Implementing EHR Suites: Lessons from a Norwegian Configuration Process

The implementation of electronic health record (EHR) suites is a complex process that involves configuring the EHR suite for local healthcare practices. In this study, we investigate the process of configuring Epic's EHR suite for Norwegian healthcare practices. From the point of view of the interviewed subject-matter experts (SMEs) and super users, this EHR implementation has struggled with managing and processing the input from the highly prioritized user participation in the configuration process. In addition, the SMEs have been in a difficult in-between role. These struggles and difficulties are evident in three main issues. First, SMEs and Epic's developers tended to negotiate rather than collaborate. Second, SMEs tended to contribute their personal expertise rather than represent their peer groups. Third, the specialty-specific groups for doing the configuration work tended to optimize the EHR for each specialty rather than for teamwork.