Mar 14, 2024
The Importance of Healthcare Delivery Expertise for a Successful ERP Go-Live
Written by Brian Evans
Category:
ERP
The Importance of Healthcare Delivery Expertise for a Successful ERP Go-Live
In an industry as complex and regulated as healthcare delivery, having deep knowledge of the market is critical for a successful ERP go-live. It is impossible to anticipate every potential issue that will invariably come up over the course of a given ERP implementation, so being able to effectively adapt to the needs of hospital and health system clients in real-time is paramount.
As one part of Impact Advisors’ recent (and broader) effort to rescue a challenged Workday implementation, we were able to leverage our deep knowledge of the healthcare delivery industry in conjunction with our strong technical expertise with Workday to uncover significant opportunities for maximizing the value of National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) data.
The Importance of Extensive Healthcare Knowledge Prior to Go-Live
During the initial discovery process, our healthcare SMEs quickly identified gaps related to the quality and integration of NDNQI data. If not addressed prior to go-live with Workday, these issues would have greatly limited the value of the hospital’s investment in NDNQI.
For context, the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) provides a comprehensive and standardized platform for collecting and analyzing nursing-sensitive data. This data is instrumental in assessing the quality of nursing care and its impact on patient outcomes. NDNQI allows healthcare institutions to benchmark their performance against national standards, identify areas for improvement, and implement evidence-based practices to enhance patient care.
Nurses leverage NDNQI data in various ways to enhance patient care. For instance, they can analyze staffing levels and skill mix to ensure adequate resources for patient needs, leading to improved nurse-to-patient ratios and better outcomes. NDNQI empowers nurses with valuable information to make informed decisions, implement evidence-based practices, and continuously elevate the quality of care they provide.
NDNQI data is of critical importance prior to the launch of an ERP solution as it serves as a baseline for assessing the existing state of nursing quality indicators within a healthcare institution.
There are three distinct layers to NDNQI: structure indicators, process indicators, and outcome indicators. The opportunity we identified for this client to enhance the value of NDNQI data was related to the structure indicators that are captured by the “standard” fields in the Workday HCM / Workday Payroll module. (See bolded indicators below.) We ensured the NDNQI data for those standard fields was seamlessly transferred from the legacy system and was available directly in the client’s new instance of Workday prior to go-live.
National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI)
Given our extensive knowledge of the healthcare delivery market and our deep understanding of Workday, we knew that truly maximizing the value from those NDNQI structure indicators meant the client would also need to leverage fields that were not standard in Workday for their analytics efforts. One key example is NDNQI status, which specifies whether a nurse is a contractor, per diem, non-NDNQI, or NDNQI. We created a custom object to enable that data to be available in the system, and using Workday Prism Analytics, we developed a unique dashboard tailored to the client’s specific needs that combined data from “standard” and “non-standard” Workday fields. This dashboard allows the hospital to measure turnover by manager over the last two months for NDNQI participants in specific statuses. Whereas nursing managers previously had to rely on printouts or external websites, they can now measure and monitor that information directly in Workday – and in real-time.
The Bottom Line
Given the inherent complexities of healthcare delivery, unexpected issues will invariably come up during any ERP go-live. Hospitals and health systems need a seasoned ERP implementation partner who knows the right questions to ask – and who understands how to effectively solve the inevitable challenges that will arise over the course of an implementation. Impact Advisors combines significant Workday expertise with a deep knowledge of every facet of hospital and health system operations, whether in the clinical, HR, finance, supply chain, or revenue cycle arenas.
About Impact Advisors
Impact Advisors has been recognized by KLAS as a top provider of ERP Implementation Services, as well as receiving the 2024 Best in KLAS Award for ERP Implementation Leadership.