Meaningful use is part of the massive regulatory shift currently underway in healthcare reform, and it provides both challenges and opportunities for physician engagement and organizational change.
In order to capitalize on those opportunities, trainers must get physicians on board with their meaningful use training programs. After all, it is physicians who will determine whether an organization successfully meets meaningful use requirements.
But trainers face an uphill battle when it comes to engaging physicians. Many experts and physicians agree that the shift to electronic medical records, or EMRs—and the meaningful use requirements associated with that change—represents one of the biggest regulatory transitions physicians have ever experienced. In fact, the AMA recently ranked regulatory burdens, including those associated with EMRs and meaningful use, as the top issue for physicians to watch in 2015.
Clearly trainers have their work cut out for them, and they face some unique challenges when it comes to getting physicians on board with meaningful use. The good news is that facing those challenges head-on, at the outset of a training program, will go a long way toward securing long-term physician engagement.
Here are three of the biggest challenges trainers should confront first, and how they can overcome them successfully.
Challenge #1: Implementing meaningful use seems so daunting that many physicians disengage before they get started.
Just as physicians put medical terminology and health issues into terms that are easily understood by patients, your role as a trainer should be to put meaningful use into terms that are easily understood by physicians. Provide them with a one-page that breaks down, in simple terms, the requirements for your organization's stage of meaningful use. Also, provide examples to indicate how they can meet each of those requirements.
A timeline that identifies your deadlines associated with the program (for instance, dates by which physicians should meet each requirement), also is helpful to physicians. If you give them enough notice regarding deadlines, it’s less likely that they will get so overwhelmed that they start to ignore them. Along with providing the deadlines, outline the consequences for failing to meet them.
Finally, reassure physicians that you will help them through every step of the process. Provide them with a resource sheet that notes opportunities for training and additional learning options, as well as your contact information if they have questions.
Challenge #2: Physicians’ EMR knowledge and capabilities varies greatly.
Some of your physicians may be extremely engaged with your EMR system, while others may be more resistant to the technology. As a result, their skill levels will be across the board. This, of course, represents a big training challenge, but it also represents an opportunity.
Prior to holding any training sessions, identify which physicians in your health system are the “super users,” meaning they excel in EMR use. Then, ask if they would be willing to serve as “super user trainers.”
Many may welcome the opportunity, especially if you demonstrate how it may help them experience similar leadership opportunities in the future. If possible, also consider providing monetary incentives to super user trainers, such as a small bonus when your organization completes one of the meaningful use stages. This group of super user trainers can assist you in several ways:
- They can share valuable tips regarding how you can better train and engage their more resistant colleagues
- They can assist you during actual training sessions.
- They can help you better engage physicians, as the more resistant physicians may respond better to instructions from their physician colleagues.
Challenge #3: Too much material, too little time to cover it all.
Physicians in your organization are likely already complaining about time constraints. So introducing a new initiative that is as demanding as meaningful use may be a huge source of frustration.
To help ensure that physicians don’t shut down and ignore training opportunities, be as flexible as possible. Offer a variety of training options and sessions, such as online and in-person, at a variety of times.
If possible, also track their meaningful use progress remotely by running user reports in your EMR system (ask your vendor about this feature if you are not sure whether you have this capability). These reports can help you better target your training to meet individual needs. For instance, if some physicians are struggling to meet a particular requirement, plan a special training session, rather than asking them to sit through a broader, longer training session.
Finally, listen to physicians’ complaints and concerns and make changes to your training program accordingly. The more they see you respond to their needs, the more willing they will be to give your program the attention it requires.
