From RPMS to integrated EHR: A tribal heath clinic’s journey

Challenge

Cow Creek Health and Wellness Center had finally had enough. The Resource and Patient Management System (RPMS) system caused more problems than it solved, and the inefficiencies were affecting the quality of patient care.

“The system was so dysfunctional that our staff was having to create manual workarounds to get things done,” said Dennis Eberhardt, clinical director at Cow Creek. “We were writing things down on paper and then transferring it to the system afterwards. That takes away the entire point of having an EHR.”

Dennis was selected to oversee the initiative to move away from RPMS, and to find a suite of solutions that could give patients the care they deserve.

“I wanted to involve as many employees as possible in the process, because it would affect almost all of them,” Dennis said.

“The staff was very aligned in their desire for something new — something that would better fit their needs.”

Dennis Eberhardt, clinical director, Cow Creek Health and Wellness Center

Solution

Cow Creek researched nearly 1,000 potential vendors, and quickly narrowed the list to about 25, based on functionality. From there, it came down to six potential partners … Greenway separated itself from the pack right away.

“We knew we were dealing with a different kind of partner when an entire team of people showed up to our meeting,” Dennis said. “They were all very knowledgeable and experienced. This was a big undertaking for us, but we knew we could trust them.”

Dennis has advice for other tribal health centers considering a move away from RPMS. “Diligence and leadership are important when considering a change like this. You need to establish a process for selection, and then you need an administrative champion to enforce that process. Because of the work we put into this decision, we’re confident that Greenway was the right choice.”

The journey to providing the best healthcare possible in your community starts with using technology that meets your unique needs. Below is a comparison of RPMS to Greenway Intergy with its tribal health feature.

“There’s really no comparing RPMS to a modern electronic health record,” said Sharon Stanphill, health and wellness director at Cow Creek. “I’ve worked with three different tribes and spoken with many others, and each has unique needs that RPMS can’t meet. It’s an older system, so it’s clunky. It just isn’t good for patient care or for business. We need more customization.”

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