When implementing technology at a healthcare organization, different parts of the organization will have different needs based on the types of services they are providing and how they bill for those services. Although the needs might be different for different parts of the organization, there needs to be an overall standardization for data management across the healthcare organization. It is important to have a consistent standard of care provided to patients regardless of where in the organization they seek services. In this scenario, you are a consultant assisting with the implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) at a new community hospital. The hospital applied for and achieved Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status as a result of its rural location. The hospital owns a primary care practice and as a result of the hospital’s CAH status also provides skilled nursing care. The result is a small healthcare organization that provides care ranging from primary care through acute hospital care and skilled level nursing care. Next week, there is a meeting with the incoming hospital leadership to discuss data needs and management and to orient them on electronic medical record (EMR) concepts. You have been tasked with creating and giving a presentation at this meeting.
