On my favorite EMR forum, EMR Update, Matt Chase from Medtuity suggested the following pattern for how IT is involved in the EMR implementations he’s been involved in. Here’s what he said (emphasis added):

The characteristic pattern on a new server install is the IT guy comes in, puts the infrastructure in place, comes back in a couple of times over the ensuing 2 weeks and then disappears into the ether for a few years. Once a network is setup properly, it needs surprising little tuning. For example, a facility running Medtuity ~7 years is just now replacing their Windows 200/SQL Server 2000 box (a busy place too. They’ve had their IT people out no more than once per year, I’ll bet, over the last 7 years. Another group with 7 facilities does not even have an IT person on their payroll despite a server at each facility. The important point is to set a server up correctly at the outset.

I’ve seen this pattern first hand with the small clinic implementations I’ve been apart of. Although, I’d say that it’s probably more like 1-2 calls per year and the Merry Christmas phone call in December too. The key really is to make sure the server is setup properly at the outset.

However, what Matt doesn’t highlight is the importance of having the right IT people available for those 1-2 calls per year. It happens so rarely that the clinic goes into a partial state of panic. Having an IT person that can assist you quickly and effectively in that moment of panic is very important.