My primary care physician, the last time I was in for a checkup, had not adopted ePrescribing or started using an electronic health record (EHR). My understanding is that the medical group to which he belongs had not rolled out these capabilities to him yet but was planning to do so. Hopefully, this summer when I see him again he will be plugged into the electronic health record that the group is adopting. Although he may not be happy about having to adapt to this new way of working, I will be happy because it provides another layer of safety for me as a patient. For instance, the risks of miscommunication between my doctor and my pharmacy will be greatly reduced. From my experience as a quality and productivity expert, I know that there will be many benefits for his practice group. As the American Medical Association has shown in a white paper my physician may not be spending much less time handling prescriptions, but his office staff surely will. Overall, there will be a significant gain in productivity and safety for the office.
After examining this example of the adoption of technology at my physician’s office group I recognize several challenges that the group faces, many of which are common to any enterprise adopting new technology faces, including not just healthcare providers but also small businesses and nonprofit organizations:
· Will the new technology increase productivity?
· Will there be a positive return on investment?
· Will the new technology improve patient safety?
· If the technology is adopted, how should it be rolled out or implemented?
These challenges and questions should not be faced by just one person. Rather, a team with effective leadership should undertake the responsibility. The team should use a formal problem solving approach such as Plan-Do-Check-Act to insure success. One of the first things that the team should do is determine why the technology should be adopted. That is, it should clearly state the goals for the adoption. Perhaps the technology is mandated by an accrediting body or government body. This is the case for ePrescribing as CMS has mandated its adoption by the beginning of this year or physicians will be penalized. Another example is the case of my auto mechanic, Arie Nol Auto Center; his business is adopting new technological tools so that he can repair newer autoes that have many complex computer-based electronic components, thus remaining competitive.
The technology should not be adopted if a good case cannot be made for doing so. This is the approach of Toyota Motor Systems, which first maximizes the effectiveness of any of its manufacturing processes that use human labor before adopting any robotic machinery on the floor. Using this approach it has stayed atop of quality when compared to other auto manufacturers. This year Consumers Reports placed Toyota first in 6 or 10 of categories of autoes.
