In part one of my “Evaluating an IT Vendor for EHR Services,” we discussed the first two steps that are critical to finding the right partner: First, laying the groundwork and identifying your health organization’s needs. Second, the importance of understanding how to evaluate vendor qualifications to ensure you make the right partner decision.
As a next step, after you have evaluated all available vendors and their qualifications, it is time to make a vendor decision and begin the onboarding process. In this article, I’ll discuss the steps included in the onboarding process, and the key elements to establish for partnership success.
Onboarding Your New EHR Services Partner
After determining what you need from a managed services partner and choosing your EHR partner, you should begin planning the onboarding process. Incorporating an external partner into your team is going to take some time and preparation, but the more proactive your team is, the better the onboarding experience will be for both parties.
Transition timeframes can vary based on the scale and scope of each project, but you should expect your application support transition to take between one to three months. Ideally, training should be ongoing as technology and system needs change, or as growth initiatives come up. Remember to manage expectations and communicate your needs and goals throughout the transition. While onboarding your EHR services partner, here are some things to keep in mind:
Define The Relationship
The key to a successful client-vendor relationship is to establish clear roles and responsibilities for team members on both sides of the partnership. Your EHR partner should determine a clear point of contact who is committed to your needs and will serve as the liaison between the vendor and the health system. This person should be a VP, Director, or specific manager that is involved with the partnership. In addition, this person will help keep projects on schedule and help address and rectify any issues that may arise. At HCTec, our Client Services Manager plays this role and is consistently in touch with your internal liaison.
In addition to the Client Services Manager, we also have dedicated Implementation Managers, Executive Sponsors, Training Leads, and other experts who work in unison to achieve the project’s goals.
Establish Expectations
Like all relationships, the hallmark of a good EHR partner/provider relationship is consistent and effective communication. One of the most important pieces of the partnership is establishing Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Service Level Agreements function as a tool to not only hold the partnership accountable in terms of progress but intentionally measures the ongoing success of the partnership. This includes determining the frequency of team meetings, who should be involved, and setting standards for status reporting and regular business reviews. It is recommended that Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR) are established with the CIO and other executive leadership that is responsible for the EHR and respective team operations. These quarterly meetings will ensure that there is strategic and operational alignment and evaluate the success of the ongoing partnership.
LEARN THE ROPES
The only way a partner can effectively implement a project to meet your goals is if they truly understand your business. It will take time, effort, and a robust training program, but your ideal partner will integrate seamlessly with your team. They should learn your core processes and ticketing system and know your IT operations inside and out. Your partner should also have a dedicated training program in place that can work with you to discuss any nuances to your organization and determine how the training process should be designed to work best for you.
GET STARTED
Once the initial onboarding process is complete, support work begins. In this phase, health systems sometimes identify the need for additional services, such as staffing. If you select a partner with this flexibility, they should be able to fill additional needs. If your partner is more limited, you may need to search for an additional partner to help.
Important Note: A major benefit of having a partner who covers all aspects of healthcare IT is that they will already understand your business. Plus, they will have the flexibility to accommodate additional needs and help to streamline the onboarding process.
To conclude, selecting and onboarding a managed services provider can be a stressful process. When you know what to expect, it makes choosing the right partner for your organization easier and will ultimately set your organization up for success.
