The Necessary but Neglected Aspects of Achieving EHR Meaningful Use

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. CDT

In health care, we know that effective practice is built upon research and evidence.  So it’s no surprise that when implementing a major change - such as an EHR - we turn to clinical and technical research and evidence.  However, effective EHR implementation and meaningful use is complex on many fronts, and not only requires clinical and technical changes, but also organizational change, including workflow, culture, leadership, and staffing.  Yet we unfortunately often neglect the research and evidence from the social and behavioral sciences such as management science, systems theory, and networking science.  These, too, have rigorous research underlying them, and can be of great value in understanding and managing a complex organizational change endeavor such as EHR implementation - they are necessary but often neglected.  This session is intended to open the door to how social and behavioral science research and evidence can support clinical and technical research and evidence to accelerate the achievement of meaningful use.

Objectives

• Share a model that helps providers understand the intersection between clinical/technical and social/behavioral sciences.
• Increase awareness and understanding of how management sciences, systems theory and networking science, and change management practices are necessary to support effective EHR implementation and use.
• Provide practical tools and examples of using social and behavioral sciences to support EHR implementation and use.

Speakers

Jennifer Lundblad is the President and CEO Stratis Health. Dr. Lundblad leads Stratis Health, an independent non-profit quality improvement organization based in Bloomington, Minnesota, that leads collaboration and innovation in health care quality and patient safety.

She has an extensive background in leadership, organization development, and program management in both non-profit and education settings.  Her previous experiences include serving as Senior Vice President at Stratis Health, as a Program Director at the University of Minnesota, Program Coordinator at Tufts University in Boston, and in other non-profit management positions.

Jennifer has a BA in speech communication and economics from Macalester College, an MBA in public and non-profit management from Boston University, and a PhD in Education with a focus on training and organization development from the University of Minnesota.  Her dissertation research was “Teamwork and Safety Climates in Small Rural Hospitals,” and she has published articles in peer reviewed journals on topics related to health quality and organizational change. She is President Elect of the American Health Quality Association, and a member of the board of Minnesota Community Measurement.  She was recently appointed as a member of the national RUPRI (Rural Policy Research Institute) Health Panel.  Jennifer is Vice Chair of the Minnesota Cancer Alliance Steering Committee, immediate past co-chair of the Minnesota e-Health Initiative Advisory Committee; and a member of the Women’s Health Leadership Trust, and Minnesota Healthcare Quality Professionals.

Terry Hill has more than 25 years of professional experience working with rural health care providers and their communities.  He is currently executive director of the National Rural Health Resource Center, based in Duluth, Minnesota.  In that capacity, Hill leads five federally funded rural health initiatives and teaches management and health policy at the University of Minnesota, Duluth School of Medicine and the College of St. Scholastica. He is the current president of the National Cooperative of Health Networks and former president of the Minnesota Public Health Association.

Hill has spent the past dozen years working with state offices of rural health, state hospital associations and rural hospitals and clinics throughout the United States, and has made more than 100 presentations at state and national conferences during that time.  He has also provided technical assistance in strategic planning, network and community development, quality improvement, health information technology and performance measurement.  Hill founded and directed the Minnesota Center for Rural Health, the Northern Lakes Health Consortium, the Arrowhead Regional EMS Program and the Northeast Minnesota Telecommunications Network.   These organizations collectively implemented eleven national demonstration projects in the areas of quality improvement, emergency medical services, community development, health network development, telecommunications and health provider recruitment and retention.  Mr. Hill has authored numerous articles and papers on a wide range of rural health topics, has chaired or facilitated more than a dozen national meetings on rural health, and has testified before U.S. Congressional committees on seven occasions.

Terry Hill was raised in a small town in central Alaska, and has had a longtime commitment to the well being of rural communities. He currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota, and is an avid runner, triathlete and cross country skier.

Recording Cost

• FREE for clinics and hospitals registered with REACH (Code available for REACH registrants to enter in registration form - please contact webinar@khareach.org or (877) 331-8783 ext. 222 if you have not received your code.)
• $30 for all other participants