Tool 1.1: E-Prescribing Team Roster for E-Prescribing Implementation Toolset
Successful e-prescribing implementation
is a team sport. Like any team, the e-prescribing team has certain roles or
positions that need to be filled. This roster explains the key roles in stand-alone
e-prescribing or electronic health record (EHR)
implementation. Filling out the appropriate parts of the roster should prompt you
to identify and involve the right people at each stage of the implementation
process. While the team roster should be completed in the early stages (Chapter
1) of this process, the implementation leader should revisit the team roles
periodically, especially after assessing readiness (Chapter 3), to ensure that the
right team members are included.
In larger organizations, your team may
consist entirely of your practice’s members and employees. In smaller
organizations, some important roles may be filled by outside consultants or
support personnel. For many practices, one person may fill multiple roles; in
other cases, there may be multiple people filling the same role.
The Core Team
The implementation process should be initiated and driven by a core
team that includes people in each of the following roles. This nucleus of
people will carry out the tasks needed in the planning phases of implementation (Chapters 2-7), and in the later
stages of implementation (Chapters 8-11), the latter of which may include
supervising a larger team composed of technical support and training personnel.
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E-Prescribing or EHR Implementation
Leader § Role: Has overall responsibility for the e-prescribing or EHR project and is typically selected by
the executive sponsor. This person should have authority over project
resources (e.g., equipment purchase, hiring or firing consultants). § Tasks: ü Builds and leads implementation team ü Leads negotiation of goals with executive or owner
stakeholders ü Develops and oversees plans for project financing ü Approves work of the implementation team, including
system requirements, system selection, process changes, and implementation
plan ü Provides support to the project manager by
escalating issues to vendor or internally for resources or funding ü Evaluates project status from a management
perspective ü Regularly assesses or reviews milestone achievements |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
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Physician Champion § Role: Communicates the goals/benefits of e-prescribing
and best practices for using e-prescribing to other providers in the office
and represents prescribers in the planning and implementation processes.
Should be committed to the project and its success, a recognized leader and
available to participate in all team activities. § Tasks: ü Ensures buy-in from other providers in negotiating
goals ü Represents other providers in assessing readiness, process
redesign, and system selection ü Provides physician consultation during the
implementation ü Helps set and maintain appropriate physician
expectations before and after implementation ü Participates in evaluation of implementation towards
meeting office goals |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
Core Team (continued)
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Implementation Project Manager § Role: Manages the project, leads team meetings, identifies
potential issues, and coordinates activities internally and with the vendor.
This is a role best filled by an internal resource person with project
management experience (possibly an office manager) or an outside consultant. § Tasks: ü Develops
the project plans and project timeline ü Identifies
tasks and available resources to do the work for each task ü Assigns
responsibility for tasks to individuals ü Monitors
progress on tasks and progress on the timeline ü Manages
project issues and project constraints that develop ü Coordinates
communications within the office and among the vendors ü Coordinates
demos, site visits, phone calls, travel arrangements ü Documents
meeting notes, phone call conversations, decisions made, action items and
follow-up ü Coordinates
implementation activities with the vendor ü Follows
project management principles to keep the activities aligned with goals ü Coordinates
contract negotiations ü Works
closely with the physician champion and executive sponsor ü Leads the project team meetings
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Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
The Stakeholders
Stakeholders represent a separate group of roles from the core implementation
team. Stakeholders need to be involved in key decisions but may often be too
busy with other supervisory duties to carry out the tasks needed to drive the implementation
process. It is crucial for the core team to identify leaders who can represent
each of the key practice constituencies and to involve them in key decisions at
every step.
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Executive Sponsor(s) § Role: This person should be the CEO, owner, or key
decision maker who has the authority to fund and/or cancel the project. In
smaller offices this person may also be the implementation leader. § Tasks: ü Provides input on goals and signs off on final
project goals ü Meets occasionally with the implementation leader |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
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Nursing Representative § Role: Should be knowledgeable and trusted. Should have a
deep understanding of the processes required to deliver healthcare within the
office, especially the new and renewal prescription processes. Should be
aware of the practice’s clinical needs and shortcomings. § Tasks: ü Provides input in e-prescribing goals negotiations ü Provides input and nursing perspective in defining work
processes and system functionality requirements ü Provides clinical consultation from a nursing
perspective during the implementation ü Helps set and keep nurses expectations before and after
implementation ü Participates in evaluation of implementation |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
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Other Stakeholders The
need to bring other stakeholders into the e-prescribing planning process will
depend on the nature of the practice and the individuals who might be seen as
leaders or representatives of personnel constituencies. Larger offices are
likely to have more of these constituencies. Other stakeholders to consider
include: o
Medical assistant o
Medical records
lead o
Billing office representatives o
Quality improvement
representative o
Ancillary area representatives o
In-house
pharmacy, if any o
Hospital IT o
Network/technical
analyst o
Other lab, other
nurses, other support staff |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
Additional Post-Selection Team
Members
Once a specific e-prescribing system has been selected and a contract
signed, the implementation team will need to expand as the office moves beyond
planning to system set-up, training, and implementation of new work processes,
and system launch.
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Super Users § Role: A super user is someone who is the resident expert
in using the system. This person should be the first person trained for each
role. § Tasks: ü Tests and documents results and workarounds ü Trains new users or others as needed ü Serves as the internal support ü Performs multiple roles within the office |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ |
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IT Staff § Role: Works with the team and vendor to ensure that the
implementation accounts for any technical considerations, including 1)
hardware, 2) software interface with the practice management system, and 3)
system testing. § Tasks: ü Works with the vendor regarding PMS integration
planning ü Identifies any issues related to hardware
implementation and compatibility ü Supports training ü Works with the vendor to understand new hardware
maintenance/warranties |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
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Trainer § Role: In many cases, this role may be
filled by the system vendor, but practices also frequently need to go
beyond what the vendor offers. Super users may also be trainers. § Tasks: ü Works hand-in-hand with the vendor ü Is knowledgeable about all aspects of the system ü Is current with any upgrades and their limitations
or work-arounds ü Can train new users on basic system usage |
Candidates: _________________ _________________ |
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