Week 5

By Connor Ledbetter:

    Today's discussion centered on the measurements that need to be developed when implementing change in a healthcare organization. In this specific scenario the change involves the implementation of a new HIT system or capability. There were a few key points from the discussion today that resonated with me as I tried to place myself in the position of the project manager tasked with overseeing the implementation.
    
     The first nugget of knowledge that I walked away from class with was the realization of how critical it is to establish a baseline for metrics before the project even begins. Once appropriate measures for the project are established, I would be tempted to dive right into the project and do my best to get it underway. However, if I do not take the time to step back and assess the current status, determine a baseline for the metrics, there will be nothing for me to compare my measurements with in the future to determine whether or not there are indeed the expected improvements. Additionally, a component of the conversation that stuck in my mind, was the dialogue around unintended consequences. The implementation of new IT in the healthcare setting, however perfect and process improving it may seem, will likely result in outcomes that were not planned and that do not improve the delivery of care. It is difficult to determine ahead of time what these consequences may be. We may, at best, speculate. Understanding the ambiguous nature of unintended consequences, and relating back to the class theme of measuring improvement. It may be a critical step of the change management of HIT projects to establish metric baselines and monitor measurements that are catered not to areas of improvement, but rather to areas that we suspect may possibly experience the unintended consequences. A worst case scenario approach may seem pessimistic, but it could play an instrumental role in identifying and mitigating quickly outcomes of change that are not desirable.