In January, as part of HTN Digital Week, we heard from David Kwo, former Director of EHRS and Informatics, UCLH. David presented lessons learned from the implementation of the Epic electronic patient record system.
David was responsible for the Epic implementation at UCLH. The trust’s Epic journey started when the business case was approved in 2017, and they went live in 2019. 23 modules, 6 hospitals, 1000 beds and 10000 staff. It was also delivered on time and on budget.
“The four key lessons (non-Epic) – invest in IT infrastructure today or it will cost more tomorrow. You need amazing leaders for these types of journeys and we definitely had that. There are bumpy periods and processes are changed everywhere. Also, look after your staff! The organisational commitment is crucial and requires a complex team effort; always recognise the role of the EHRS team.”
“Implementing an EPR system is a complex and challenging endeavour which requires full scope implementations. It is not just about improvement of software; it requires massive change and is a people driven endeavour, communications and commitment are critical where training is crucial to the success of an EPR. Additionally, relentless focus is important.”
“In our roll-out our CEO did a live demo of the system! That was important because there’s large scale changes such as service redesign, workflow, clinical processes, patient experience, legacy systems to research. Make sure your roll-out and training plan is communicated atleast 6 months in advance and be willing to think about how you work and be open to changing practices. And engage, engage and engage, you need a relentless focus.”
Join us for the next HTN Digital Week taking place 15th – 21st June 2020, to view the agenda and to register please click here.
