A large healthcare organization is on a mission to offer excellent evidence-based patient care through a highly cost-efficient delivery system. Serving nearly 650,000 patients annually, they partnered with HCLTech to digitally transform its system-wide electronic medical record (EMR) data collection and maintenance strategy.
The Challenge
Patient frustration and maintenance headaches from multiple EMR solutions
Like many US healthcare companies, our client's growth strategy is based on mergers and acquisitions. In the last several years, they acquired several hospitals and other healthcare providers, each with its own unique EMR software solution. As a result, the company attempted to manage multiple EMR solutions without real-time integration between hospitals and providers. Patients in the client's broad network had to manually update their data to share it across disparate solutions before receiving care. This was a constant source of patient frustration and a maintenance challenge for company employees. It had also become a leading indicator of employee burnout and turnover — an unsustainable situation.
To remedy the situation, our client selected Cerner Millennium as the primary software for EMR management at all their hospitals, clinics and physician offices. Cerner’s robust patient-centered platform is an industry favorite. However, successful implementation and user adoption depended on the precise execution of necessary customizations, dynamic end-user training and ongoing technical support. Furthermore, our client wanted to meet an aggressive, rigid and self-imposed timeline for this full network digital transformation to optimize cost efficiency and maximize ROI.
The Objective
Migrate all existing records onto a single EMR platform to maximize ROI
Our client engaged HCLTech in a multi-year strategic partnership that began in 2020. The initial objective was as clear as it was challenging: optimize the cost-efficiency of its Cerner Millennium software implementation, facilitate all end-user training and provide necessary go-live support, all on an extremely tight timeline.
From a KPI perspective, HCLTech identified several important goals that would validate the project’s success:
- Achieve measurable operational cost savings
- Enhance security and compliance
- Streamline operations for core enterprise processes
- Improve upon the standard Cerner revenue cycle management timeline
- Increase end-user (doctors, nurses and support staff) satisfaction
The Solution
One EMR solution that integrated all network hospitals into a single enterprise model
HCLTech provided an extraordinary breadth of expertise and experience with the Cerner suite of applications, including several HCLTech employees who are certified Cerner consultants. With this as the foundation, we quickly tapped into our Cerner talent pool to create a SWAT team of core experts — registered nurses and software trainers — who initiated a knowledge-sharing program followed by wave-based planning of releases for each hospital in the network. Working at the client’s US headquarters and in HCLTech’s offices in Chennai and Bangalore, India, the team of 300+ fully dedicated FTEs accomplished the following in the first year:
- End-to-end implementation of fully customized Cerner Millennium technology solutions across the entire ecosystem
- 1,500+ hours of in-field training delivered to physicians, nurses, therapists and support professionals
- Consolidation of the client’s various data centers
- 24x7 ongoing support of all cross-functional services, including 67 core clinical and non-clinical applications
- Seamless delivery of a full slate of security, compliance and governance services
The one EMR system is now fully operable, delivering improved agility, data transfer and interoperability. All hospitals in our client’s network are now integrated into a single enterprise model.
The Impact
On track for $22M+ savings three years post-implementation
The customized Cerner solution implemented by HCLTech delivered immediate cost savings due to extensive process optimization and automation.
Expected first-year savings
Actual first-year savings
Expected savings in three years
While significant cost savings are the headline, the project’s success extends well beyond dollars. For starters, HCLTech has deep expertise with the software and was able to implement the entire system 30% faster than Cerner’s expected revenue cycle management time, significantly accelerating time to value.
Other measurable benefits include:
- 18% increase in end-user satisfaction, translating directly to less burnout and higher retention rates for doctors, nurses and therapists
- 25% increase in EMR delivery rates due to HCLTech’s multi-skilled Cerner resources
- 95% clean claim rates since day one, meaning that clinicians are doing documentation correctly and indicating the training program’s success
- Two-day claim processing window since day one, a staggering lead over the industry average of 15+ days
- Enhanced security and compliance
HCLTech will continue to partner with this client to accelerate its progress. The project’s next phase is to migrate the entire ‘One EMR’ platform from on-premises servers to Cerner’s cloud solution, adding to the cost savings and enhancing EMR security.
