Phased implementation of electronic health records through an office of clinical transformation

Evidence suggests that when carefully implemented, health information technologies (HIT) have a positive impact on behavior, as well as operational, process, and clinical outcomes. Recent economic stimulus initiatives have prompted unprecedented federal investment in HIT. Despite strong interest from the healthcare delivery community to achieve 'meaningful use' of HIT within a relatively short time frame, few best-practice implementation methodologies have been described. Herein we outline HIT implementation strategies at an academic health center with an office of clinical transformation. Seven percent of the medical center's information technology budget was dedicated to the Office of Clinical Transformation, and successful conversion of 1491 physicians to electronic-based documentation was accomplished. This paper outlines the process re-design, end-user adoption, and practice transformation strategies that resulted in a 99.7% adoption rate within 6 months of the introduction of digital documentation.