Advancing Quality Care through Order Set Standardization
The Challenge
Our health system client had been rapidly growing since the mid-2000s. With multiple facilities in place and then adding a substantial expansion to the existing EHR, order-set management became increasingly difficult. Many physicians and specialties desired their own order set(s) without collaborating to define the best practice across the enterprise. Due in large part to the non-stop new hospital and ambulatory implementations, time constraints, and identification of committed resources to assist with supporting the effort, order set management and sustaining process development hadn’t kept pace with the evolution. A mindset shift and plan were needed health system-wide to re-evaluate the order set best practice direction, regulatory constraints, and communication/approval pathways.
The Solution
HSi provided a senior-level, objective, and knowledgeable resource to guide all parties involved in developing the foundation for our client’s Order Set Standardization and Management process. Our consultant engaged the multi-facility executive team in weekly discussions of system-wide order-set standardization problem identification, goals, critical success factors, etc. Together they defined the order-set standardization vision, mission, and communication statements to drive Governance Plan development.
They worked hand-in-hand with clinical and physician informatics leadership on current and future order-set processes and direction. Collaborating to coordinate an Order Set Training Survey to identify providers experiencing challenges following the new expansion’s transition to the organization’s EHR, they revised the order-set request process to accommodate a user- friendly approach and model.
The Benefit
An effective enterprise program evolved with buy-in achieved from an executive clinical council and appropriate physician governing bodies. The incorporation of a detailed Order-Set Standardization Governance Plan, allows executive sponsors and key stakeholders to guide the system-wide process, including:
- Value Management Opportunities
- Composition of Operational and IT Oversight Committee Membership
- Order Set Request Prioritization Structure
- Governance Relationships Hierarchy, and
- Responsibility Matrix
An internal client CEO conveyed the Charter was the best he had ever seen. The stage was set for the organization to achieve long-term order-set standardization success regardless of future regulatory demands, e.g., from CMS. Most importantly, the patient population served will benefit from the best practices attained.
