Best Practices for Implementing Electronic Health Records and Information Systems

This chapter introduces a multi-level, multidimensional meta-framework for successful implementations of EHR in healthcare organizations. Existing implementation frameworks do not explain many features experienced and reported by implementers and have not helped to make health information technology implementation any more successful. To close this gap, we have developed an EHR implementation framework that integrates multiple conceptual frameworks in an overarching, yet pragmatic meta-framework to explain factors which lead to successful EHR implementation, in order to provide more quantitative insight into EHR implementations. Our meta-framework captures the dynamic nature of an EHR implementation through their function, interactivity with other factors and phases, and iterative nature. INtrODUctION: OVErVIEW OF tHE IssUE AND tHE cHALLENGEs Advances in healthcare technology and the explosion of new therapies have outpaced the ability of healthcare systems, organizations, and professionals to cope. Healthcare costs have spiraled. Medical errors cause thousands of deaths each year and DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-792-8.ch007