JCR Introduces Safe Adoption of
Technology Consulting
(Oak Brook, Ill.—March 1, 2010) Joint Commission Resources (JCR) today announced the launch of a new consulting service that will provide an objective, expert evaluation of technology with a patient safety focus. JCR is a not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission.
The new service, Safe Adoption of Technology, aims to support the highest level of patient safety as JCR assists both hospitals and technology vendors in safely implementing technology through the integration of patient safety, informatics and clinical care expertise.
This consulting service is launching at a turning point for health information technology in the U.S. Many health care organizations and doctors are taking advantage of nearly $30 billion in federal stimulus funding to convert from paper records to electronic medical record systems.
An initial focus of the consulting service will be directed towards those technologies that support medication processes, and medication safety will be an essential objective. Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and electronic health record (EHR) technologies are important tools for data sharing and enhanced care, yet sometimes patient safety can be inadvertently compromised through inadequate functionality, misperceptions, gaps in training, and other issues.
“Careful attention must be paid to new technology’s impact on care delivery. Often, there are many competing priorities with technology implementation,” says Nanne Finis, executive director, Solutions Consulting, JCR. “JCR’s multidisciplinary consulting experts will offer essential safety perspectives and guidance during CPOE and EHR planning and implementation.”
The key focus of the Safe Adoption of Technology service is on the convergence of technology and clinical processes to support optimal patient care. Specifically, the services can be applied at three critical phases of technology adoption:
• Planning and selection—this includes decisions about functionality, introducing new technology, retiring or modifying old systems, creating an implementation timeline, practical sequencing, and involving key stakeholders in the process.
• Design/build/implementation—JCR’s consulting team assesses how the adoption plan is built, anticipates its impact throughout the organization, recommends safety enhancements, and highlights training needs.
• Post implementation—after going live, there is still a need for troubleshooting, spotting unforeseen problems, creating medication management checklists for staff, and so forth.
For more information about JCR Safe Adoption of Technology consulting services, please call 630.268.7400 or e-mail Nanne Finis, nfinis@jcrinc.com.