Is Your EHR Onboarding Setting Your Staff Up for Success or Failure?
In today's healthcare landscape, technology is no longer a supporting player – it's center stage. As hospitals nationwide navigate the complexities of digital transformation, your MEDITECH Expanse EHR is a critical tool for success. But even the most advanced technology is only as effective as the people using it.
This is where onboarding comes in. Are you confident that your current onboarding process is setting your staff up for success with your EHR? Or is it compromising your hospital's ability to deliver the highest quality patient care and promoting turnover?
The Cost of a Broken Welcome Mat
All too often, onboarding processes falls short, creating a ripple effect that disrupts patient care, frustrates staff, and drains your bottom line. The cost of a broken welcome mat is staggering. Hospitals grapple with a 20.7% average staff turnover rate, a revolving door that spins fast among Staff RNs (18.4%), with each RN turnover costing an average of $56,277!
Source: 2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report
The Onboarding Challenge
The healthcare industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Staffing shortages, burnout, and the constant pressure to do more with less are impacting hospitals nationwide. In this environment, a strong onboarding program isn't just nice to have – it's essential.
But onboarding has evolved. It's no longer just about paperwork and shadowing. Today's clinicians need to be proficient in navigating complex EHR systems like MEDITECH Expanse, understanding updated workflows, and adhering to evolving regulatory requirements.
Traditional onboarding methods often fall short. Lengthy in-person sessions disrupt patient care, materials are very often out of date, and overworked trainers struggle to keep up with demand.
The consequences of inadequate onboarding extend far beyond delayed appointments and lost revenue. Consider the hidden costs:
Delayed productivity: New hires take longer to reach full competency.
Poor Outcomes: Untrained or unprepared clinicians are more susceptible to errors, potentially impacting patient safety and outcomes.
Stress and Burnout: Trainers juggling extra duties experience increased workload and stress, potentially leading to burnout and further staff turnover.
Firefighting Frenzy: The scramble to cover for new recruits pulls your existing staff away from their core duties, creating a constant state of "putting out fires" and hindering overall efficiency.
Maximizing In-Person Training
Your in-person training staff are a valuable and expansive resource. Their time is best spent addressing the nuances of your hospital's specific Expanse workflows and troubleshooting complex user challenges. But often, they're bogged down with covering the basics and constantly providing at-the-elbow support, leaving less time for anything else.
Your Expanse trainers should be dedicate their expertise to areas like:
Priority Pack Updates: Enabling your team to take advantage of all the latest updates and upgrades offered by MEDITECH.
Advanced clinical decision support: Helping clinicians leverage Expanse's tools to improve patient care.
Complex order entry processes: Guiding staff through intricate medication management workflows.
This focused approach is possible when all users have a solid foundation. That's where MedPower comes in.
As MEDITECH's exclusive eLearning partner, MedPower offers a unique solution. Our online training programs provide a comprehensive foundation in Expanse, covering essential knowledge and best practices in a consistent, engaging way. This frees up your in-person trainers to focus on specialized workflows and hands-on training.
Here's how we achieve this:
More focused approach: “QuickStart” courses offer busy Physicians and Nurses a more focused and accelerated learning option.
Standardized best practices: We deliver consistent training on core Expanse functionalities, ensuring all users have a solid foundation.
Continuous Learning: MedPower QuickAssist chat leverages the power of AI and MedPower's extensive training library to deliver instant answers and video tutorials.
The Benefits for Your Hospital:
Reduced in-person training costs: MedPower eLearning can help you reduce in-person training time by more than 50%.
Improved consistency: Standardized online training ensures all users adhere to best practices.
24/7 Support: Quick Reference videos and AI chat provide round the clock support where and when your team needs it.
A Final Thought
Investing in a comprehensive onboarding program is an investment in your staff, your patients, and the future of your hospital. With MedPower's training solutions, you can streamline onboarding program and reduce costs by lowering turnover rates and improving training efficiency.
Remember, the cost of a bad onboarding experience goes beyond just dollars and cents. It can impact patient care, staff morale, and your clinic's reputation. By making onboarding a priority, you can show your new staff that they are valued members of your team and set them up for success from the very beginning.