Discover how one hospital Rapid achieved >30% CPOE utilization of total orders through physician buy-in and acceptance of CPOE.

1. Customer Testimonial
Paragon® HIS
Twin County Regional Healthcare
Galax, Va.
Janet Richardson, RN
Clinical Systems Coordinator
Successfully Implementing CPOE
in the March to Meaningful Use
“Perhaps the biggest physician satisfier I have seen with
Paragon is its flexibility. I am fond of saying that the way
Paragon is designed, if you can think of it, you can build it!”
-Janet Richardson

2. Successfully Implementing
CPOE in the March to
Meaningful Use
by Janet Richardson, RN
Everyone in healthcare these days meeting meaningful use to our rural,
seems to be focused on reaching independent community hospital. Upon
Stage 1 meaningful use by the 2013 certification, Twin County would qualify
deadline. Aside from cost, one of the for somewhere in the neighborhood of
biggest hurdles may be successfully $5 million in incentive payments. Those
implementing a computerized physician dollars will go a long way in enabling
order entry (CPOE) system and achieving us to provide new additional services
the utilization levels required by the to our community and acquire needed
American Recovery and Reinvestment equipment for several departments
Act (ARRA) incentive program. At to provide our patients the best care
Twin County Regional Healthcare, we possible.
realized that this alone would require
a significant change in how physicians Helping physicians understand the
At a Glance and other caregivers have always bigger impact on the organization, their
practiced medicine, so we decided to patients and the community in which
Organization take the challenge head on and have they live really started knocking down
been very pleased with the results. any initial resistance. Another key is
Twin County Regional Healthcare
Along the way, we’ve learned a lot. setting realistic expectations because as
Galax, Va. Dr. Pemberton also observed, “Rolling
We’ve managed to make great strides out any new computer system is not
- 141 beds and our hospitalists hit 30% CPOE going to be as convenient for physicians
utilization for total orders by the second and nurses for quite a while.” But we
- Recognized in 2009 as a “Most month after roll-out and have exceeded thought if the system satisfied our
Improved” Hospital in ‘Most that threshold for the subsequent four hospitalists, our other physicians would
Wired’ Survey1 months. We will continue to expand to be much more willing to adopt CPOE.
more of our physicians, and we expect
- Named a 2010 Top Performing to begin applying for our incentive That’s where the technological
Hospital on Quality Measures by payments by the first half of 2012. capabilities of Paragon started to shine.
the Joint Commission2
We think there are two key factors Simplifying the Transition
Critical Issues that have led to accomplishing our One important measure I have used
CPOE utilization success so quickly: when rolling out any new system or
- Achieving meaningful use 1) Establishing the right attitude and application is how easy the intended
involvement among our physician-users users can learn and understand how
and 2) The integration and capabilities to work it into their normal day-to-day
- Implementing CPOE successfully
of the Paragon® HIS. care of patients. If it is not complicated
to understand and use, that will
- Providing excellent patient care
Getting the Players on Board facilitate uptake and adoption. It is also
According to Art Pemberton, M.D., our a pretty good indicator of long-term
Results
Hospitalist Director at Twin County, success.
getting physicians to see beyond
- Rapid achievement of >30%
themselves as part of a bigger picture of The Windows®-based, point-and-click
CPOE utilization of total orders
the organization and of where national operation CPOE module in Paragon is
by hospitalists
healthcare is going is most important to both familiar and intuitive to physicians.
establishing the right attitude. In my experience in training physicians
- Physician buy-in and acceptance
to use it, they adapt to it pretty quickly.
of CPOE
Jack Roberts, Director of Information In rolling out Paragon CPOE, physicians
Systems, and my supervisor, often got an hour of training from the
- Well-positioned for
points out the importance of implementation specialist and then I
demonstrating meaningful use

3. was available to answer questions or For example, we can customize
assist if necessary. Our hospitalists order sets as we need to so that our
quickly learned the system and were physicians are comfortable and satisfied.
able to place electronic orders with just I am fond of saying that the way
a couple of follow-up questions after Paragon is designed, if you can think of
the initial training ... they just took it it, you can build it!
and ran with it. It was almost effortless!
We have been able to easily convert
One of our hospitalists actually existing protocols and standing order
compares it to shopping online. sets for physicians so what they are
You pick out orders, put them in a ordering is familiar to them, and the “We have found that the
basket and at the end when you have same Windows-based structure that flexibility and customization
everything you need, you submit them. enables ease of training also facilitates you can do in Paragon is
So using it is not something that is incorporation of the CPOE system into a real bright spot and a
complicated or unfamiliar to them. their day-to-day care of patients. particular strength of the
system. We’re able to easily
suggest improvements or
modifications and get those
implemented that same day.”
- Arthur Pemberton, M.D.
Hospitalist Director
A telling example of this simplicity and Dr. Pemberton and the other hospitalists “Our mission is to serve the
familiarity is a locum tenens physician have acknowledged that a more
healthcare needs of our
who had never seen our CPOE system rigid system would have faced more
before and was filling in for one of our resistance. “We have found that the
community and provide the
staff. After 30 minutes of training and a flexibility and customization you can do highest quality of care in the
couple follow-up phone calls, he began in Paragon is a real bright spot and a most cost-effective manner.
admitting patients and placing orders particular strength of the system,” he The Paragon information
on the system that same evening. has noted. “We’re able to easily suggest system is well-designed for
improvements or modifications and get community hospitals like ours
Technology that Works with those implemented that same day.” I with a mission like ours.”
Prescribers, not Against Them think that customization has given our
Perhaps the biggest physician satisfier I physicians greater ownership in the - Jon Applebaum
have seen with Paragon is its flexibility. success of our CPOE initiative and as a President & CEO

4. result played a significant part in their As Jon Applebaum, our president and
uptake and utilization. CEO puts it, “Our mission is to serve
the healthcare needs of our community
The fact that Paragon is fully integrated and provide the highest quality of care
and that all of the information is in the most cost-effective manner. The
available via the Paragon WebStation Paragon information system is well-
portal is another huge plus. Being able designed for community hospitals like
to view a patient’s chart, diagnostic ours with a mission like ours.”
images and labs and now being able to
place orders with CPOE through a single Successful CPOE Achievement is
access point – even remotely from not a Straight Line
“Paragon CPOE was built to home or office – has increased physician As noted earlier, we hit and maintained
be pretty flexible, and we buy-in and acceptance. 30% CPOE utilization for total orders
took advantage of that. The by the second month after roll out
implementation was a very Everyone Pulling in the Same and have exceeded it for the four
smooth one for the hospital” Direction months since. We expect adoption
When it comes right down to it, and utilization by our hospitalists to
- Jack Roberts everything we do should be about continue to grow as CPOE becomes
patient care — how to improve it, how ingrained into their day-to-day practice
Director of Information
to make it safer, how to make it more of caring for patients and we are well
Systems efficient and cost effective. For that under way to meet the meaningful use
to be accomplished, everyone that is requirements. And as we anticipated,
directly or indirectly involved in the care the experience with our hospitalists thus
of our patients needs to be aligned. far has been good enough that other
Since we first became a customer of physicians not involved in the initial
McKesson in 1998 right on up to CPOE rollout are asking to participate in the
and beyond, the whole organization next phase.
has always been there to assist us in
aligning and improving the care we Like any initiatives that require
Copyright © 2011 McKesson Corporation
provide to our community. human involvement and cooperation,
and/or one of its subsidiaries. All rights implementing CPOE is neither simple
reserved. Paragon is a trademark of In 2009, Twin County was named one nor turnkey. But with the right product,
McKesson Corporation and/or one of its
subsidiaries. Windows is a trademark of
of the 25 “Most Improved” hospitals in a solid process and a committed
Microsoft Corporation. All other product the annual “Most Wired” Survey and organization, we expect the success
or company names mentioned may be Benchmark Report1, and Paragon played we’ve seen to date will continue to
trademarks, service marks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
a big part in that accomplishment. grow. Our experience tells me that
PRT478-10/11 That recognition was great we made the right choice, that CPOE
acknowledgement for our executive on the Paragon platform has a bright
team and our board members that we future here at Twin County, and that
were headed in the right direction with it will be an important factor in our
the hospital information system. achievement of meaningful use and
beyond as the delivery of healthcare
Paragon HIS continues to evolve.
McKesson Provider Technologies
5995 Windward Parkway
Alpharettta, GA 30005 1
2009 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, Hospitals & Health Networks, American Hospital
Association, July 2009
2
Improving America’s Hospitals: The Joint Commission’s Annual Report on Quality and Safety, 2011,
www.mynewHIS.com www.jointcommission.org