Get More Value Out of Your EMR With the ServiceNow Platform

So, how do you move from reacting to your EMR challenges to proactively solving them? Below are four ways to simplify and automate EMR management and get the full return on investment (ROI) by leveraging purpose-built tools on the ServiceNow platform.

1. Streamline Clinician Requests and Incident Management

On average, it takes a clinician about seven minutes to pick up the phone, call the service desk, and submit an EMR ticket. However, clinicians don’t have time to spend on the phone with IT when they need to be on the floor caring for patients.

When EMR request and incident management issues arise, it creates problems, like:

Poor experience for clinicians to submit work orders, leading to unreported EMR issues
High call volumes for the service desk resulting in manual ticket creation
Missing details in incident reports from the end users

The Solution: Optimum’s EMR Help ServiceNow solution makes it easy for clinicians to report issues with a single click, right from within Epic or Cerner. The system automatically captures critical data, speeding up resolution times and minimizing the need for back-and-forth between clinicians and IT.

2. Bring Order to Enhancement Request Chaos

Every healthcare organization faces an overwhelming number of enhancement requests across departments, and without a clear governance process, it’s tough to know what to prioritize.

Inefficient EMR enhancement governance creates issues such as:

IT teams spend a lot of time facilitating governance between business units
Backlogs grow and lead to reactionary decision making
Critical enhancements get delayed, frustrating both staff and leaders

The Solution: Optimum’s EMR Enhancement Governance ServiceNow solution creates a structured, transparent approach to handling EMR enhancement requests. This system helps organizations score, prioritize, and resource requests based on business goals and needs, making the decision process clearer and more effective.

3. Automate Error-Prone Testing Processes

Manual testing workflows can be extremely tedious and prone to errors, leading to delays in rolling out important system updates or upgrades. This not only wastes time but can also result in failed go-lives, costly post-implementation fixes, and patient care disruptions.

Manual EMR test management creates problems like:

Complicated coordination between multiple tester groups
Inefficient tracking of test scripts, test steps, and defects
Time-consuming test script reporting that lacks real-time data

The Solution: Optimum’s EMR Test Management ServiceNow solution, powered by ServiceNow, automates the testing process and provides real-time dashboards to track testing progress, resource allocation, and defect management.

4. Simplify Change Control and Release Management

Managing changes in an EMR system is complex, and mistakes in the process can cause significant disruptions to both patient care and internal workflows. Without a clear, streamlined change control system, your organization risks non-compliance, failed changes, and unnecessary downtime.

Symptoms of disjointed EMR change control and release management can include:

EMR change tickets lack critical details about which record IDs or INIs are being moved
Inability to test for code conflicts or assess risk levels of changes
Disorganized change processes, making it hard to track audit trails

The Solution: With Optimum’s EMR Change Management ServiceNow solution, integrated directly with Epic, healthcare organizations can track, approve, and assess risks associated with every change in the EMR. This integration ensures smoother go-lives and enhanced compliance tracking.

Your EMR Doesn’t Have to Be a Burden

Optimizing your EMR system doesn’t have to be an uphill battle. By leveraging the right tools — like Optimum’s ServiceNow EMR accelerators, built exclusively for healthcare organizations — you can turn daily frustrations into streamlined processes that improve efficiency and patient care.

Here are a few easy steps to get started:

Assess your current challenges: Whether it’s incident management, testing, or enhancement requests, identify the biggest pain points your team is facing.
Engage stakeholders: Make sure clinical and business units are aligned with IT on priorities and goals.
Explore ServiceNow solutions: Tailor these tools to fit your organization’s specific needs and challenges.
Work with an implementation partner who knows healthcare: Our team at Optimum is made up of former healthcare professionals committed to using their expertise to help provider organizations deliver exceptional patient care and employee experiences.

If you’re ready to take the next steps in transforming your EMR from a source of frustration into a driver of efficiency, we’re here to help. Reach out to our team to discuss how we can help you tackle your biggest EMR challenges.