Meditech Newsletter

September, 2000

LIGHTS, CAMERA, MEDITECH!!

"Letter from the Editors":

Hello and welcome to the first edition of the MEDITECH newsletter. In sending this information to you, we wish to accomplish the following:

1. Inform and educate you about your new upcoming computer system
2. Introduce you to the people working on this project and tell you a bit about their roles
3. Recognize all the team members and their efforts and contributions toward making this project a success
4. Provide you with periodic updates on the project and some tips about what you should expect
5. Provide announcements and news flashes regarding the project, and
6. Do all of this with a sense of fun!

We hope you find these newsletters keep you informed and up to date as we prepare for go live of the new system on October 1, 2000. We welcome your comments and suggestions on topics you’d like to hear more about in upcoming newsletters. We plan to send a newsletter out every four to six weeks through October. You can reach us at our Outlook email addresses.

Editorially yours,

Cathy Ball, Danielle Caturano, Jeannette Currie, and Kim Mulholland

WHAT IS MEDITECH?

Medical Information Technology, Inc. (MEDITECH) is a software and service company serving the medical community. Their information systems are installed in health care organizations throughout the world. The organizations they serve include hospitals, ambulatory care centers, physicians' offices, and home health care organizations. Strength as a company is their ability to bring affiliated health care facilities together into a united enterprise.

MEDITECH, prides themselves on being "unique." Uniquely suited to providing integrated system solutions to today's health care organizations. Uniquely honest with and dedicated to their customers, which has led to a most unique 99% customer retention rate over the last 30 years. With their 2000 employees and 5 buildings they are fully equipped to support hundreds of facilities. Each module has Implementation Consultants that travel the world and install the system. Each Consultant has a Software Developer that fixes the programming issues that arise during implementation. They work internally. There are also Service Consultants that help maintain the system once the implementation process is complete. The implementation process varies according to module. Installing the Pharmacy module in a hospital requires three training visits and one LIVE visit where Lab requires six training visits and one LIVE visit. When building the system and each individual module it is important to note that what is built in one module effects other modules. This results from the system integration which is the real benefit of the MEDITECH operating system.

Meditech provides the following Information System modules that will be installed for CareGroup hospitals:

Billing/Accounts Receivable
General Ledger/Fixed Assets
Accounts Payable
MIS
NPR
Case Mix/Abstracting
Admissions
Materials Management
Medical Records
Lab/Microbiology/Blood Bank/Pathology
Radiology
Order Entry
Patient Care Inquiry
Pharmacy
Departmental
Payroll/Personnel
Nursing
Scheduling

Besides integration, Meditech’s "claim to fame" is called Patient Care Inquiry (PCI.) This module allows users (physicians, nurses, hospital staff) to view details of a patient’s stay including LAB Test values, Medication History, Radiology reports, visit history, etc. PCI combines departments and sends all patient information to one database, in turn, making patient care more safe and effective.

Overall, MEDITECH is a functional tool used to unite hospitals, departments and especially healthcare professionals. The system provides routines that give more accurate results, medication allergies, clarified procedures etc. MEDITECH should be seen as a positive and helpful addition to the heavy workload we face daily. LIGHTS . . . CAMERA . . . MEDITECH!

-Danielle Caturano

MEDI-DREAM TEAM

MEDITECH, a system being rolled out throughout CareGroup hospitals, offering complete financial and clinical applications that communicate with one another, in short is a perfect fit. It provides our institution with an opportunity to have a more efficient flow of information, and serve as an astronomical cut in operating expense. The MEDITECH rollout, which is on a very aggressive implementation schedule, requires a multi-disciplinary team that has exceeded expectations of past projects. And who of course can provide such a team other than CareGroup Information Systems.

Martin Botticelli, Alice Lee, and Robert Todd, all CareGroup Information Systems Directors, with record success on previous projects, have teamed together as MEDITECH project leads. Their joint efforts insure that the execution of the project will be no less than brilliant—thus laying the foundation for the MediDream team.

Martin Botticelli, Executive Director of the Community Services Information Systems division, personifies the ideal "community spirit". With a background specializing in merged entities, his record proves great success lies ahead for the MEDITECH project. Martin, who initially worked at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital as an accountant, later joined MEDITECH and worked as an Application Consultant for clinical applications. Based on his diversified experience from both an accounting and clinical perspective, Martin moved on to Framingham Union (which was merged with Leonard Morse, and renamed Metro West Medical Center, then later bought out by Columbia HCA) where he was named Columbia’ Northeast Region Director of Information Systems. During this time, he continued to work through the merge, bringing the various hospital information systems into MEDITECH, and of course transforming all hospitals into one working entity. Before joining CareGroup, Martin had been given the opportunity to work for Columbia HCA at a national level. A background such as Martin’s clearly demonstrates that the bridge between the CareGroup hospitals is well underway.

Alice Lee, Director of the Clinical Applications Information Systems division, offers a professional history synonymous with the ideal curriculum vitae. Alice, who studied laboratory medicine in school, worked as a lab technician for several years before being given the opportunity to work on design of a laboratory information system. When realizing she truly enjoyed working on the information system end, she then transferred to MEDITECH where she implemented clinical systems, performed QA tests on software before general release, and supported clients post-implementation. After working for MEDITECH and developing a principal understanding of the MEDITECH functionality, Alice moved on to Mount Auburn Hospital and worked in the information systems division where they went through a hospital information system selection process and elected none other than MEDITECH. Alice hired application analysts to implement MEDITECH applications, and they accomplished this goal in less than one year. From there, Alice moved on to Ernst & Young to assist clients with system selections, implementations, and process improvement opportunities to name a few. It was Alice’s last Ernst & Young engagement that brought her to BIDMC to work on a large clinical software implementation project. She was then recruited by BIDMC to lead the project and most recently moved to CareGroup Information Systems, where one of her major initiatives is the MEDITECH rollout to CareGroup hospitals. Alice’s experience as an end-user, vendor, consultant, and information systems professional provides the CareGroup MEDITECH project with a unique perspective and approach that promises booming results.

Robert Todd, Director of Information Systems and Telecommunications at Mount Auburn Hospital, breaks all stereotypes of an introverted computer programmer. Robert, who at the start of his career was a programmer for Honeywell Information Systems, later moved on to MEDITECH. Once acquiring an intrinsic understanding of MEDITECH systems, Robert was then promoted to MEDITECH HCIS Coordinator. There he managed software installations and the establishment of internal control for installation/service support. Through the years Robert moved on to non-MEDITECH roles that entailed programming and MIS Director positions for private healthcare companies that involved laboratory services, ultrasound, x-ray, medical waste management, to name a few. Later Robert was reintroduced to the MEDITECH environment at Mount Auburn Hospital, where he is now. Robert’s background, paired with his co-leads offers hospitals nothing short of victory for the MEDITECH rollout.

Now that we have provided you with a better insight on the foundation of the MEDITECH project, we hope you will look forward to our future newsletters which will introduce you to the various players throughout the organization—without which, the MediDream team would be incomplete.

-Kim M. Mulholland

THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

The implementation process began last February when a group of representatives from each of the hospitals braved the cold and made their way to Waltham to see an overview of each of the MEDITECH modules. Once the presentation was completed, negotiations were held, contracts were signed, and MEDITECH formally became our Hospital Information System of the future.

Once everything was formalized, the implementation process began in earnest. MEDITECH is divided into Modules. Examples of Modules that are being implemented include Billing/Accounts Receivable, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Order Entry, Materials Management and Admissions. The next step was to create a Core Team for each module that was being put into place. The Core teams consist of a Project Leader, or Core Team Leader, a position usually held by a member of the Applications Staff of CareGroup IS, a Subject MEDITECH expert, or SME, who is usually a member of Mount Auburn’s staff (who currently use and maintain the MEDITECH system), and several representatives from each hospital. A list of those who are working on these teams from your facility, will be featured in the next newsletter. Together, these teams work together to learn the system and to customize it so that it would streamline current processes at each of the facilities.

After the core teams were developed, it was off to MEDITECH for training. The MEDITECH system has both a LIVE environment (that is currently being used at Mount Auburn), and a TEST environment that will be used for building, training and testing at DNH, DWH and DGH until the 10/1 LIVE date. The amount of training and structure of those training depends on the module. For most, the first training is a Specification visit. Specification visits for the majority of teams happened in March and early April. During the Specification visit, Core team members were introduced to the MEDITECH product. They learned different keystrokes and system conventions. Full demonstrations of the module were given. In addition, Spec visit is a time for MEDITECH to gather information about our institutions. This allows them to streamline subsequent training to accommodate facility specific needs. Approximately one month after Spec visit, Dictionary training occurred. Dictionary training is held at one of the MEDITECH facilities. Dictionaries are the building blocks of the MEDITECH system. The system is comprised of a set of programs. How those programs function is dependent upon how these dictionaries are built. By building the dictionaries specific to our hospital’s design, we can insure that Procedures are correctly billed for, Rooms and Beds are set up in accordance with what is contained within the hospitals, reference ranges for clinical studies appear correctly for the technologies utilized, and reports appear in the format that we would like.

After Dictionary Training, the work of the core team becomes more intense. The next weeks are spent gathering information and entering it into the dictionaries. As dictionaries are being built, additional training is provided by MEDITECH. This training is called Applications training and it encompasses the different routines that are used within the systems. Whereas dictionaries are built behind the scenes and will not be viewable, and in most cases, editable, after go LIVE, routines are used on a day-to-day basis and are what will be conveyed to all hospital staff during end user training. Most application training has taken place or will take place between May and August. In addition to attending training and building dictionaries, core team members, Project Leads and SME’s have been working to determine where hardware should be placed (pc’s, terminals and printers), to gather password applications and to validate the system to prove that it is working as designed.

Once training is completed, the teams will work to create Policies and Procedures for the hospitals that incorporate the MEDITECH system into them. Additionally, end-user training materials will be created, and schedules for these training sessions will be developed. In August, end-user training will commence. End-user training will be provided for everyone who will be using the MEDITECH system. It is the responsibility of each staff member to insure that they attend a training that is pertinent to their job description. End-user training will be carried out by Core Team members, and a group of Superusers who will be defined at each hospital and trained during the first week of End-user training. Core Team members and Superusers will become point people during LIVE, to whom questions can be addressed.

During September, a Parallel Run will take place. During parallel run, the current systems will continue to run, and additionally, a percentage of patients will be simultaneously processed through the MEDITECH system. The parallel run is a busy and demanding time for hospital staff, but the hard work and dedication shown during those weeks greatly leads to a smooth LIVE. The parallel run fills many goals. It is a time for people to use what they learned during training in "real – life" situations so that they will be prepared on go LIVE day. It also provides the Core Teams a time to insure that the system is working correctly – that reports are printing legibly and to the correct areas, that bills are dropping in a timely fashion, that orders are transmitting to the correct ancillary departments. It is the hope of everyone involved on an implementation team that any glitches in the system will be uncovered and fixed during the parallel run so that it is smooth sailing during LIVE.

During the last few weeks of September, the TEST system will be frozen, no more edits will be made. Modifications that have been made in TEST during the implementation will be moved into the LIVE system. At midnight on October 1^st, the switch will be flipped and we will be LIVE - fireworks will explode, bands will play, people will sing in the halls. In reality, the midnight of go LIVE is uneventful. People will check system status to insure that everything is functioning. Extra staff, including Core Team members, Superusers, and MEDITECH consultants will be present to answer all question and solve any problems that come up. Over the first few weeks after LIVE, this MEDITECH-savvy staff will be available and present at each of the facilities. As everyone gets more used to the system, we will be transitioned to a service type system where a help desk will be called for problems, problems will be triaged appropriately.

The implementation process is a lot of hard work. It is the hope of all that at the end, the project will be considered a success and the MEDITECH system will be a useful tool in the ultimate goal of providing the best patient care that can be given. Many of you have all ready provided help for the implementation teams by answering questions and gathering information. Your contributions are all greatly appreciated and absolutely necessary in making this a success!

-Jeannette Currie

COMING NEXT ISSUE:

• Spotlight on the MEDITECH executive steering committee, local steering committees, and individual module team members at each hospital.

• Project updates – upcoming staff training, testing new systems and plans for go-live at DWH and DNH.

• Helpful hints – keyboard templates, continuation of common terms and definitions.