CPOE BEST PRACTICES PRIORITIZATION -
A QUANTIFIABLE APPROACH
By J Paul Rockwell, PMP
According to KLAS CPOE Digest 2007, only 6.8 % of healthcare organizations have implemented or have begun the
implementation of CPOE. Deterrents to this endeavor are many, but one obstacle is identifying where to start and how to
get buy-in from the clinicians. Vitalize Consulting Solutions, Inc (VCS) believes that creating identifiable project
phases based on client specific priorities will result in incremental successes maintaining momentum and focus throughout
the project.
Once a list of CPOE best practices has been defined and agreed upon by your organization, it is necessary to devise a
method for prioritizing the implementation of those best practices. An effective approach to addressing this is to
evaluate each item against three potential business impact areas vis-à-vis your organization’s most pressing business
needs.
To illustrate this approach, we recommend a 4-point weighting system for each impact area. The best practices with
the highest resulting scores should be targeted. The proposed scoring criteria are:
- Patient Safety-
How does the best practice impact the safety of the patient?
1 = Low Risk & Low Probability of occurrence
2 = Low Risk & High Probability of occurrence
3 = High Risk & Low Probability of occurrence.
4 = High Risk & High Probability of occurrence.
- Regulations-
Is the best practice a regulatory or JCAHO requirement?
1 = The practice is not a known regulatory or JCAHO requirement
4 = The practice is a known regulatory or JCAHO requirement
- Adoption-
What is the workflow and training effort impact the adoption of the best practice?
1 = High Impact on Training & High Impact on Workflow.
2 = Low Impact on Training & High Impact on Workflow.
3 = High Impact on Training & Low Impact on Workflow.
4 = Low Impact on Training & Low Impact on Workflow.
Upon completion of this exercise, you will have the basis to objectively determine how to set about the implementation
of a CPOE system focused on resource optimization and highest impact to the organization. The benefits of an orderly
evaluation of CPOE best practices are invaluable including but not limited to:
- Increased patient safety
- Increased user satisfaction and efficiency
- Minimal disruption of workflow and operations
Building a PMO can be a daunting task. Treat building a PMO exactly like a real project. Start with a
SWOT analysis and Charter. I suggest you go through the same steps/process supported on any project
initiative and you should be in a much better position early on to determine if your organization is
positioned to be successful in implementing a PMO.
VCS uses this approach in combination with our WebShare Repository and PMO Methodology to ensure that every CPOE project
we support is consistent with each of our client’s unique mission and goals. The entire article with the Phase 1 & 2 tasks,
deliverables and recommendations can be found on our website:
www.getvitalized.com. If you would like more information
call our offices at 610-444-1233 or email vcs@getvitalized.com.