Magnificent Seven

Two days into the Go-Live I have a few Must Go's. I have to start with the fact that we've had old, DOS based systems to schedule patients and register and bill them. More than one system....so we desperately needed some new technology.

We've trained more than 4,500 users in eight weeks and we went live with the new system on Halloween.

I'm one of seven trainers on the phones as a resource to other trainers, IT outposts, super users and end users. We are called the Magnificent Seven. I have enjoyed being in this role and I think the roll out has been smoother than a lot of people expected....but, we get the issues that people have and I have issues with some of those people.

here is a brief must go in regard to this experience:

1. Don't enter in multiple trouble tickets for the same issue. Really!?

2. There are so many people in the command center working through the many trouble tickets and so many people think that their issue is an emergency, high priority and should be the top priority!

3. Calling one of the Mag7, not liking the answer, so calling back to speak to another Mag 7. The answer didn't change.

4. Other credentialed trainers who "help" answer trouble tickets and then reassign them back because they don't know how to answer the question....We don't always know the answer, either, but we find it and then close the trouble ticket.

What I have loved - What Must Stay:

1. Really great Super Users in the clinics who practiced after training and made sure that their areas were truly ready for the go-live!

2. A doctor who called me today and realized in the middle of our conversation that this new system means they'll have to change their entire work flow, and while I fretted for a minute about how he would kill the messenger (me), instead, he says: "Actually, we've been needing to re-evaluate our work flow and this will make us do just that." Yay!

3. Managers who have had so much patience when we tell them, "we'll put in a trouble ticket for IT to handle this issue." And, they hang in there knowing that they have no choice, but they choose to have a good attitude about the wait.

There's my quick list. Two days down, 8 more to go for the go-live support.