A national EMR software provider sought to develop a self-service patient portal for individuals facing addiction, behavioral, or mental health issues. The goal was to empower their patients with greater access to resources, adapt to social distancing measures, and stay competitive.
However, off-the-shelf solutions fell short of meeting their specific requirements cost-effectively. They turned to Chariot Solutions to develop a customer-centric, HIPAA-compliant solution that seamlessly integrated with their flagship EMR product and was easy to access on a mobile device.
Identifying Key Personas & Priorities
Our architects began asking thoughtful questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the key personas and their priorities within the process – ensuring their infrastructure decisions aligned with the unique and, at times, conflicting needs of each persona. Let’s take a closer look at the main personas and their specific goals in streamlining and improving the EMR software:
The Patient: Streamlining the patient experience was a top priority. We identified significant opportunities for improvement while also aiming to put control and convenience back in patients’ hands.
The Agency Administrator: The top priority of this persona was to streamline processes related to patient consent forms and facilitating better patient communication.
The EMR Administrator: The EMR administrator required improvements to address customer needs and enhance workflows. We aimed to streamline inefficient setup and customization processes.
Understanding the Problem
As we engaged in discussions with key stakeholders, we uncovered specific technical challenges that our solution needed to address.
Synchronization: The patient portal needed to integrate flawlessly with the existing back-office system. That meant ensuring patient sign-up information, messages, appointments, and all operations flowed smoothly in both directions.
Scalability and Access Control: Handling lots of users without a hitch was a top priority. Our solution had to be scalable, accommodating numerous simultaneous users while remaining performant, secure, and controlled.
Email Communications: We wanted to make life easier with automated emails. We aimed to automate common email tasks like sign-ups, password changes, document delivery, and meeting notifications.
The project aimed to minimize administrative efficiencies, and put control and convenience back in patients’ hands.
Laying The Technical Groundwork
To initiate the project, we began with a Wireframe and Prototype phase to thoroughly understand the challenges and align technical teams with business priorities. Collaborating closely with the EMR provider, we meticulously documented system-level processes for each user role.
Next came the development phase, led by a diverse team comprising a project manager, skilled software developers, and an experienced infrastructure specialist. Our CTO played a vital role, providing architectural support and leveraging expertise in Amazon Web Services (AWS). Our team addressed critical elements such as AWS infrastructure setup, seamless third-party PDF signing integration, and the creation of a reliable two-way interface with the back-office EMR system.
Adhering to a lean-agile approach, we worked in two-week sprints, delivering regular demos to showcase progress. Meetings were held with special project teams to discuss essential topics, including HIPAA compliance, third-party vendor evaluation, and optimizing the two-way interface with the back-office EMR.
The Result: Efficient Development in a Short Time Frame
Within six weeks, we successfully deployed the application on AWS, enabling customer testing, functionality verification, and integration validation. We provided an initial testing endpoint before deploying the full stack on the client’s AWS account, and a platform support guide was delivered through AWS CloudFormation.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, we developed the project remotely. Collaboration tools like JIRA and GitHub facilitated sprint planning, management, and version control. Documentation was written in Markdown and ASCIIDoctor, ensuring seamless tracking of changes.
The collaboration was a success, and our team delivered a tailored patient portal, empowering individuals with enhanced access to resources while adhering to HIPAA compliance. Our cloud-based solution streamlined processes, improved communication, and ensured scalability and security.