Implementation of Electronic Health Record System at a Community Healthcare Organization

In the wake of the debate over healthcare reform, community health centers grapple with the challenges of implementing an Electronic Health Records (EHR) System. The barriers to an effective implementation are as varied as there are strategies for implementation. The culture of the organization adds a layer of complexity to the efforts to enhance organizational readiness for EHR implementation. By adopting a three-phased approach involving organizational assessment, data gathering and analysis and a discussion of results and findings, this study systematically identifies the barriers to the effective implementation of an EHR system at a community health center. Once identified, the lessons learned from the barriers were then used to manage the roll-out of the EHR system. Comparative data from the study reveals process and operational benefits in the proper implementation and adoption of the EHR system. This study was undertaken to understand the barriers to the implementation of EHR at a community health center and to use that information in guiding the implementation effort. This study also highlights some of the pitfalls in the implementation process.