Earlier this month, my practice converted from the Allscripts Professional PM and EHR system to athenaOne. If you have been through this process, you know it is not easy. Many have come to tears or left their job when going through a system conversion because of the stress of balancing seeing patients while learning a new system. While lessons were learned and there were hiccups along the way, our process went smoothly with only a 3-week ramp-up period.

Work smarter not harder is a phrase often heard in many settings, not just healthcare but what does that mean in the primary care world? How can we work smarter not harder when there is so much work to be done?  Change in any form can be difficult and scary, especially when it involves new technology.  Finding the right solution and gaining buy-in from providers and team members can be the most difficult part of this process even if the solution will make their job easier.  The key is to engage the affected team members early on, share the vision, acknowledge the loss of the old way, and give them opportunities to participate in the process.

The Institute of Medicine defines primary care as “the provision of whole-person, integrated, accessible, and equitable health care by interprofessional teams that are accountable for addressing the majority of an individual's health and wellness needs across settings and through sustained relationships with patients, families, and communities”. To align insurance carriers, healthcare providers, and patients’ perception of quality healthcare, the first step is to build relationships among the three entities through more collaborative communication.

Merriam-Webster defines quality as the “degree of excellence”. So how do we define the degree of excellence in healthcare? What does quality healthcare look like? This answer can vary depending upon who is asked the question.

It is no secret that healthcare has been in crisis — a staffing crisis. While the pandemic certainly exacerbated the situation, present workloads, emerging patterns contrary to traditional practice, and burnout are only the latest in a long line of factors straining the healthcare workforce.