Go-Live support is essential for a successful implementation. Conducting site visits is one of the first steps to understand what the actual needs are for at-the-elbow (ATE) go-live support. These site visits consist of physically walking through each site, unit, or area that will need the ATE support.
The purpose of a site visit is to assess the staffing, physical space, and work completed in each area. The assessment will aid in determining the type of support needed such as clinical, clerical, and financial. The assessment of the physical space is essential to determine the appropriate number of resources to provide adequate support with the proper skill mix.
The first step in the site visits is planning. You must work with the client leadership to communicate the need for the site visits. The leadership needs to understand what the site visit accomplishes, and the intended outcome of the information gathered.
With leadership approval, the next step is to work with the owner of the project to set dates and times for the visit. Before the set dates and times of the visits, the owner of the project must work with each site owner and manager to accommodate the site visit. It is helpful to have that site owner, manager, or designee available for the site visit to answer staffing questions and types of work completed in their area.
The last step before the site visit is to send out a staffing questionnaire. Request the site owners and managers fill out the questionnaire and return the information before the visit. This information is helpful to understand the department type - inpatient, office buildings, or surgery centers. The questionnaire also allows each department owner to prepare for the onsite assessment to minimize the amount of time spent in each department.
Once the site visits are completed, the information should be consolidated for ease of reference.
Overall, site visits are essential to assess the number, skill set and relevant nuances for ATE support at go-live. You must plan before the onsite visit. Project leadership and site owners need to understand the need for the site visits and when that visit will occur. Once the staffing questionnaire’s and the site visits are complete, compiling the data is the final step in the process.
