Mount Auburn Hospital, a 200-bed Harvard teaching hospital in Cambridge, Mass., successfully implemented a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system.

In their education session 13, “Improve Quality and Achieve Clinical Workflow: Get CPOE Right the First Time” Wednesday evening at 6:00-7:00 PM CST, the leaders of the project offer their lessons learned.

Having the right governance structure from the beginning and throughout, and dynamically involving all stakeholders for buy in are “absolutely key,” said Susan Abookire, MD, MPH, BSEE, CPHIMS, chairwoman of the Department of Quality and Patient Safety at Mount Auburn Hospital.

“You need strong leadership and an escalation path that’s clearly defined,” said Jeannette Currie, assistant IT director and CPOE project manager at Mount Auburn Hospital.

Part of the hospital’s success story also involved enabling users to provide real-time feedback to the implementation team and rewarding the feedback with responsiveness. This exercise creates a positive relationship between users and the implementation team, Abookire said.

In addition to sharing their hospital’s well thought-out implementation plan, Abookire and Currie will identify common pitfalls. By listening to those who have successful deployments and applying best practices, healthcare systems can reduce the often-times painful learning curve associated with CPOE, Currie said.

CPOE has been around for more than a decade, but the technology has matured and the current environment is making CPOE implementation “incredibly timely,” said Abookire.

The technology now has the government behind it, with the meaningful use of electronic health records including providing enhanced patient safety, Currie said.

The value conversation around patient safety is also pervasive in contracts between payers and providers, as well as pay-for-performance programs. “CPOE’s time has come,” Abookire said.

“It’s a long road, but it’s doable,” Abookire said of CPOE deployment. “It takes patience and persistence. It’s ultimately a win-win for patients, providers and organizations.”