To be or not to be compliant? Hospitals' initial strategic responses to the federal price transparency rule.

OBJECTIVE: To understand US hospitals' initial strategic responses to the federal price transparency rule that took effect January 2021. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Primary interview data collected from 12 not-for-profit hospital organizations in six US metropolitan markets. All but one organization were multihospital systems; the 12 organizations represent a total of 81 hospitals. STUDY DESIGN: Exploratory, cross-sectional, qualitative interview study of a convenience sample of hospital organizations across six geographically and compliance diverse markets. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: In-depth, semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 16 key informants across sampled organizations between November 2021 and March 2022. Interviews solicited data about internal organizational factors and external market factors affecting strategic responses. Transcribed interviews were de-identified, coded, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Hospitals' strategic responses were influenced internally by the degree of the regulation's alignment with organizational values and goals, and task complexity vis-a-vis available resources. We found extensive variation in organizational capabilities to comply, and all but one organization relied on consultants and vendors to some degree. Key external factors driving strategic responses were hospitals' variable perceptions about how available price information would affect their competitive position, bottom line, and reputation. Organizations with more confidence in their interpretation of the environment, including how peers or purchasers would behave, and greater clarity in their own organization's position and goals, had more definitive initial strategic responses. In the first year, organizations' strategic responses skewed toward compliance, especially for the rule's consumer shopping requirements. CONCLUSIONS: A deeper understanding of the realities of operationalizing price transparency policy for hospitals is needed to improve its impact.

Closing the Gender Gap in Healthcare Leadership: Can Administrative Fellowships Play a Role?

GOAL: Although women make up most of the healthcare workforce, they are underrepresented in higher levels of leadership positions. Leadership development programs for early careerists, such as administrative fellowships, have been suggested as one strategy for accelerating gender equity in leadership roles. However, the potential impact of these programs has not yet been the subject of systematic evaluation. In this study, we examined the (1) benefits of administrative fellowship programs on career attainment and (2) differences in attainment by gender. METHODS: We completed this study using a data set involving alumni from a consortium of 11 graduate healthcare management programs whose students frequently pursue administrative fellowships. Our data included individual-level demographic and career attainment data for graduating classes from 5, 10, and 20 years prior to the reference year. Using multiple regression analysis, we tested the relationship of three independent variables-graduation year, gender, and completion of a fellowship-on career attainment. This analysis enabled us to determine differences in overall career attainment by gender, evaluate the role of fellowships in career attainment, and consider the differential impact of fellowships on attainment by gender. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our findings suggest that fellowship programs accelerate leadership career paths for individual leaders, but that the effect is stronger for males than their female counterparts. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: These findings not only support the value of administrative fellowships for early careerist leadership development but also suggest that closing the gender disparity gap in leadership may require additional and focused career-supportive strategies. We provide recommendations for healthcare organizations in developing their administrative fellowship programs to help minimize the gender disparity in healthcare leadership positions. Furthermore, we discuss research implications and future areas of research in administrative fellowships.

Toward a high-performance management system in health care, Part 5: How high-performance work practices facilitate speaking up in health care organizations.

BACKGROUND: Employees' reluctance to speak up about problems and/or make suggestions for improvement is a noted barrier to quality and patient safety improvement in health care organizations. High-performance work practices (HPWPs) offer a framework for considering how management practices can encourage speaking up in these organizations. PURPOSES: We aimed to explore how implementation of HPWPs in U.S. health care organizations could facilitate or remove barriers to speaking up. We were interested in improving understanding of how HPWPs could influence manager behavior and organizational policies and practices to encourage, support, and foster speaking up among employees. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We examined case study data from five health care organizations purposely selected for their use of HPWPs. Interview transcripts from 67 key informants were inductively and deductively analyzed to explore how speaking up was characterized. FINDINGS: We found that speaking up was recognized as an important factor impacting quality improvement and/or patient safety initiatives across all five organizations. Management efforts to facilitate speaking up included both direct practices, such as using structured communication processes and reporting systems, and complementary practices that supported speaking up. Both direct and complementary practices were aligned with the HPWP model, with sites showing evidence of supporting the frontline, engaging staff, developing talent, and having effective leaders fostering efforts to encourage employees to speak up. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Both conceptual evidence and qualitative evidence supporting the applicability of HPWPs as a management model for systematically facilitating speaking up in health care organizations were presented in this study. Application of an evidence-based framework enabled consideration of an organizational rather than employee perspective and provided examples of specific management practices that have been successfully implemented to facilitate speaking up. This research furthers the growing body of evidence supporting the applicability of HPWP implementation as a valuable strategy for impacting quality and safety in health care organizations.

Amblyopia Risk Factors in Premature Children in the First 3 Years of Life.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of amblyopia risk factors during the first 3 years of life in premature children. METHODS: This prospective cohort included 145 premature children (gestational age of less than 37 weeks) who were evaluated for amblyopia risk factors every 6 months until age 3 years. The incidence rate, cumulative incidence, and prevalence of any amblyopia risk factor were assessed in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and non-ROP screened groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate variables associated with the development of an amblyopia risk factor. RESULTS: The 3-year incidence rates of amblyopia risk factors were similar between the non-ROP and ROP screened groups (18 versus 19 cases per 1,000 person-years, respectively). The 3-year cumulative incidence was also similar: 32% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18 to 47) in the non-ROP and 14% (95% CI: 5 to 28) in the ROP screened group (P > .05). In the ROP screened group, the prevalence rates were 20% or greater at most time points. In the non-ROP screened group, the prevalence rates were 11% to 14% during the first 18 months and increased to more than 20% at 24 months and thereafter. Astigmatism was the most prevalent amblyopia risk factor in both groups (7% to 18%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of amblyopia risk factors was not significantly different between non-ROP and ROP screened children in our cohort. The prevalence of refractive errors among premature non-ROP screened children was higher than that reported in childhood in the literature. It may be appropriate to screen all children with a history of prematurity for refractive errors around 24 months of age. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2019;56(2):88-94.].

The effect of enucleation on orbital growth in patients with retinoblastoma.

PURPOSE: To measure orbital volume using serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to determine the effect of enucleation on orbital growth over time. METHODS: The medical records of patients who underwent unilateral enucleation for retinoblastoma with a minimum of 2 MRIs were retrospectively reviewed. Orbital asymmetry was calculated using MRI measurements. Nonlinear and linear mixed effect regression models were used to predict the effect of age at time of enucleation on degree of orbital asymmetry. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients were included (mean age at enucleation, 2 years; range, 2.5 months to 5 years). Age at scan (P = 0.046) and age at enucleation (P = 0.0006) were found to have a significant effect on orbital asymmetry. Change in orbital asymmetry over time was more pronounced after enucleation in children enucleated at <1 (P < 0.0001) or <2 years of age (P = 0.0109). Younger age at enucleation was associated with a greater degree of asymmetry over time, although this effect was extinguished for patients enucleated after the age of 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with retinoblastoma, enucleation with orbital implant before 3 years of age has a significant effect on orbital volume asymmetry. After the age of 3, this effect appears to be less detrimental to the degree of orbital asymmetry.

Encouraging employees to speak up to prevent infections: Opportunities to leverage quality improvement and care management processes.

BACKGROUND: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and cost for U.S. hospitals, but many infections are preventable. Employees' willingness to speak up about errors or opportunities for improvement has been associated with a stronger safety culture in hospitals. However, the link between organizations' efforts to promote speaking up and prevent CLABSIs has not been studied. METHODS: This exploratory, qualitative study included interviews with 158 key informants, including hospital executives, managers, and staff employees, in 6 hospitals that participated in the federally funded On the CUSP-Stop BSI initiative. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed to examine whether and how speaking up was addressed in CLABSI prevention efforts. RESULTS: Hospitals implementing evidence-based practices for CLABSI prevention facilitated employees' improvement-oriented speaking up by leveraging quality improvement and care management processes. Leader behavior, employee training, and error reporting systems also facilitated speaking up. Although the focus of this study was on CLABSI prevention, broader organizational practices to improve patient safety were salient in creating a nonpunitive, highly inclusive environment in which employees felt comfortable speaking up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide insight into the factors that may support speaking up to foster a safety culture and prevent health care-associated infection at unit and organization levels.

Toward a high-performance management system in health care, part 4: Using high-performance work practices to prevent central line-associated blood stream infections-a comparative case study.

BACKGROUND: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are among the most harmful health care-associated infections and a major patient safety concern. Nationally, CLABSI rates have been reduced through the implementation of evidence-based interventions; thus far, however, hospitals still differ substantially in their success implementing these practices. Prior research on high-performance work practices (HPWPs) suggests that these practices may explain some of the differences health systems experience in the success of their quality improvement efforts; however, these relationships have not yet been systematically investigated. PURPOSES: In this study, we sought to explore the potential role HPWPs may play in explaining differences in the success of CLABSI reduction efforts involving otherwise similar organizations and approaches. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: To form our sample, we identified eight hospitals participating in the federally funded "On the CUSP: Stop BSI" initiative. This sample included four hospital "pairs" matched on organizational characteristics (e.g., state, size, teaching status) but having reported contrasting CLABSI reduction outcomes. We collected data through site visits as well as 194 key informant interviews, which were framed using an evidence-informed model of health care HPWPs. FINDINGS: We found evidence that, at higher performing sites, HPWPs facilitated the adoption and consistent application of practices known to prevent CLABSIs; these HPWPs were virtually absent at lower performing sites. We present examples of management practices and illustrative quotes categorized into four HPWP subsystems: (a) staff engagement, (b) staff acquisition/development, (c) frontline empowerment, and (d) leadership alignment/development. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: We present the HPWP model as an organizing framework that can be applied to facilitate quality and patient safety efforts in health care. Managers and senior leaders can use these four HPWP subsystems to select, prioritize, and communicate about management practices critical to the success of their CLABSI prevention efforts.

Preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections: a qualitative study of management practices.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors that may explain hospital-level differences in outcomes of programs to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections. DESIGN: Extensive qualitative case study comparing higher- and lower-performing hospitals on the basis of reduction in the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections. In-depth interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed to determine whether emergent themes differentiated higher- from lower-performing hospitals. SETTING: Eight US hospitals that had participated in the federally funded On the CUSP-Stop BSI initiative. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred ninety-four interviewees including administrative leaders, clinical leaders, professional staff, and frontline physicians and nurses. RESULTS: A main theme that differentiated higher- from lower-performing hospitals was a distinctive framing of the goal of "getting to zero" infections. Although all sites reported this goal, at the higher-performing sites the goal was explicitly stated, widely embraced, and aggressively pursued; in contrast, at the lower-performing hospitals the goal was more of an aspiration and not embraced as part of the strategy to prevent infections. Five additional management practices were nearly exclusively present in the higher-performing hospitals: (1) top-level commitment, (2) physician-nurse alignment, (3) systematic education, (4) meaningful use of data, and (5) rewards and recognition. We present these strategies for prevention of healthcare-associated infection as a management "bundle" with corresponding suggestions for implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the variance associated with CLABSI prevention program outcomes may relate to specific management practices. Adding a management practice bundle may provide critical guidance to physicians, clinical managers, and hospital leaders as they work to prevent healthcare-associated infections.

Using high-performance work practices in health care organizations: a perspective for nursing.

Studies suggest that the use of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) may help improve quality in health care. We interviewed 67 administrators and clinicians across 5 health care organizations and found that the use of HPWPs was valued and salient for nurses. Communication appeared particularly important to facilitate HPWP use. Enhancing our understanding of HPWP use may help improve the work environment for nurses while also increasing care quality.

Facilitating ambulatory electronic health record system implementation: evidence from a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory care practices have increasing interest in leveraging the capabilities of electronic health record (EHR) systems, but little information is available documenting how organizations have successfully implemented these systems. Objective. To characterize elements of successful electronic health record (EHR) system implementation and to synthesize the key informants' perspectives about successful implementation practices. METHODS: Key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted with a purposive sample of individuals from US healthcare organizations identified for their success with ambulatory EHR implementation. Rigorous qualitative data analyses used both deductive and inductive methods. RESULTS: Participants identified personal and system-related barriers, at both the individual and organization levels, including poor computer skills, productivity losses, resistance to change, and EHR system failure. Implementation success was reportedly facilitated by careful planning and consistent communication throughout distinct stages of the implementation process. A significant element of successful implementation was an emphasis on optimization, both during "go-live" and, subsequently, when users had more experience with the system. CONCLUSION: Successful EHR implementation requires both detailed planning and clear mechanisms to deal with unforeseen or unintended consequences. Focusing on user buy-in early and including plans for optimization can facilitate greater success.

The role of leadership in eliminating health care-associated infections: a qualitative study of eight hospitals.

PURPOSE: Despite hospitals' efforts to reduce health care-associated infections (HAIs), success rates vary. We studied how leadership practices might impact these efforts. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We conducted eight case studies at hospitals pursuing central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI)-prevention initiatives. At each hospital, we interviewed senior leaders, clinical leaders, and line clinicians (n = 194) using a semistructured interview protocol. All interviews were transcribed and iteratively analyzed. FINDINGS: We found that the presence of local clinical champions was perceived across organizations and interviewees as a key factor contributing to HAI-prevention efforts, with champions playing important roles as coordinators, cheerleaders, and advocates for the initiatives. Top-level support was also critical, with elements such as visibility, commitment, and clear expectations valued across interviewees. VALUE/ORGINALITY: Results suggest that leadership plays an important role in the successful implementation of HAI-prevention interventions. Improving our understanding of nonclinical differences across health systems may contribute to efforts to eliminate HAIs.

Implementing high-performance work practices in healthcare organizations: qualitative and conceptual evidence.

Studies across industries suggest that the systematic use of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) may be an effective but underused strategy to improve quality of care in healthcare organizations. Optimal use of HPWPs depends on how they are implemented, yet we know little about their implementation in healthcare. We conducted 67 key informant interviews in five healthcare organizations, each considered to have exemplary work practices in place and to deliver high-quality care, as part of an extensive study of HPWP use in healthcare. We analyzed interview transcripts inductively and deductively to examine why and how organizations implement HPWPs. We used an evidence-based model of complex innovation adoption to guide our exploration of factors that facilitate HPWP implementation. We found considerable variability in interviewees' reasons for implementing HPWPs, including macro-organizational (strategic level) and micro-organizational (individual level) reasons. This variability highlighted the complex context for HPWP implementation in many organizations. We also found that our application of an innovation implementation model helped clarify and categorize facilitators of HPWP implementation, thus providing insight on how these factors can contribute to implementation effectiveness. Focusing efforts on clarifying definitions, building commitment, and ensuring consistency in the application of work practices may be particularly important elements of successful implementation.

How high-performance work systems drive health care value: an examination of leading process improvement strategies.

BACKGROUND: As hospitals focus on increasing health care value, process improvement strategies have proliferated, seemingly faster than the evidence base supporting them. Yet, most process improvement strategies are associated with work practices for which solid evidence does exist. Evaluating improvement strategies in the context of evidence-based work practices can provide guidance about which strategies would work best for a given health care organization. METHODS: We combined a literature review with analysis of key informant interview data collected from 5 case studies of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) in health care organizations. We explored the link between an evidence-based framework for HPWP use and 3 process improvement strategies: Hardwiring Excellence, Lean/Six Sigma, and Baldrige. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We found that each of these process improvement strategies has not only strengths but also important gaps with respect to incorporating HPWPs involving engaging staff, aligning leaders, acquiring and developing talent, and empowering the front line. Given differences among these strategies, our analyses suggest that some may work better than others for individual health care organizations, depending on the organizations' current management systems. In practice, most organizations implementing improvement strategies would benefit from including evidence-based HPWPs to maximize the potential for process improvement strategies to increase value in health care.

The role of cognitive and learning theories in supporting successful EHR system implementation training: a qualitative study.

Given persistent barriers to effective electronic health record (EHR) system implementation and use, the authors investigated implementation training practices in six organizations reputed to have ambulatory care EHR system implementation "best practices." Using the lenses of social cognitive and adult learning theories, they explored themes related to EHR implementation training using qualitative data collected through 43 key informant interviews and 6 physician focus groups conducted between February 2009 and December 2010. The authors found consistent evidence that training practices across the six organizations known for exemplary implementations were congruent with the tenets of these theoretical frameworks and highlight seven best practices for training. The authors' analyses suggest that effective training programs must move beyond technical approaches and incorporate social and cultural factors to make a difference in implementation success. Taking these findings into account may increase the likelihood of successful EHR implementation, thereby helping organizations meet "meaningful use" requirements for EHR systems.

High-performance work systems in health care, part 3: the role of the business case.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests the systematic use of high-performance work practices (HPWPs), or evidence-based management practices, holds promise to improve organizational performance, including improved quality and efficiency, in health care organizations. However, little is understood about the investment required for HPWP implementation, nor the business case for HPWP investment. PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to enhance our understanding about organizations' perspectives of the business case for HPWP investment, including reasons for and approaches to evaluating that investment. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We used a multicase study approach to explore the business case for HPWPs in U.S. health care organizations. We conducted semistructured interviews with 67 key informants across five sites. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to qualitative analysis using both deductive and inductive methods. FINDINGS: The organizations in our study did not appear to have explicit financial return expectations for investments in HPWPs. Instead, the HPWP investment was viewed as an important factor contributing to successful execution of the organization's strategic priorities and a means for competitive differentiation in the market. Informants' characterizations of the HPWP investment did not involve financial terms; rather, descriptions of these investments as redeployment of existing resources or a shift of managerial time redirected attention from cost considerations. Evaluation efforts were rare, with organizations using broad organizational metrics to justify HPWP investment or avoiding formal evaluation altogether. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings are consistent with prior studies that have found that health care organizations have not systematically evaluated the financial outcomes of their quality-related initiatives or tend to forget formal business case analysis for investments they may perceive as "inevitable." In the absence of a clearly described association between HPWPs and outcomes or some other external imperative, ongoing HPWP investment may be at risk relative to other quality-related initiatives, particularly if organizational resources are constrained.

Exploring the business case for ambulatory electronic health record system adoption.

Widespread implementation and use of electronic health record (EHR) systems has been recognized by healthcare leaders as a cornerstone strategy for systematically reducing medical errors and improving clinical quality. However, EHR adoption requires a significant capital investment for healthcare providers, and cost is often cited as a barrier. Despite the capital requirements, a true business case for EHR system adoption and implementation has not been made. This is of concern, as the lack of a business case can influence decision making about EHR investments. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of business case analysis in healthcare organizations' decisions to invest in ambulatory EHR systems, and to identify what factors organizations considered when justifying an ambulatory EHR. Using a qualitative case study approach, we explored how five organizations that are considered to have best practices in ambulatory EHR system implementation had evaluated the business case for EHR adoption. We found that although the rigor of formal business case analysis was highly variable, informants across these organizations consistently reported perceiving that a positive business case for EHR system adoption existed, especially when they considered both financial and non-financial benefits. While many consider EHR system adoption inevitable in healthcare, this viewpoint should not deter managers from conducting a business case analysis. Results of such an analysis can inform healthcare organizations' understanding about resource allocation needs, help clarify expectations about financial and clinical performance metrics to be monitored through EHR systems, and form the basis for ongoing organizational support to ensure successful system implementation.

High-performance work systems in health care management, part 2: qualitative evidence from five case studies.

BACKGROUND: : A capable workforce is central to the delivery of high-quality care. Research from other industries suggests that the methodical use of evidence-based management practices (also known as high-performance work practices [HPWPs]), such as systematic personnel selection and incentive compensation, serves to attract and retain well-qualified health care staff and that HPWPs may represent an important and underutilized strategy for improving quality of care and patient safety. PURPOSE: : The aims of this study were to improve our understanding about the use of HPWPs in health care organizations and to learn about their contribution to quality of care and patient safety improvements. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: : Guided by a model of HPWPs developed through an extensive literature review and synthesis, we conducted a series of interviews with key informants from five U.S. health care organizations that had been identified based on their exemplary use of HPWPs. We sought to explore the applicability of our model and learn whether and how HPWPs were related to quality and safety. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to qualitative analysis. FINDINGS: : In each of the five organizations, we found emphasis on all four HPWP subsystems in our conceptual model-engagement, staff acquisition/development, frontline empowerment, and leadership alignment/development. Although some HPWPs were common, there were also practices that were distinctive to a single organization. Our informants reported links between HPWPs and employee outcomes (e.g., turnover and higher satisfaction/engagement) and indicated that HPWPs made important contributions to system- and organization-level outcomes (e.g., improved recruitment, improved ability to address safety concerns, and lower turnover). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: : These case studies suggest that the systematic use of HPWPs may improve performance in health care organizations and provide examples of how HPWPs can impact quality and safety in health care. Further research is needed to specify which HPWPs and systems are of greatest potential for health care management.

Using extended cognitive behavioral treatment and medication to treat dependent smokers.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated smoking-cessation efficacy of an extended course of sustained-release bupropion (bupropion SR) and cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT). METHODS: Participants who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day and who smoked within 30 minutes of arising (n = 406) completed a 12-week smoking-cessation treatment including group counseling, nicotine-replacement therapy, and bupropion SR. Participants were then randomly assigned to 1 of 5 conditions: (1) no further treatment, (2) active bupropion SR for 40 weeks, (3) placebo for 40 weeks, (4) active bupropion SR and 11 sessions of CBT for 40 weeks (A-CBT), or (5) placebo and 11 sessions of CBT for 40 weeks. Participants were assessed at baseline and at weeks 12, 24, 52, 64, and 104. RESULTS: A-CBT was not superior to the other 3 extended treatments. From weeks 12 through 104, all extended treatment conditions were superior to standard treatment. At weeks 64 and 104, the 2 CBT conditions produced significantly higher abstinence rates than did the other 3 conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Brief contact with providers can increase abstinence during treatment. CBT may increase long-term abstinence after extended treatment is terminated.

Perceived efficiency impacts following electronic health record implementation: an exploratory study of an urban community health center network.

PURPOSE: Faced with an increasingly complex patient population and growing demand for services, community health centers (CHCs) are recognizing that electronic health records (EHRs) may help their efforts to improve efficiency in care delivery. Yet little is known about the benefits, challenges, and specific impacts of EHR implementation in the often resource-constrained CHC environment, especially from users' perspectives. The objective of this study was to explore EHR users' perspectives about the EHR implementation process and impact in a CHC network. METHODS: We performed an exploratory case study following EHR implementation in a multi-site, urban CHC network. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 39 key informants across four sites. Key informants included physicians, clinical staff and administrators. We used both deductive and inductive approaches to code the transcribed interview data and to identify themes in our analyses. RESULTS: A key theme that emerged involved perceptions of efficiency related to the EHR implementation. While the EHR was widely credited with improving the efficiency of several clinical processes (e.g., lab ordering), it also created new challenges. Some of the early efficiency challenges we identified were common to EHR implementation in general (e.g., system interface issues), but others were unique to the CHC context (e.g., issues related to compliance with complex regulatory and reporting requirements). Further, constrained organizational resources for training and ongoing IT support were widely noted as challenges that may have exacerbated, or precluded early resolution of, efficiency issues. While limited to a single CHC network, our findings highlight important issues for CHCs to consider about EHRs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CHCs face difficult and often unique barriers related to EHR implementation and use, and the resultant efficiency impacts should not be overlooked.

Moving from good to great in ambulatory electronic health record implementation.

Despite a good general understanding of the need to ensure provider adoption and use of electronic health record (EHR) systems, many implementations fall short of expectations, and little is known about effective approaches in the ambulatory care area. We aimed to comprehensively study and synthesize best practices for ambulatory EHR system implementation in healthcare organizations, emphasizing strategies that maximize physician adoption and use. Following an extensive literature review, we held 47 key informant interviews with representatives of six U.S. healthcare organizations purposively selected based on reported success with ambulatory EHR system implementation. We interviewed both administrative and clinical informants in order to improve our understanding of ambulatory EHR implementation from both perspectives. We found that while all 6 sites studied were reported to have strong EHR implementation practices, we were able to characterize "good" versus "great" approaches across the sites. Specifically, "great" implementations included a key element focused on optimization and improvement over time that helped healthcare organizations support physician adoption and use of the EHR system. The "great" implementation approaches we saw also included explicit considerations of improved data capture and quality of care in their focus on optimization in order to maximize the value of the EHR.