The staff at Macon Community Hospital and Cerner decided to implement the EHR system on a remote level, which is the first of its kind for the vendor.
Rural hospitals have always had a disadvantage when it comes to interoperability and EHR implementation, primarily due to a lack of funds compared to larger hospitals.
According to the most recent ONC data brief in late 2018, small and rural hospitals were about half as likely to share records compared to their larger counterparts. In total, only 62 percent of small hospitals shared this information.
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Once the COVID-19 pandemic began, the staff at Macon Community Hospital wanted to transition to the Cerner EHR platform due to its added COVID-19 benefits and experience with smaller health facilities.
While the vendor has always implemented its EHR at the provider site, the hospital staff and Cerner decided to use this unique opportunity to implement the software remotely. Prior to the start of the implementation, the hospital had already been working with Cerner on testing and training for the system.
The implementation process began at the beginning of the coronavirus and rather than postponing the go-live due to the pandemic, it officially launched on March 30.
According to the vendor, despite the lack of in-person support staff at the hospital, the implementation went live without an issue. Due to reduced patient intake in anticipation of the COVID-19 surge, clinicians at the hospital were able to train and get acclimated to the new EHR system. The hospital implemented Cerner’s cloud-based CommunityWorks system, which allows for rural hospitals to share information with similar health organizations and even those that have experienced an influx of patients due to COVID-19.
Despite the human tragedy of Covid deaths, there is a glimmer of hope around the sides of the cloud. In many instances, the pandemic has stimulated telehealth, remote monitoring, innovative ways of work remotely, including installing new hardware/software electronic health records. The combination of decreased normal patient loads other than coronavirus patients has lightened clinical loads to reevaluate hospital processes, continuing medical education, and maintenance. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced providers, stakeholders, and government agencies to develop strategies to prepare for the surge of testing and treatment demands.
The coronavirus presents the ultimate test for health systems and a number of adjustments will be made to acclimate to the spread of the virus.
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