Change Management Strategies for an Effective EMR ... - HiMSS

Chapter 1: Th e Business Case for Change Management 3
management deals mostly with the hallway situation, facilitating the
human transition from the present to the future. Th ese days, change is
ongoing and requires focused leadership if it is to be as fast and painless
as possible.
Key Tip
Our assumption is that the software you are implementing
works. If Ifthe the software doesn’t work, you have another kind of
problem; problem—one one that even the best change management won’t
resolve.
Th e three legs of the project stool represent the critical components
of an implementation (Figure 1-1)—People, Process, and Technology.
Th e people are the most important! When technology projects
fail, it is primarily due to a lack of use and not a failure of the soft -
ware. Th e focus of change management is people and the objective is
to change behavior. Th is is good for business because it accelerates the
change process so benefi ts are achieved faster. Change management
is not about being nice or placing an emphasis on feelings. It’s about
performance improvement and results.
If you search the literature, you will fi nd a variety of defi nitions of
human-focused change management. Th ey all cover similar concepts,
sometimes using diff erent terminology. Th e simplest explanation of
change management is to say, “It’s all about the people!” But for the
purposes of this book, we expand on that concept and use the following
defi nition of change management:
• A structured process designed to deal directly and intentionally
with the human factors involved in not just planning and implementing
an EMR but through behavior change, achieving the
anticipated benefi ts that justifi ed the project in the fi rst place.
• Desired behavior change is achieved by helping people understand
and internalize change and by preparing them to be successful
contributors in the future state. In the case of EMR implementations,
eff ective change management delivers users who are willing
and able to use an EMR in a way that satisfi es the requirements of
the job, the needs of the patient, and the health of the organization.