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WellSpan Health’s Thrive course for physicians and advanced practice clinicians organization-wide supports the integrated health system’s strategy to leverage technology to transform patient care. The project scope was to design a course to improve provider efficiency with the recently implemented new electronic healthcare record (EHR), Epic.
Program Details
The course was designed, in part, through a model from Epic, and analysis of physician support issues identified during a three- to nine-month interval after implementing Epic. The Thrive course designers were the Epic trainers for implementation training and support, so feedback from end-users could be quickly incorporated into ongoing training. Learners received instruction not only on the functionality of the Epic system but also the synergies that can be gained with using Dragon voice-to-text software to further enhance their efficiency.
The two-hour instructor-led class consists of didactic instruction and skill building and continues outside the classroom door. Each attendee receives a workbook that contains recommendations for application customizations. The providers complete customizations with the guidance of the instructor and workbook. As efficiencies are realized by the providers, confidence is gained, and additional tips and tricks can be incorporated into daily practice. The benefits from the class continue as the workbook is utilized days, months, and beyond the training session. The workbook supports reinforcement, as it intentionally provides additional efficiency tips, which allows participant choice for specific specialty needs. Thrive isn’t just about being able to document efficiently, it’s about how providers can utilize the tools WellSpan and Epic offer with ease and efficiency to accurately capture the patient story to provide the best care.
Senior leaders were invested in this training from the beginning, setting the vision for it to be part of the learning plan. Senior leaders—such as the senior vice president of Clinical Improvement, chief information officer, and vice president and chief medical information officer—were involved in reviewing the course, providing input, and attending pilot classes to support the success of the learners.
Results
By mid-2018, 146 providers had attended Thrive. Level 1 evaluation data indicated 90 percent of participants would recommend this class to their colleagues, and 80 percent of participants state they can use Epic more independently.
Leveraging technology to transform patient care just doesn’t mean translating charting on paper to charting on a computer. It means having more patient information in a shared chart. It means not ordering a specific image or lab test because the results ordered from another provider are already in the chart. It means having a complete picture of the patient’s health at your fingertips. Epic has given WellSpan this functionality. Thrive has allowed providers to harness this information in Epic more efficiently.
Some 58 percent of participants indicate saving 10 to 30 minutes per day since attending the class, leading to significant cost savings and more time to focus on patients.
Level 4 business results indicate that healthcare providers are satisfied with the overall electronic health record environment at WellSpan. An Arch Collaborative Survey in July 2018 revealed that WellSpan achieved the 73rd percentile for Provider Net Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Experience less than one year into full implementation status. The Net EMR Experience score is a snapshot of clinicians’ overall satisfaction with the EMR Environment in an organization. The score is calculated based on factors such as EMR efficiency, functionality, and impact on care.