Contents volume 46 number 2 02 Editorial

For purposes of this article, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS’) definition of an electronic health record (EHR) is used. The EHR represents the ability to easily share medical information among stakeholders and to have a patient’s information follow him or her through the various modalities of care engaged by that individual. Any hospital with the means to do so can purchase an electronic health record (EHR) and implement it. But to ensure the system’s value – increased quality of care, patient satisfaction, physician satisfaction, employee satisfaction and even improved financial performance – is sustainable requires effective conversations among C-suite leaders. Executives from four hospitals of varying size and that are at Stage 6 of 7 on HIMSS Analytics’ EMR (electronic medical record) Adoption Model told Healthcare Executive the secret to their success lies in a multitude of factors. But one element rose above all others in importance: the ability of the CEO, chief information officer (CIO), chief financial officer and other members of the Csuite to communicate at all stages of the EHR process, which, by the way, is a journey that never ends. There are no step-by-step instructions on the kind of conversations the C-suite should have to get the most value out of an EHR. Each hospital is unique, and the conversations senior leaders have will be just as distinctive. But if all levels of the organization support the decisions made by the C-suite, then achieving value from an EHR can be expected. The following are examples of the role the C-suite played at four hospitals – one small, two midsize and one large – and how their conversations have led to getting the most value from their EHR systems.