At iCareManager, in order to help you navigate this exciting journey, our team has curated a strategy that goes beyond technical specs. This builds upon the foundational steps outlined in Beyond The Switch: A Deeper Dive Into EHR Transitions and Now’s The Time to Upgrade Your EHR – Here’s Your Step-by-Step Guide.

To see what this looks like in practice, we invite you to explore the iCareManager Wall of Champions. These case studies are where we celebrate the real-world stories of providers who have successfully navigated this path. Listening to these "Champions" will give you firsthand ideas on how to drive adoption and turn a software switch into a success story.

‍

The Foundation of Success: Change Management

Even the best software requires a people-first approach to have a successful tech project. One model for this is the Prosci ADKAR® Model, which focuses on five milestones in a sequential transition that an individual must reach to change successfully: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.

Here are four themes to guide your implementation, woven with change management principles at the heart of your progress.

‍

1. The "Cultural Audit": Mapping the Real Workflow

Prosci identifies "Solving the Wrong Problem" as a top reason for failure. Organizations often buy an EHR to solve high-level administrative issues while ignoring the daily "shadow workflows" staff use to survive.

• The ADKAR Connection: Awareness. Before you can build awareness for the new system, you must understand the pain points of the current ways of working.
• The Strategy: Conduct a "Cultural Audit." Don't just look at the official manual and ignore the "unwritten rules" of the office. Look at the sticky notes attached to monitors, spreadsheets that individual staff have created, and workarounds currently used. Find overlaps between processes, and consider using AI to support creating aligned standards and outline operating procedures.
• The Goal: Show staff you aren't just giving them a new tool; you are solving the specific friction points they face every day. This creates the Awareness of why change is necessary

‍

2. Managing the "Learning Dip": Protecting Psychological Safety

In any transition, there is a natural "learning dip" where productivity briefly slows down as people find their footing. Recognizing this early is key to maintaining morale.

• The ADKAR Connection: Desire. You cannot force a staff member to want to use a new system. You have to build the Desire by addressing their fears.
• The Strategy: Explicitly announce a "grace period." Tell your team, "We know you'll be learning and discovering the first 90 days, and that’s okay." By removing the pressure of perfection, you create the psychological safety needed for them to actually engage with the software.
• The Goal: Move staff from "I have to use this" to "I want to use this because it's the future of our service." Celebrate the small wins to build the Desire to keep going when the learning curve feels steep.

‍

3. The 3-Tier Communication Rhythm

Communication is the heartbeat of a positive transition. Start talking and sharing resources early and often with your teams. Messages shared through different methods, and consistently will build resonance and excitement around iCareManager. Build Champions among your staff, these leaders will help share the message and build staff confidence in use of iCM.

• The ADKAR Connection: Knowledge. Staff need the right information at the right time to gain the Knowledge of how to change.
• The Strategy: Implement a 3-Tier Rhythm:
  
  • Tier 1 (Leadership): Share the "Big Picture" business reasons for the change. Choose leaders accountable for the transition of systems.
  • Tier 2 (Managers): Focus on how schedules and workloads will be managed during the transition. They will likely be involved in set-up and data entry.
  • Tier 3 (Staff): This is the most critical tier. Supervisors must talk to their teams about personal impact. This is the "What’s In It For Me.” Show them a short video of a Day in the Life, using iCareManager. Practice documentation leading up to Go Live.
• The Goal: Ensure that no one is surprised when they’re expected to document in iCareManager. There will be hiccups, but your team can avoid major issues through clear communication and Knowledge sharing.

‍

4. 90-Day Improvement Measures

The journey doesn't end when your staff start using iCM to document daily activities. Instead, that’s where the refinement begins. Ongoing support is what turns a new tool into a permanent habit. Expand use of tools and features available to your team and continue training on “best practices.”

• The ADKAR Connection: Ability & Reinforcement. Knowing which button to click is "Knowledge." Being able to do it quickly under pressure is Ability. Keeping that habit long-term is Reinforcement.
• The Strategy: Every three months, host sessions to gather feedback from your teams. Share lessons learned, and continue to refine and customize templates or shortcuts to fix issues. 
• The Goal: By listening to feedback and making adjustments, you reinforce the change and prove that the new EHR is a living tool designed to support the staff, not a static burden.

‍

‍

Examples of Success: Find our Case Studies here https://www.icaremanager.com/case-study 

• Check out Denyse Desouza from Unified Community Connections as she shares how moving to one unified platform changed the way her team works - from documentation to visibility to day-to-day confidence. Watch the full conversation here: https://hubs.la/Q03YsSRX0
• Check out Dimetri Gudino from PPEP who showcases how iCM's integrated Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform enabled PPEP to streamline IDD operations, enhance direct support staff training compliance, and provide real-time service visibility; all while reinforcing the values of trust, support, and innovation for Arizona-based IDD service providers. Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/V4HFyvL0tSQ 

‍

Summary: A Transformation Worth Celebrating

EHR upgrades are company-wide transformations that, when done right, breathe new life into an organization. By focusing on the ADKAR milestones and learning from our Wall of Champions, you ensure your team has the support they need to provide the best service possible powered by iCareManager.

‍

‍

‍

Further Reading

AI Readiness Isn’t About Tools - It’s About Culture

AI Can Feel Uncomfortable and Why That Matters

‍