This is an in-depth exploration of the second topic covered in my initial blog post: Streamlining Your Epic Lab Transformation: A Strategic Playbook (thelabitguy.com)
Introduction
Kicking off a Beaker implementation presents your organization with an exciting opportunity to refine and modernize your lab operations. It's a chance to rethink how your lab functions and integrates with your health system at every level. The success of your implementation project all starts with a robust pre-implementation planning strategy. This blog will guide you through what you should be thinking about before your Beaker install.
Blueprints and Butterflies: The Joys of Beaker Pre-Implementation Planning
Before diving into the specifics of implementing Beaker, it is important to understand the value of pre-implementation planning. Laying a solid groundwork during pre-implementation is what sets the stage for a seamless and successful go-live. Remember, it's never too soon to start planning. In fact, the earlier you begin to align your vision and strategy for Beaker, the smoother your journey will be.
Pre-implementation planning is an opportunity to:
Assess your current state: Thoroughly evaluate the current lab technology, workflows, and policies. This assessment will highlight key areas for improvement and guide your implementation strategy.
Set clear goals: Define what success looks like for your organization and for your lab. Start by asking yourself questions - do you want to increase your lab's volume? Do you want to capture more revenue? Do you want to decrease turnaround time? What is a current pain point you have that you would want to go away with Beaker? Clear goals will provide direction and benchmarks for the project.
Engage stakeholders: Early planning involves bringing together all stakeholders, from lab techs and lab leadership to IT analysts and executives, ensuring everyone's wants and needs are brought forward to inform your Beaker implementation strategy and scope.
Mitigate risks: Identify potential challenges and roadblocks ahead of time. Proactive risk management can save countless hours and resources down the line. Here are some questions to ask yourself - do you have other major Epic upgrades planned between now and go-live? Will there be any other concurrent strategic initiatives that need your IT team's attention? Are you planning to acquire any new labs during the implementation? Understanding how your Beaker install fits into your organization's other capital projects ensures you will dedicate the right amount of resources for a successful implementation.
Prepare for change: Change management is integral to any technology implementation, but especially important on Epic projects. Early planning and communication allows you to prepare end users for upcoming changes. Successful change management and training ensures meaningful buy-in and adoption which will result in a better return on your investment.
The Payoff of Early Planning
By investing time in pre-implementation planning, we lay a foundation for not only the Beaker implementation project, but the long-term maintenance and support of Beaker as a platform. With a well-thought-out plan, you can ensure that each piece of the Beaker puzzle fits just right. Pre-planning is all about creating a clear roadmap that you can refer to during and after the project.
Connecting the Dots on Beaker Integrations
One on of the most important pieces of a successful pre-implementation plan is to understand the full scope and cost of third-party integrations that are needed with Beaker. Below is a short sampling of third-party applications and services that your team may be responsible for implementing and maintaining alongside Beaker. It is never too early to start conversations with vendors in these areas:
Lab instrument middleware (example vendor: Data Innovations)
Blood Banking Software (example vendors: WellSky, SafeTrace, Softbank)
Reference lab integration (example vendors: Quest, LabCorp, Mayo, etc)
Point of Care middleware (example vendors: RALS, TELCOR)
Instrument platforms (example vendors: Resmisol, Caresphere, Biomerieux)
Quality Control Application (if not using Beaker for QC - example vendor: Bio-Rad Unity)
Outreach (if not using Beaker for outreach - example vendor: Orchard)
Other Interfaced Software for your in-house labs (HLA lab, Pathology software if not using AP, in-house reference lab, etc)
If you are feeling overwhelmed about how to manage all of this, that is okay!
Standardize, Standardize, Standardize
Managing all of these systems can be streamlined by standardizing workflows and technology across your sections and labs. Start thinking about your current instrumentation - do you have contracts that are coming due? Do you have instruments entering their end-of-life period? If you are able to standardize your lab instrumentation alongside your Beaker implementation, the project and the long-term support of Beaker will be streamlined for both your IT department and operations.
In addition to instrumentation, start thinking about the hardware that will support your Beaker install. This is another opportunity to modernize your current technology. If your budget allows, your end users will thank you for making an investment in new workstations, rover (mobile phlebotomy) devices, printers, and scanners.
Prioritize Strategic Lab Initiatives
Beaker will likely introduce several new workflows for your organization. As you start to discuss these implications with operations, it provides a great opportunity to standardize and revisit standard operating procedures across your organization. This is also a good time to discuss strategic operational changes that will improve efficiency. For example, do you want to consolidate your microbiology departments? Do you want to revisit your specimen tracking policies and procedures? Are there any performance improvement goals you want the lab to hit? Making an investment in Beaker isn't just about upgrading your technology, it is also about modernizing your lab and hospital operations.
Project Governance
To ensure the long-term success of your Beaker project, you need a robust project governance structure before, during, and after your Beaker implementation. This is key for operational input and decision making so it will be important to identify who your operational leaders will be and then you can start to create governance groups to help make decisions on Beaker functionality. This same governance structure will be instrumental during go-live and post go-live as you continue to maintain and optimize your Beaker install. Keeping the door open between operations and IT will only increase user adoption and satisfaction with the system.
Conclusion
The rollout of Epic's Beaker LIS is a defining moment for your organization. It's an opportunity to streamline, standardize, and strategically transform your lab operations. This transition is more than just a technological upgrade; it's a step towards a more efficient and unified healthcare operation, and it all starts with a rock-solid pre-implementation plan.
More about Kyle:
With almost 7 years of Beaker experience, I have been deeply involved in Beaker across 11 different healthcare organizations. My journey has taken me from entry-level roles to leadership positions, managing projects that span from initial implementation planning to post-live optimizations and ongoing maintenance. My expertise lies not only in the technical aspects of Beaker but also in leading teams to ensure successful a successful project.
While my experience has been rich with diverse challenges and learning opportunities, the insights I share in this article are drawn from my personal expertise and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer or the healthcare organizations I have supported. The content presented here is my own intellectual property, intended to guide and inform others in the healthcare IT community as they embark on their own Epic Beaker lab transformation journeys.
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