5 Ways to Avoid CPOE Pitfalls

Simply having a CPOE system in place isn't nearly enough."The belief that simply buying and installing health information technology will automatically lead to safer and better care is a myth," Binder says.

Organizations must start with good content, get plenty of input from clinicians, and then customize the product, says Jeff Rose, MD, vice president of clinical excellence and informatics at Ascension Health.

5. Share best practices

Healthcare organizations are putting aside competition to share best practices in CPOE adoption. Developing evidence-based order sets is expensive, Rose notes. Ascension is working with two other large systems to create a set that is 80% complete—then organizations can tailor the remaining 20% to its own needs with input from its physicians.

You can read more about how to create an effective, safe, and easy-to-use CPOE system in the September issue of HealthLeaders magazine article Strategies Toward Simpler, Safer CPOEs.