Which Implementation Methodology is Better?

[Tina Alviar]

Everyone wants one system to do everything.  Registration, clinical care, clinical documentation, billing, accounting and reporting.  When an organization decides that they like another system for one of these functions, it is necessary to integrate it with your  Invision Financial system.

As much as the sales people would like you to believe, no healthcare systems is just plug and play into Invision.  Buying a new Radiology system is not like buying a new wireless printer.  It takes more than 10 minutes and isn’t as easy as plugging it in.

So when you get invited to the “Kick Off” meeting, pay attention to the part that talks about how the implementation will be conducted. Currently there are two very different methodologies that I have experienced in the last several years. 

Both methodologies will involve interviews with the affected department, questionnaires and documenting process flows in preparation for building the system.  Most of this will be in the form of workbooks supplied by the vendor.

The difference is WHEN the training occurs.

Methodology 1 : Vendor Driven

“Come to our Installation / Training Center.  We'll show you how the system works, we'll help you build it based on the workbooks you filled in.  When you return to your facility you can begin testing and implementing.”

Methodology 2 – Customer Driven

“Come to our training Center, we will train you on the system.  When you return to your facility you will work with our Implementation team to build the system at your facility with the input of your staff and you can test and refine as needed.”

Remember, each has pros and cons and can be a better choice depending on several factors:

Size Matters – A small single Provider Facility, will probably do fine with Methodology One.  No offense to small facilities, but their processes are probably very similar to every other small single provider facility, which is why the vendor feels very confident in their methodology. 

A large multi facility, single service provider, can go either way, depending on their infrastructure and governance.  Meaning if the provider is the same type of service, Psych, Renal, Long Term, etc, and you run all the facilities on the same system, then Methodology 1 should work fine.  If each facility runs differently, then Methodology 2 may work better.

And if you are a large multi facility, multiple service provider, then you should definitely consider Methodology 2.   You may have to follow different processes, rules, etc for each type of service provided.  This is not cookie cutter and typically is not handled well with the Vendor driven methodology.

You may not be involved in the contract negotiations and the decision making process that determines which methodology is chosen, but understanding the differences at the start of the project, will help you as you progress through the implementation.

While there are a number of things that differ between the two methodologies, knowledge transfer is one of the biggest in my opinion.

Vendor Driven

As much as everyone would like to believe that this occurring while they are at the training center building the software, the knowledge is not retained as well, since they have experts there to answer their question, and it seems fairly simple.  During the testing and implementation, issues encountered are typically handled by the vendor, while IS and Support staff are trying to learn, while training the facility staff and responding to all the inquiries and issues raised during that training.  Typically problems will start occurring after you have been turned over to support and vendor no longer on-site.

Customer Driven

You and your staff are to learn along side the vendor while they are reviewing your processes, and trying to build their system to support your needs. Staff learn from the process and problems when building the software.  This option is more expensive in the short term, due to more vendor staff on site for longer periods of time, plus travel expenses.  But in the long term it will make your facility less dependent on the vendor once they leave. 

So when you get that invite to a Kick Off meeting, pay particular attention to which type of methodology will be used.  This will allow you to adjust your project plan accordingly.  And if you are lucky enough to be part of the decision making process, you will have an idea of which methodology will be a better fit for your organization.

Tina Alviar has worked for over 25 years with Invision Financials and is currently Director of Patient Financial Systems at MedStar Health System.

The views and opinions published reflect those of the author and are not reflective of the MedStar Health System.

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