Optimizing Nursing Care Plans Through EHR Migration: A Crosswalk for an

EHR Implementation in a Major Healthcare System

Eric Wyatt, BSN, RNC-NIC, MSN-HCI Student

Faculty advisor: Brenda Boone, PhD, RN, NEA-BC

BACKGROUND PROJECT APPROACH DISCUSSION

• Healthcare organizations utilize electronic health record

(EHR) systems to document and track their delivery of care.
Evaluation of EHR Functionality
• Stakeholders assessed destination EHR's care plan
• When a healthcare organization migrates from one EHR to functionality to be more concise, organized, and user-
another, there are many challenges. friendly than the legacy EHR.

• Care plans, within an EHR, play a crucial role in ensuring Consensus on Modifications
continuity of care, especially for patients in the neonatal • Stakeholders felt that the care plan functionality aligned
intensive care unit (NICU). well with standards of care and that only 10 modifications
• A crosswalk was done to compare were required within the nursing interventions of 6
• Care coordination in healthcare relies on care plans to care plans between EHRs and subsections (or problems).
guide interdisciplinary collaboration which, in turn, categorize interventions to identify
enhances patient outcomes. discrepancies and gaps. Impact on Clinical Practice
• Stakeholders felt that the documentation options within
• A crosswalk of care plans between EHRs is crucial for • Stakeholders, including clinical experts and EHR the care plan functionality would streamline
ensuring standards of care and best practices are accurately representatives, collaborated to review and validate care documentation processes and enhance staff compliance.
reflected and maintained between an EHR migration. plan content, ensuring any modifications were aligned
with organizational standards and clinician needs. Organizational Standards
• Stakeholders felt that the destination EHR supports the
healthcare's organization's mission, vission and core
DELIVERABLES
values with the ultimate benefit of potentially improving
PURPOSE patient outcomes.
• The stakeholders identified ten modifications to the care
A major healthcare system in Southern California plans within the destination EHR because of the
with three NICUs representing 109 beds changed NEXT STEPS & OPPORTUNTIES
crosswalk.
from one EHR to another.
• These modifications focused on optimizing nursing
Care plans are an important part of the EHR interventions while maintaining organizational standards Evaluate the
Ensure that NICU
because of their potential to promote of care. impact of the care
leaders guide and
interdisciplinary collaboration and capture plans on patient outcomes
support staff in effectively
important nursing interventions. • The modifications comprised only 5% of the overall care and interdisciplinary
navigating and utilizing the care
plan content, which adhered to the project goal. collaboration using
plans that promote quality
Migrations between EHRs can be challenging for performance indicators to
documentation.
healthcare organizations to implement and may measure effectiveness.
disrupt continuity of care. 10
Stakeholders
Because an EHR plays a vital role in any healthcare
159 Commit to
organization, ensuring that a destination EHR 36 Outcomes Collect feedback
Interventions continue monitoring
aligns with the organization’s standards of care is from clinicians
the use of the care plan feature
important. who utilize care plans and
and assess whether its use
leverage their input to
10 Care Plan aligns with regulatory
Crosswalks with relevant stakeholders of every Modifications identify further areas for
requirements and promotes
clinician-facing functionality can ensure a smooth improvement.
compliance.
transition between EHRs.