Coralina Charles
Feb 17 2022
Reading Time: 5 minutes
By: Coralina Charles, Senior Director of Professional Services, CitusHealth
The most important part of implementation is being able to understand what it is that you’re implementing. Having a team that can work with you toward achieving go-live success will help you to be more knowledgeable about your new software or application and will be dedicated to getting it up and running as efficiently as possible.
The difference between implementing on your own versus having your vendor’s team guide you through the process can be months versus weeks to go live. CitusHealth customer Chapters Health System discovered the true value of working with CitusHealths’ implementation team when they went from challenge to digital solution in just two weeks.*
“CitusHealth came to us with a solution that we were a part of developing and delivering together in a matter of days,” says Sherry Stroble, CIO for Chapters.
The Chapters team needed a quick solution. Having an implementation team allowed them to deliver a digital platform to their clinicians within two weeks—something that could have taken months to achieve on their own.
Our 6-step process that delivers digital transformation
The CitusHealth platform implementation plan consists of six stages designed to guide your agency through configuration and workflow decisions that can help transform your care model to remove repetitive tasks, streamline communications, and drive operational efficiencies.
Stage 1: Discovery & Design
This kickoff step includes discovery sessions to identify current workflows, introduce the CitusHealth platform, discuss change management preparation, and create a plan and timeline expectations.
Stage 2: Configure & Deliver Stage
Super user training occurs, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) gets completed, and UAT forms and documents are verified.
Stage 3: Training & Go-Live Prep
End user training occurs, change management discussions continue, and staff and patient engagement plans are made.
Stage 4: Go-Live
Use of the application begins, Q&A sessions ensure success, and adjustments are made as needed.
Stage 5: Post Go-Live Support
Objectives and results are evaluated, additional workflow needs are considered, and utilization reports monitor usage and success.
Stage 6: Transition to CSM & Support
The customer success manager is introduced, support becomes the primary source of tech inquiries, and the project closes.
While these phases are designed to help agencies understand features, configurations, and workflows, there’s more you can do to ensure a successful implementation. Here are six best practices for post-acute agencies to achieve success when going through any implementation process and digital transformation:
- Have clear objectives.
When you purchase a software or application, you must understand the goals it can help your agency reach and the problems it can help you solve. This knowledge allows you to communicate to your vendor what you’re working toward, making it clear what objective needs to get delivered in implementation and beyond.
- Define a project manager.
A defined project manager is someone on the customer side who will lead and dedicate time to the project, have access to resources and departments, can gather information, and know everything that’s happening. This manager can then collaborate with the vendor implementation team, ensuring everyone involved is on the same page and objectives are being met throughout implementation.
- Create a role for a project sponsor.
Unlike a project manager, this role is responsible for the overall project, without getting involved in day-to-day aspects. A project sponsor can make certain decisions and remove roadblocks that managers cannot, and can make sure that all team members and resources are available to make the implementation a success.
- Make appropriate resources available.
Aside from the project manager and sponsor keeping implementation on track, it’s important to have appropriate stakeholders involved from each department that will be impacted by the coming changes. This includes anyone that will be using the software or application.
While these resources will likely not be involved in the planning of implementation, department stakeholders could be needed for training or to make a decision about process updates and changes.
- Address change management concepts.
Change can be difficult to embrace, especially when it comes to adopting new technology in the workplace. For these end users who are used to doing things a certain way, it’s important to address the coming changes, including why you chose the technology, what to expect with implementation, and continuing that transparency throughout the entire process.
Don’t just have a conversation at the beginning. Set expectations and do regular check-ins on progress and how they’re working with it after implementation is complete. Things may need to be tweaked after go live, so change management should extend after implementation as you move forward—making users feel a part of the process and helping with adoption and buy in.
- Engage your team.
Implementation isn’t just about the technology. It’s also about the people who will be using it to make their lives easier. Engaging and communicating through creative training events—luncheons, parties, etc.—makes it a fun experience. And being positive and transparent about the changes with your team will give them ownership in the process and increase buy-in.
Each of these best practices are key to going live faster, ensuring long-term success with your new technology, and empowering your team to adopt it with enthusiasm.
Schedule a demo today to learn more about how CitusHealth can help you achieve implementation success.
* Results may vary. Implementation times are affected by complexity of the project, availability of services teams, solutions implemented, and customer system requirements.
