Becker's Hospital Review

53 CIO / HEALTH IT Nurses rank Cerner No. 1: 7 survey findings on nurses' EHR satisfaction By Julie Spitzer N urses ranked Cerner the top inpatient EHR for the third year in a row in Black Book Research's annual nursing satisfaction surveys. For a total of three surveys, Black Book polled roughly 15,000 RNs from 40 states at organi- zations that have been using an EHR for the past four years. Black Book asked the nurses to rank usability and functionality of EHR vendors across four categories: patient health data management and administrative processing, communica- tions and connectivity, order entry and man- agement, and decision support and results/ review management. Researchers then aver- aged the scores in the individual categories to calculate overall product satisfaction. Here is how seven vendors stacked up 1. Cerner (93 percent) 2. Meditech (88 percent) 2. Allscripts (88 percent) 2. Epic (88 percent) 5. McKesson (85 percent) 5. Healthland (85 percent) 7. CPSI (84 percent) Here are seven other noteworthy survey find- ings: 1. e vast majority (96 percent) of nurse respondents said they would not want to go back to using paper records, compared to Black Book's 2015 survey, in which 26 percent of respondents said they wanted to return to paper-based processes. 2. Eighty-eight percent of nurses believe their hospitals' IT departments quickly address EHR issues and make changes, compared to 30 percent in 2016. 3. Nurses (85 percent) now view EHR knowl- edge as a highly sought employment skill for an RN. 4. Eighty-two percent of respondents indicat- ed they don't have computers in each room or mobile devices to supply EHR requirements, down from 93 percent in 2016. 5. Of hospitals that outsource their EHR help desk, only 21 percent of nurses were dissat- isfied with their call center's communication and knowledge, an improvement from 88 percent in 2016. 6. Nurses working in emergency rooms, on- cology, labor and delivery, intensive care units, radiology and diagnostics, and neuro/ ortho units reported the highest EHR user satisfaction. 7. Nurses working in psychiatry/mental health, ambulatory clinics, anesthesia and medical/surgical floors reported the highest continued dissatisfaction with their hospitals' technology. n Contractors bash firm hired to help with Mayo's Epic implementation By Julie Spitzer R ochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic contracted with a health IT consulting firm to provide expert Epic trainers to help with its massive EHR overhaul. How- ever, a number of the temporary employees have left the project, citing mismanaged assignments, housing troubles and harsh treatment from the firm, HCI Group, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Seven of the licensed nurses HCI recruited to teach Mayo's employees how to use the new software told MPR that although they have experience and expertise using Epic in their respective specialties, HCI did not assign them to coach in those areas, rendering their skills virtually useless. In one instance, a nurse with Epic expertise in intensive care and the operating room was assigned to radiology. That nurse, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told MPR HCI leadership created the impression contract- ed employees should improvise if necessary or face termi- nation. "In healthcare, you don't 'fake it till you make it.' You don't go out there and do your job until you know what you're doing," she said. Another nurse, who did not want to be named, told MPR HCI did not allow unscheduled bathroom breaks during training, and others said HCI's poor housing accommodation plans left them waiting hours to receive their hotel room assignments. "We'd been told that you just arrive, you'll be given your room assignment and then go and rest," Kumbi Madiye, a nurse practitioner from Cleveland recruited by HCI for the project, told MPR. She waited 14 hours in a hotel lobby to get her room assignment, and finally, at 11 p.m., she was given a space at a hotel located an hour and a half away. The housing dilemma meant HCI had to delay training by one day — a day the contractors aren't sure they'll be paid for. And this wouldn't be the first time HCI stiffed its con- tractors, according to MPR. The firm recently agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a group of work- ers claiming HCI owed them overtime. Although Mayo declined to comment on the vendor's per- sonnel issues, it said the Epic overhaul has been going smoothly. HCI agreed, admitting it faced "small unforeseen challenges" early on. n

• Cover