Electronic Health Records Conversion Requires Additional Nurses

Summary

• 979-bed tertiary teaching facility providing a full range of services including the only Level I Trauma, Level III NICU and PICU in the area
• The largest medical facility in St. Louis County
• FASTAFF provided 85 nurses to work extended shifts while the facility underwent a major EHR conversion

FASTAFF Nurses Support Facility Undergoing Major Computer Conversion

When several years of complex planning goes into a major medical center’s EHR conversion, nothing can be left to chance. From admissions and registration through clinical documentation, St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri faced this daunting task, which would take their medical records from paper to an entirely electronic file.

A fast paced, high intensity environment, St. John’s more than 2,300 Registered Nurses are highly competent, skilled and dedicated to superior care. All of these nurses required a minimum of 28-hours of training, while 500 super-users were completely pulled from the staffing pool to assist with nursing questions, issues and concerns when the new EHR rolled out.

St. John’s administration knew they needed a very special supplemental nursing pool to rely on during the transition period so they called on FASTAFF.

Known for providing top quality travel nurses on a moment’s notice, FASTAFF responded to St. John’s Mercy’s needs with highly specialized nurses capable of adjusting swiftly to the challenges of a facility undergoing a complete EHR conversion. Additionally, many of the nurses FASTAFF provided were already familiar with the new computer system, allowing these nurses to become an additional resource the facility could rely on at go live.

FASTAFF provided 85 nurses in a variety of specialties to St. John’s Mercy within three weeks. These nurses worked extended shifts of 60-hours per week, allowing the hospital to cover more shifts with fewer nurses. A traditional staffing agency would have required 120 nurses for the same work load. Additionally, FASTAFF nurses could float from unit to unit allowing coverage to be allocated evenly through the hospital at all times.

The flexibility, adaptability and highly specialized skill sets FASTAFF’s nurses brought to the table helped smooth St. John’s Mercy’s transition to their new computer system. St. John’s Mercy has returned to FASTAFF again and again for their supplemental staffing needs attesting to FASTAFF’s ability to provide the best travel nurses and staffing solutions.

About FASTAFF

Since 1989, FASTAFF has been staffing acute-care facilities with highly trained, top-quality nurses in a variety of specialties. FASTAFF responds with as little as 48-hours notice to crucial and urgent healthcare needs. FASTAFF has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, showing our commitment to continuous improvement and quality services. For more information about how FASTAFF can assist your facility, contact us at www.fastaff.com or 888-859-8687.