title: Leveraging Electronic Health Record Implementation to Facilitate Clinical and Operational Quality Improvement in an Ambulatory Surgical Clinic.
abstract: The implementation of electronic health records is a challenging, complex process requiring significant resources. The temptation is to convert a paper process into electronic format. This strategy fosters a familiar product to the users but is fraught with pitfalls. We chose to utilize the opportunity of the implementation of an enterprise-wide ambulatory electronic health record to foster an overreaching clinical and operational improvement project in a multispecialty surgical ambulatory clinic practice. We interrogated every aspect of the practice: clinic design, scheduling, physical space, staffing, and clinical and operational workflows. We present here the results of a 3-year process improvement.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery, Vascular & Endovascular Surgery (Dr Bobadilla) and Pediatrics (Dr Steltenkamp), University of Kentucky, Lexington; and Department of Informatics (Mss Roe and Estes), UK HealthCare Lexington (Drs Bobadilla and Steltenkamp and Ms Lackey), University of Kentucky, Lexington.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bobadilla
authors.forename: Cathy S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Roe
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Estes
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lackey
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Steltenkamp
mesh_terms: D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013531:Surgicenters / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards