Insight
8 Steps for Successfully Moving to MEDITECH Expanse
How to Plan Your Expanse Implementation
Migrating to MEDITECH Expanse is a pivotal move for healthcare institutions—and increasingly, a strategic one.
This transition, while exciting, comes with its share of challenges. Follow these eight steps to keep your initiative on track, from early planning through go-live and beyond.
Steps for a Smooth Transition to Expanse
1. Define Clear Goals and Objectives
A successful implementation starts with a shared “why”. Without clearly articulated reasons for the switch—such as improving clinician satisfaction, streamlining the revenue cycle, or enhancing patient safety—the project can lose momentum when challenges arise.
- Clearly articulate the reasons for transitioning to MEDITECH Expanse. Why are you making this switch?
- Involve leaders outside of IT to ensure that the initiative is embraced by key stakeholders and driven from the top down.
- Establish specific goals and objectives that align with your organization’s strategic vision and operational needs.
2. Conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment
Before building the new system, you must understand the limitations of the old one. This stage involves evaluating pain points and gaps in your current application portfolio.
- Evaluate your current EHR and identify pain points, gaps, and areas for improvement.
- Engage stakeholders across different departments to gather insights and requirements.
- Assess your application portfolio to gauge current and future data requirements.
Assessing Your Needs: Key Questions
Planning a successful transition begins with asking the right questions. Here are some of the key issues to consider before you move to Expanse:
- What specific challenges impact your clinicians, staff, and patient care?
- Which groups or individuals should you interview or survey to learn more about user experiences and needs?
- What are your current limitations, bottlenecks, and manual processes that could be streamlined or automated with Expanse?
- How much data storage do you need, and where should you host your data to ensure optimal privacy, performance, and cost control?
- Which reporting or interoperability features are needed to ensure compliance?
3. Plan and Allocate Resources
- Develop a detailed project plan that outlines tasks, timelines, and resource requirements.
- Assess total cost of ownership and ROI.
- Secure necessary budgetary and executive support to ensure a successful transition.
- Allocate dedicated resources, including IT staff, subject matter experts, and training support.
Key Insight: Don’t budget for IT support based on your old platform. Instead, consider how to best support Expanse’s dynamic, interconnected applications. Work closely with your implementation partner to ensure that you align your IT resources with your new system.
4. Engage End Users
- Involve end users in clinical roles and administrative departments in the planning and decision-making process.
- Provide opportunities for training, education, and user feedback throughout the transition.
- Communicate the benefits of MEDITECH Expanse upfront to gain user buy-in and encourage adoption.
Real-World Story: San Luis Valley Health prioritized physician engagement during their upgrade. By focusing on enhanced integration and real-time data access, they were able to save nurses valuable time and ensure that the EHR was viewed as a tool for better care rather than an administrative hurdle.
5. Migrate and Integrate Data
Data migration is the bedrock of clinical continuity. It involves the extraction, cleansing, and transfer of historical records to ensure that clinicians have the information they need from day one.
- Assess your data migration needs and plan for the extraction, cleansing, and transfer of data to MEDITECH Expanse.
- Ensure seamless integration with existing systems and third-party applications.
- Develop a data validation and testing strategy to ensure data accuracy and integrity post-migration.
6. Configure and Customize Your System
A “one-size-fits-all” approach rarely works in specialized healthcare settings. Expanse offers significant flexibility, but it must be configured to your organization’s specific needs.
- Work closely with an experienced MEDITECH partner to configure the system to meet your organization’s requirements.
- Customize workflows, order sets, templates, and alerts to align with clinical and operational needs.
- Configuration should go beyond basic scheduling; 65% of systems are now investing in digital navigation tools and 61% are deploying AI-powered communications to provide the seamless experience patients expect.
- Conduct thorough testing and validation to ensure system readiness and functionality.
Real-World Story: RML Specialty Hospital, a long-term acute care facility, required a platform that addressed their unique patient population. By tailoring their cloud-based implementation to these specific needs, they ensured the system supported their specialized workflows rather than forcing the staff to adapt to a standard hospital build.
7. Train and Support Your Staff
Training should not be a “one-and-done” event. It must be part of a broader change management plan that addresses organizational culture and the shift in daily routines.
- Develop a comprehensive change management plan to address user adoption, workflow changes, and organizational culture.
- Provide training and educational resources to support users in navigating and using MEDITECH Expanse effectively.
- Establish a feedback mechanism to address user concerns and continuously improve user experience.
8. Launch and Support Your New System
- Execute a carefully planned go-live strategy, ensuring minimal disruption to patient care and operations.
- Provide dedicated support during the initial weeks following go-live to address any issues and facilitate a smooth transition.
- Establish ongoing support and maintenance processes to address future upgrades, enhancements, and user support needs.
Let’s unlock the full potential of Expanse together.
Navigate the complexities of your transition to MEDITECH Expanse with confidence. Tegria is here to support your organization throughout this journey.
