1. In Search of eHIM: A Case Study of Transformation to a Centralized HIM Record Archival and EDMS Processing Center in a Multi-Hospital Network

2. Presenters Darice Grzybowski, MA, RHIA, FAHIMA, HIMentors
Wm. Kelly McLendon, RHIA, Information Evolution Management
Ed Stewart, Vice President, HIMentors
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

3. Outline Introduction & Background Assessing the Situation
Evaluating the Options
Moving Forward - CDMC become a reality
Next Steps and the Evolution to EDMS!
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

4. Introduction and Background
Mercy Health Partners – Toledo, Ohio
3 hospital system
St. Vincent
St. Charles
St. Anne
Hybrid environment electronically – part CPOE, but all paper storage
Complicated Retention Policy
40 Disparate storage locations US and Canada; some owned-some outsourced
Growing volumes of records – including non-clinical and non-HIM ‘owned’
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

5. Files, Files, Everywhere!
80+ football fields worth of files
Lack of ‘control’ and standardization
Poor space utilization across facilities
Legal health record definition
Future processing needs for EDMS – keeping the vision in mind
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

6. Assessing the Situation
The ‘team’
Record management inventory process initiated, box by box; area by area
How can you know what to save, if you don’t know what you have?
Are you enforcing your archive and retention policies as legal custodian of records?
Space as a cost and movement as a cost
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

7. Evaluating the Options
Do Nothing
Offsite Storage (all or part)
Onsite Storage – self managed or external managed; Refurbish Existing Facility, Rent/Lease/Purchase New Facility
Film, Fiche, Scan, or other Electronic Options
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

8. Steps in the Evaluation Process
Develop a project plan
Develop comparison matrix for options
Develop knowledge-base about project vendors and all project data elements
Create business arguments – pros and cons
Get management and budgetary approvals
Perform final vendor selection – contracts/estimates
Execute plan………..
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

9. Challenges Along the Way
Facilities Management / Construction Delays
Keeping every day operations going in HIM
Union issues – changing environment means changing job descriptions and work hours
Accurate numbers!
Other departments
Record Retention guidelines
Budgets
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

10. Moving Forward: CDMC Becomes a Reality
Central Document Management Center
Improved retention policies
Seeing What you Really Have!
A new tracking system
Better control and access too
Improved staff morale
Time for a celebration!
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

11. A Picture is Worth 1000 Words……
Slideshow
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

12. Next Steps and the Evolution to EDMS
Creation of a centralized area saved space at main facilities and allowed staff combinations/flexing
Additional 12 months to prepare and install EDMS system (pre-selected and forms work already begun)
Legal Health Record definition, future purging and disclosure tracking is easier
Long term – other use for files – still good space utilization!
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.

13. Questions?
Thank you to Catholic Health Partners Northern Region for helping us tell their story
Copyright © 2007 by the American Health Information Management Association. All rights reserved.