226546 Meaningful use of the Omaha System: Implementing an EHR successfully

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sandra Walls, RN, MSN , Community Nursing Division, Kent County Health Department, Grand Rapids, MI
  
Meaningful use of the Omaha System: Implementing an EHR successfully

The need to increase quality and efficiency; reduce health disparities; and improve population and public health while using EHRs are goals of meaningful use associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These goals are challenging during our current economic climate and particularly in health departments dependent on ever decreasing funding. To this end, the Kent County Health Department explored existing software products designed to meet the multi-faceted technology needs of health departments to replace our aging, home-grown, public health information system. In particular, the requirements of the Department's Community Nursing Division included a system that offered automated clinical service documentation and evaluation to replace our paper client record. The Omaha System met this requirement, has a standardized terminology congruent with meaningful use, and was offered by our selected software vendor. Factors influencing successful implementation of the Omaha System and lessons learned will be discussed. Partners included in the implementation of the EMR,were: frontline, multi-disciplinary staff; Community Nursing Division leaders; IT staff; Michigan Department of Community Health consultants and the software vendor. The partners shared the goal of improving population and public health services to all residents including the increasing vulnerable population. Partner roles and relationships and their impact on the process will be presented. The impact of the Omaha System's implementation on quality, efficiency, and staff productivity in the Division's largest home visiting program will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of the session, the participant will be able to: • Describe factors influencing successful implementation of the Omaha System • Discuss partner roles and their impact on planning and implementation • Describe the impact of implementing an EHR on operational quality, safety, efficiency, and staff productivity in a large home visiting program

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Communication and informatics
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, the participant will be able to: Describe factors influencing successful implementation of the Omaha System Discuss partner roles and their impact on planning and implementation Describe the impact of implementing an EHR on operational quality, efficiency, and staff productivity in a large home visiting program

Keywords: Health Information Systems, Public Health Nursing, Outcomes

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee community-based programs carried out by public health professionals in a large local health department.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3317.3: The Use of Consumer Health Informatics in Health Education Promotion and Disease Management