A Case Study In Ambulatory Practices

The adoption of health IT systems in the United States has significantly lagged behind other industrialized countries. While the structure of the healthcare system (payer models, and other cultural norms) is major factors accounting for this deficiency, the mindless implementation of health IT systems is another significant barrier. This paper presents our field experience of implementing an Electronic Health Record System in several safety net ambulatory clinical practices across the US. In particular, we discuss the organizational readiness assessment and pre-implementation planning, the key technology considerations for this stratification of practices, and a research-based formative evaluation designed to ensure an implementation's long-term success. We exemplify our strategies using a case study of successfully implementing an EHRS in an ambulatory care clinic at a university health centre.