Insight
Eight Steps for Successfully Moving to MEDITECH Expanse
How to plan your end-to-end Expanse implementation
Migrating to MEDITECH Expanse is a pivotal move for healthcare institutions. This transition, while exciting, comes with its share of challenges. Follow these eight steps to keep your initiative on track, from early planning through go-live and beyond.
Steps for a Smooth Transition to Expanse
Navigate the complexities of your transition to MEDITECH Expanse with confidence. Tegria is here to support your organization throughout this journey.
1. Define Clear Goals and Objective
- Clearly articulate the reasons for transitioning to MEDITECH Expanse. Why are you making this switch?
- Involve leaders outside of IT to ensure that the initiative is embraced by key stakeholders and driven from the top down.
- Establish specific goals and objectives that align with your organization’s strategic vision and operational needs.
2. Conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment:
- Evaluate your current EHR and identify pain points, gaps, and areas for improvement.
- Engage stakeholders across different departments to gather insights and requirements.
- Assess your application portfolio to gauge current and future data requirements.
Assessing Your Needs: Key Questions
Planning a successful transition begins with asking the right questions. Here are some of the key issues to consider before you move to Expanse:
- What specific challenges impact your clinicians, staff, and patient care?
- Which groups or individuals should you interview or survey to learn more about user experiences and needs?
- What are your current limitations, bottlenecks, and manual processes that could be streamlined or automated with Expanse?
- How much data storage do you need, and where should you host your data to ensure optimal privacy, performance, and cost control?
- Which reporting or interoperability features are needed to ensure compliance?
3. Plan and Allocate resources
- Develop a detailed project plan that outlines tasks, timelines, and resource requirements.
- Assess total cost of ownership and ROI.
- Secure necessary budgetary and executive support to ensure a successful transition.
- Allocate dedicated resources, including IT staff, subject matter experts, and training support.
Quick Tip: Support Your Future, Not Your Past
Don’t budget for IT support based on your old platform. Instead, consider how to best support Expanse’s dynamic, interconnected applications. Work closely with your implementation partner to ensure that you align your IT resources with your new system.
4. Engage End Users
- Involve end users in clinical roles and administrative departments in the planning and decision-making process.
- Provide opportunities for training, education, and user feedback throughout the transition.
- Communicate the benefits of MEDITECH Expanse upfront to gain user buy-in and encourage adoption.
5. Migrate and Integrate Data
- Assess your data migration needs and plan for the extraction, cleansing, and transfer of data to MEDITECH Expanse.
- Ensure seamless integration with existing systems and third-party applications.
- Develop a data validation and testing strategy to ensure data accuracy and integrity post-migration.
6. Configure and Customize Your System
- Work closely with an experienced MEDITECH partner to configure the system to meet your organization’s requirements.
- Customize workflows, order sets, templates, and alerts to align with clinical and operational needs.
- Conduct thorough testing and validation to ensure system readiness and functionality.
7. Train and Support Your Staff
- Develop a comprehensive change management plan to address user adoption, workflow changes, and organizational culture.
- Provide training and educational resources to support users in navigating and using MEDITECH Expanse effectively.
- Establish a feedback mechanism to address user concerns and continuously improve user experience.
8. Launch and Support Your New System
- Execute a carefully planned go-live strategy, ensuring minimal disruption to patient care and operations.
- Provide dedicated support during the initial weeks following go-live to address any issues and facilitate a smooth transition.
- Establish ongoing support and maintenance processes to address future upgrades, enhancements, and user support needs.
Let’s unlock the full potential of Expanse together.
Navigate the complexities of your transition to MEDITECH Expanse with confidence. Tegria is here to support your organization throughout this journey.