Engineering the EMR habitat through workflow design in a specialty setting

Electronic medical records (EMRs) are the wave of the near future for healthcare documentation. Organisations have begun the process of integrating electronic workflows with their existing and the evidence-based work. Basic workflow analysis is essential to accomplish the goals of a well-integrated EMR which sets a standard for balanced organisational ecology and a stable EMR habitat for the system and its users. This paper presents a standard approach for analysing the needs and workflow impact of EMR implementation. Results presented here are garnered from EMR implementation in a cardiology specialty to demonstrate a best practice standardised regimen for identifying pitfalls and procedural issues related to implementation of EMR and addressing those issues in a manner consistent with easing adaptation to the entire EMR habitat. The example of medication refill demonstrates the rapid changes of turnaround time from two to three days to less than 2 hours and a 6% improvement in patient satisfaction.