The following is a guest article by Bill Lewkowski, Vice President, Strategic Client Services at HCTec
Clinicians Remain Overwhelmed, Overworked, and Burned Out. Improved EHR Help Desk Support Mitigates these Issues while Making a Positive Impact on Clinician Workflow and Patient Care.
Among many well-documented pain points for clinicians is the complexity of dealing with electronic health record (EHR) systems. While EHRs deliver valuable benefits to patient outcomes and the healthcare industry, they are often cited as a drag on clinician productivity. This is especially true for the clinical documentation function where 58 percent of respondents in a JAMA Internal Medicine survey find EHR documentation remains too time-consuming and reduces the amount of time they can spend with patients.
In a recent Perspectives on Health Information Management article posted by the National Institutes of Medicine, “improving system usability and proper use” was cited as a valuable strategy to reduce this type of EHR risk. Proper EHR training and well-managed IT help desks are proven to advance system usability and resolve issues that negatively impact clinicians’ productivity and day-to-day experience. IT clinical help desks that are optimized and designed to support clinicians also make a positive impact on clinician workflow, patient care, and increase satisfaction.
The following are four recommendations for an IT help desk, particularly the clinical help desk, that should be a top priority for healthcare CIOs.
Continually Analyze Incoming Clinician Requests
Errors clinicians encounter within their existing EHR systems represent a top reason clinicians contact their IT help desk. Examples of the most common inbound requests to help desks include workflow optimization, user configuration, and after-hours availability for support.
Best practice is to continually assess all incoming requests based on clinician, service line, type of request, EHR module, and time of day. Use these insights to inform corrective actions and help desk staffing increases if indicated.
Incorporate Credentialled Clinicians in Application Management Support
Time is of the essence when any clinician contacts their IT help desk. This is especially true for application management support, requiring a higher degree of responsibility to navigate more in-depth issues beyond those a Level 1 technician can provide. Examples of application management support include conducting an in-depth analysis of the issue and the ability to provide detailed product information to users. Level 2 help desk queries typically occur during peak clinical care times such as shift changes.
Successfully responding to and resolving these calls requires help desk experts that fully understand the clinicians’ needs, vernacular, and workflow. Here are two reasons why matching an incoming clinician call with a similarly-credentialed clinical help desk makes sense. Help desk staff that have worked in the same or similar role as clinicians seeking support speak the same language and understand the clinician’s specific needs. Credentialled clinical help desk staff are well-versed in the corresponding EHR application, drop-down menus, workflows, and system capabilities. They can immediately direct the caller to the appropriate EHR functionality to resolve the issue. Once credentialled staff are in place for application management support, CIOs should also ensure a variety of formats for clinicians to access EHR support.
Meet Clinicians Where They Are
Doctors can’t wait three or four minutes to speak with help desk personnel. Responses must be immediate and available in a variety of formats: chat, text, email, or phone. Some clinicians prefer to speak with a human regarding technical support while others are adept at chat messaging or text. Savvy CIOs will provide clinicians with several options to engage with help desk support.
Accommodate for Different Care Settings
The type of help desk support needed also varies by healthcare setting. Clinicians working in an ambulatory surgery center will have different needs than their counterparts in ICU. Ensure your IT help desk provides technical services for all types of clinicians from top to bottom.
Bearing in mind these four IT help desk priorities, strategies, and opportunities to address them, healthcare provider organizations bolster clinician experience and ultimately, their ability to focus on patient care.
About Bill Lewkowski
Bill Lewkowski serves as the Vice President of Client Services for HcTec, a comprehensive healthcare IT solutions provider. Before joining HCTec, Bill served in EVP, Chief Information, and Chief Strategy Officer roles for SolutionNHealth, a regional health system in New Hampshire, and the University of Michigan Health-West.
