This is an in-depth exploration of the first topic covered in my initial blog post: Streamlining Your Epic Lab Transformation: A Strategic Playbook (thelabitguy.com)
Introduction:
The journey from a legacy Lab Information System (LIS) to Beaker can be a major shift for healthcare organizations, one that relies heavily on the strength of their Beaker team and its leadership. This team will be instrumental in the implementation of Beaker as well as its long-term maintenance and support. Over the years, I have managed and worked with several Beaker teams and in this article, I highlight the specific experience and characteristics to look for when putting together a high performing Beaker team.
Your Team's Foundation:
Assembling a dream team for an Epic Beaker implementation is about combining customer service and technical expertise with an understanding of lab operations. A well-organized team dynamic is essential, as the pressure of implementation can test the team at every turn. Building a team capable of thriving under pressure requires communication, mutual respect, and a shared vision.
Prioritizing the Right Experience:
Navigating the complexity of Beaker requires a team with specialized expertise. Certain areas, like Microbiology, Data Innovations (DI), and Anatomic Pathology (AP) have a steep learning curve. If you are looking to hire an experienced analyst or seasoned consultant, these are good areas for you to target. These experts, when brought in at the beginning of a project, can ease complex transitions and drive a smoother go-live and post-live transition to long-term maintenance.
Leveraging Your Existing Epic Expertise for Add-on Implementations:
For add-on implementations, tapping into the experience of teams from other Epic applications can be invaluable. Analysts from Orders, Bridges, and Ambulatory have a wealth of knowledge that can be repurposed to benefit the Beaker project. Bringing in these folks who have an understanding of organizational history and integrated workflows will help streamline decisions and build early in the project.
The Laboratory Perspective:
Including lab users with direct operational experience ensures that Beaker configurations truly resonate with the end-users' needs. This leads to better adoption, training, and engagement from operations during the testing and validation phases of the project. Having someone directly from the operations team can help reduce the back and forth between your Beaker team and the lab while also assisting folks without a lab background to understand the implications of their build decisions.
If you are unable to get someone from your lab to join the team, finding an external resources with a lab background (a former blood banker, microbiologist, generalist, etc.) can help streamline conversations in workgroups as well as the testing and validation phases of the project as they will understand how to "speak lab" with key operational stakeholders.
Technical Prowess on your LIS team:
Aside from having an Epic or lab background, general IT and LIS expertise is essential. It may be most advantageous for you look to your existing LIS team. Team members who are well-versed in the technical language of instrument drivers, how to manage servers, and troubleshoot connectivity issues are crucial. Managing interfaces and interoperability between Beaker, the interface engine, and other third-party applications is a big part of a Beaker project. Getting someone with a more "technical" background can also help with printing and label configuration or other tasks that may seem simple but can get complex quickly.
Understanding Beaker's Complexity and Volume:
The implementation of Beaker is a technically complex project that requires a high volume of changes regularly, and often times involves small changes to hundreds or thousands of records on a weekly basis. These changes can be streamlined by understanding Epic's import and export process. If you are unable to bring in experienced resources, work closely with your Epic team to prioritize this knowledge early in the project. Being comfortable with the importing process can dramatically improve turnaround time during the build waves, testing, and validation phases of the project.
Customer Service is Non-Negotiable:
After go-live, your Beaker team's primary role is supporting your operations team as they use Beaker. Here, customer service is key as it ensures a smooth adoption of the system. Being able to address the labs concerns, communicate solutions clearly, and provide the right support to operations can help mitigate stress and build confidence and trust among end users. Good customer service is crucial for the long-term success of the project, so hiring Beaker analysts who can deliver on technical solutions while also providing responsive customer service will make all the difference on your Beaker project.
Steering Through the Storm: The Role of a Project Leader:
In the high-pressure arena of a Beaker implementation, the project manager is the linchpin that holds everything together. They need to be a strategist and the calm within the chaos. Their key role is navigating the complexities that arise from balancing the needs of the organization, IT, operations, vendors, and Epic itself.
Perhaps the most important asset of an effective project leader is the ability to maintain composure under pressure. Beaker implementations can be a high-stress environment, with non-stop tight deadlines and critical decision-making at every turn. The right project leader brings a sense of stability, offering clear-headed direction and support that keeps the team focused and motivated, even when pressure is high.
The Full Spectrum of Team Dynamics:
Creating your Beaker dream team is about more than just skill—it's about fostering a culture of shared goals and collaboration. Knowledge sharing and cross training will be hugely important throughout the project and during post-live maintenance. Some recommendations to consider: use internal documentation tools, such as OneNote, to thoroughly document build and troubleshooting steps and/or tips and tricks. This creates a living searchable document that is useful for future reference and cross training. The second recommendation would be to host regular Lunch and Learns. Have someone who owns a section present on notable things they are working on. It does not need to be an overly polished demonstration, but these types of meetings will help the team with cross training.
Conclusion:
The composition of your Epic Beaker team is a decisive factor in the success of your implementation. By considering these insights and integrating them into your strategy, you're laying the groundwork for a successful and sustainable Beaker project that transitions smoothly into long-term maintenance and support.
Share your experiences about your implementation team. Have you found success in hiring from other Epic application teams? How have you leveraged your existing LIS and/or lab team through your Beaker projects? Let's discuss in the comments or reach out for a more in-depth conversation.
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.
留言