Putting your institution on the path toward demonstrating meaningful use by the Stage 1 deadline of July 1, 2013

1. Customer Testimonial
MedWest Health System
North Carolina • Paragon HIS
Dale Chernich
Chief Information Officer
User Satisfaction: The Key to Meaningful Use
“I have been working with best-of-breed systems for most of my
career, but when I first started out, there wasn’t anything that could
be considered a complete system. I was quite happily surprised when
I first started working with the Paragon® hospital information system
(HIS) from McKesson because it’s probably the most complete system
I’ve seen for the number of dollars that you spend to get it.”
- Dale Chernich

2. User Satisfaction: The Key to
Meaningful Use
By Dale Chernich
MedWest Health System
At a Glance I first started out working in Explore Your Options
information technology nearly Keeping up with new demands
Organization 45 years ago when most of the being placed on information
work was done behind the scenes technology management means
MedWest Health System: with the primary focus being you cannot just rely on system
on system operations and data upgrades or even established vendor
- MedWest-Swain, Bryson, N.C. collection. Times have changed. relationships. You have to rethink
Now healthcare IT is more about where you are, where you must
• 48 beds
getting information to those on the go, the needs of your users and
front line of healthcare delivery in the capabilities of vendors in an
- MedWest-Harris, Sylva, N.C.
a way that is most useful to them. effort to identify the best fit to meet
• 86 beds
That has never been as true as those increasing demands … with
it is in today’s age of ARRA and the meaningful use deadline clock
- MedWest-Haywood, Clyde, N.C.
“meaningful use.“ all the while ticking in your head.
• 189 beds
I have been working with best-
Meaningful use itself is a relatively of-breed systems for most of my
simple concept: demonstrate that career, but when I first started out,
Critical Issues caregivers are utilizing the system in there wasn’t anything that could be
a meaningful way. Like most things considered a complete system. I was
- Satisfying frontline users though, especially in information quite happily surprised when I first
technology, the devil is in the started working with the Paragon®
- Achieving ARRA meaningful use details. I feel that we in IT have an hospital information system (HIS)
objectives obligation to provide information from McKesson because it’s
to people who need it, when they probably the most complete system
- Consolidating health system onto need it and in the way they need I’ve seen for the number of dollars
a single platform it. It’s a lot more difficult to get to that you spend to get it.
meaningful use if your users cannot
(or will not) easily engage and Two of our hospitals that make
embrace the system as part of the up the recently formed MedWest
Results way that they deliver care. Health System, MedWest-Harris
and MedWest-Swain, have been
- Innovative system design frees So first and foremost it’s about successfully running the Paragon
users to create their own reports making the frontline users happy. system for nearly six years. The
It’s my belief, therefore, that system experience at these facilities has
- Trusted vendor that delivers on attributes like user-friendliness, been so good that the third hospital
commitments ease of access to information and in the MedWest Health System is
ability to adapt to clinical workflows now in the process of converting to
- Paragon selected for all should all be key elements in Paragon from a different legacy HIS
MedWest facilities selecting a healthcare information vendor.
system. In addition, selecting a
vendor with whom your team can We anticipate being completely up
establish a constructive working and demonstrating meaningful use
relationship is a critical factor to stage 1 with Paragon in all three of
putting your institution on the path our facilities by July 2012, well in
toward demonstrating meaningful advance of the July 2013 deadline.
use by the Stage 1 deadline of Importantly, when we went live at
July 1, 2013. Harris and Swain, we didn’t pull
everyone off their jobs and have
them do nothing but build Paragon.

3. I’m not saying it was easy, but we I don’t have to have someone,
had them working with Paragon somewhere else run that report
while doing their day jobs and for me. I can go right into the
it still worked. To me, that’s the system and immediately get that
hallmark of a great system … one information in a timely manner.”
that makes it possible for users to
embrace it and incorporate it into On the clinical side, the flexibility
their normal workflow despite the built into the Paragon system shines
heavy demands they face every day. by allowing the staff to work with
Based on the feedback I continue the system to make it function in
to receive from our staff, I’m not the way that the staff needs it to
surprised it has been selected as function, not the other way around.
Best in KLAS1 for Community HIS Our clinical analyst, Angie Baldwin,
every single year since 2006. once told me something that stuck MedWest-Haywood
with me. She said, “We weren’t
Value the Opinion of Frontline just handed a system and told to
Users adapt; we were able to take our
From the beginning, our staff current method of how we worked
appreciated the thinking that went and Paragon adapted to that.
into the design of Paragon to make As we continue to make process
it user-friendly, able to provide ready improvements, Paragon has been
access to information and adapt to able to adapt to those, too.” That’s
the needs of users. a pretty tall order for any system,
but Paragon seems to take it all in
Our director of pharmacy services, stride.
Mark Brudenell, has said that the
simple Microsoft® structure of I think Debbie Jefferies, our IS
Paragon means necessary data clinical coordinator, summarized the
is just “one click away.” It also feelings of the staff best when she
allows his staff of pharmacists said, “We were very happy when
and technicians to set up reports the entire MedWest organization MedWest-Harris
in the way that they need to see decided to go with Paragon. At that
them, often saving them five to 10 point, we knew we would have a
minutes in report preparation for system that would work well for us
each report. Considering the volume and that would allow us to meet
of reporting required in Pharmacy, meaningful use stage 1.”
those minutes can add up to a lot
of time over the course of each day Consider the Importance of the
that his staff can now redirect to Working Relationship
patient care or clinician support. A successful hospital has a lot of
moving parts and most of them are
Claire Dills, our medical record people. They are the big variables
director, sees it this way: “If the in making it all work. Once the
CEO walks into my department, he decision of an HIS vendor is made,
doesn’t want to know how many it’s one that you and your team will
charts have been coded. He wants have to live with for several years.
to know the dollars on hold and You therefore need a vendor that is
doesn’t have two hours to wait not stuck in only one prescribed way MedWest-Swain
for the information. With Paragon, of doing things. The vendor

4. “We didn’t pull everyone off relationship and the system have to next month. That kind of reliability
their jobs and have them do grow and adapt to the needs of the is very important to me and our
nothing but build Paragon. I’m people using it. administration.
not saying it was easy, but we
had them working with Paragon Nathan Boniface, our manager of I have worked with a lot of systems
while doing their day jobs and technical operations, has described over the course of my career, and
the Paragon team as one that is “… I think that the way Paragon is
it still worked. To me, that’s the
open-minded to different solutions, designed is ideal. It starts with a
hallmark of a great system.” listens to feedback, thinks outside focus on the end-user experience
the box and cares about what’s and collects the data all in one
- Dale Chernich important to us as the customer.” central database, making it easier to
access and operate. Also important,
One thing Nathan has also said Paragon isn’t static. There is a
that made me laugh is: “Selecting steady build of the system based
a software vendor is like selecting on ongoing input from users which
a spouse … there are a lot of continually improves and enhances
“We were very happy when the things promised up front, but you the system. This approach keeps it
entire MedWest organization have no idea what’s going to be in good shape and enhances buy
decided to go with Paragon. At delivered until you’ve spent some in from the users ... and if Paragon
that point, we knew we would time together.” Truer words were stays in good shape, it means
have a system that would work never spoken, and I think it’s safe the institutions that are part of
well for us and that would to say that in our experience, after MedWest are going to stay in good
allow us to meet meaningful spending nearly six years with shape, too.
use stage 1.” Paragon, we have a very happy
marriage. Paragon was the right decision for
Harris and Swain, and I think it will
- Debbie Jefferies Roger Parris, our applications be the right decision for all 300-
Information Systems manager, has worked with several plus beds of the MedWest Health
Clinical Coordinator support teams in his role and System as we go forward. Anyone
has gone on record as rating the who is considering an HIS selection
Paragon team as one of the top to get them to meaningful use and
ones he has ever dealt with from beyond is welcome to visit me and
the time of implementation right on I’ll show you what we do. You’ll
through to the ongoing support we see the Paragon system in operation
receive today. — it’s one system, it’s integrated
and it does what you need to
That’s a pretty bold statement from do to run a community hospital.
Roger, but I know that anytime Most importantly, whether they’re
we have asked for data or for an experienced user or someone
something to be done, the team new to the system, everyone has
at Paragon gets it done in the time been thrilled with the selection of
frame we’ve requested. If they say Paragon. That’s something that
Paragon HIS it’s going to be next month, we always brings a smile to my face.
can anticipate that it’s going to be
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