Order Management in CPOE

Beverly Bell, Partner, Clinical Implementation Practice Director, Healthcare Group, Jane Metzger, Principal, Emerging Practices, and Donna Schmidt, CNO, CSC. Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is clearly a core element of Meaningful Use required for hospitals to qualify for the financial incentives offered under the HITECH stimulus bill. Stalled or suspended CPOE rollouts often result from the combination of slow adoption by physicians and problems with order management. Getting CPOE right the first time has always been important because the loss of momentum and credibility makes the next attempt more difficult (and probably also more expensive). The new deadline for qualifying for the financial incentives under HITECH adds to the urgency today. A smooth transition for order management is a critical element of getting CPOE right the first time. The good news is that there is now experience to build upon that was not available to the CPOE pioneers. This paper reviews the experience and lessons learned of our clinician consultants who have worked with hospitals of all sizes in many aspects of implementing or optimizing CPOE.