If you’ve made it this far into the process of building a physician EHR satisfaction program, you’ve already laid a strong foundation, considered associated technologies, committed to necessary training, built a governance structure and personalized everything to match your organization’s workflows. The final step in rounding out an effective physician satisfaction program is developing a communication plan. Keep in mind that while providers are your primary target here, your team and administration each deserve their own place in your communication plan.
Here is my best advice when considering ways to tailor your communication plan to your providers, team members and leadership:
Providers
Don’t assume “if you build it, they will come!” Keep your providers informed about everything you are doing to help them out. This will do two things for your program: It will ensure that all of the hard work you and your team are putting into provider efficiency and satisfaction actually gets used, and it will let your providers know their feedback is being heard.
Any good communication plan is multifaceted. Use multiple modalities across multiple venues and multiple times.
- Modalities might include text, email, letters, dashboards, listservs, fliers, tip sheets, listen and learn sessions, bulletin boards (electronic and physical), kiosks and more.
- Venues for communication might include department or medical director meetings, lunch and learn sessions, visits to clinics or on rounds, medical staff lounges, directly in the EHR via dashboards or messaging tools to name a few.
- Times might include opportunities to match regular newsletter release schedules, before and after upgrades, after a significant fix or update, and during scheduled medical staff meetings.
Your Team
Communicating with your team is more about morale than anything else. Let your team know how valued they are by the providers. When you receive good feedback, pass it on. When a new feature helps reduce provider time in the EHR, let your team know the impact they are making. They are helping provide better patient care – make sure you recognize them for that!
Administration and Leadership
Don’t be afraid to sing the praises of your team and their accomplishments to system leadership. This will have multiple benefits, including showing your value to the organization (think budget season!) and keeping administration informed can help them have more informed discussions with providers. After all, they can be your best allies if you help them talk in an informed way with providers.
Pro tip: If your organization has a Marketing Department, make use of them. They can help with crafting messages, designing materials and sending communications out to providers. They can also help by nudging you to keep up a regular communication schedule.
Bottom line: Communicate, communicate, communicate!
Interested in learning how Medix Technology can supply the leadership, guidance and talent you need to accelerate the building of a successful and cost-effective physician satisfaction program at your organization? Click here to contact our team!
About the Author
Dr. Brian Patty joined Medix Technology as Chief Medical Informatics Officer in 2020. As one of the nation’s first CMIOs, he brings more than 40 years of medical and clinical informatics experience to the team. Dr. Patty partners with our clients at all stages of their Epic journey, from implementation to optimization. His areas of expertise include improving clinical workflows, simplifying EHR processes to improve end user satisfaction, reducing burnout and costly turnover, and maximizing technological investments.
