health center may want to use your EHR system to improve prostate cancer screening for at-risk patients. A SMART goal for your EHR system may be to improve the overall practice prostate screening rate for at-risk patients by at least 20% six months after EHR go-live. Although each practice/hospital/health center will need to develop their own EHR goals, using the SMART framework will ensure your EHR benefits your practice and your patients and enables your practice to celebrate success.

Implementing EHRs – Assessing Your Practice Readiness

How do I conduct a practice readiness assessment?
The assessment phase is foundational to all other implementation activities, and involves determining if the practice is ready to make the change from paper records to electronic health records (EHRs...
Is broadband available in my area?
The National Broadband Map The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission maintain the National Broadband Map, a tool to search,...
Is there a checklist or methodology that I can use to assess my practice readiness?
Yes, several tools have been developed to assist physicians, nurses, and office staff in assessing practice readiness. Checklists and methodologies facilitate critical thinking about the kinds of...
One of the providers in my practice is adamantly opposed to using an electronic health record (EHR). Are there any suggestions for helping us move forward?
It's not unusual for some physicians to resist using an electronic health record (EHR), and there can be many reasons for this reluctance. Is he/she uncomfortable using a computer? Does he/she fear...
Who should assess practice readiness? Who can I ask for help?
If possible, the assessment team should include stakeholders with diverse roles in your practice/hospital/health clinic to leverage each role's expertise in their area of work and to encourage buy-in...
What if my community does not have access to broadband?
If you find your community does not have access to any of the broadband technology platforms, Broadband.Gov recommends contacting local government officials. You can contact your mayor, county...
What is broadband and why is broadband access important?
The Basics The term broadband refers to high-speed internet access. Broadband is different from dial-up internet service for several reasons, including the following: Broadband service provides a...
How can my organization access broadband?
The Basics Before implementing an electronic health record, you should plan for how your practice/hospital/health center will access broadband. You can access broadband in several different ways...
How much will the readiness assessment process cost?
Although precise cost estimates are not available, you are not on your own. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) established 62 Regional Extension Centers (...
What is the recommended bandwidth for different types of health care providers?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recommends the following minimum bandwidth speeds [PDF - 700 KB]: Single Physician Practice – 4 megabits per second (Mbps) Supports practice...
How long should the assessment phase last?
The amount of time required to perform readiness assessments will vary depending on several factors including the size of your practice/hospital/health center, whether your practice/hospital/health...
Why do I need patient input?
One of the five pillars of meaningful use instructs providers to "engage patients and their families in their health," and it is vital to begin engaging patients in the readiness assessment phase....