Doppler, Julie M.

Implementation of Epic as an integrated electronic health record and revenue cycle management system was the largest software implementation in the history of Mayo Clinic. It converged thousands of workflows, eliminated hundreds of legacy systems and affected thousands of end users across Mayo Clinic campuses. Strong physician leadership, project management and deliberate change management were important components in this US$1.5bn project. Mayo’s leadership used a distinctive approach to prepare staff to make these important changes. At the beginning of the project, leaders developed a deliberate and robust change management strategy and formed a team focused on change management and communications. The change management team comprised Mayo Clinic health systems engineers, who know healthcare and Mayo’s culture and values and have expertise in systems engineering and quality improvement principles. The team developed an approach using various tools to support operational readiness and change readiness and to communicate important messages throughout the project cycle. In this paper, crucial components of the project for successfully managing the people side of change are described: development of an approach to change management that fits the organisation, creation of a dynamic team with the right skills mix and execution of appropriate timing of tactics.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged healthcare organisations in safely providing healthcare to patients while protecting employees and reducing the spread of the virus. This paper shows how the Mayo Clinic responded by implementing innovations, including screening, testing and tracing patients for COVID-19; expanding telehealth services; adjusting surgical and procedural operations and reallocating staffing and supplies. These changes were operationalised rapidly through the coordinated response from its leadership, partnership of experts across the organisation, prompt decision-making driven by data, redistribution of resources and expedited training. These innovations and methods of rapid implementation enabled Mayo Clinic to safely continue its mission of providing healing and hope to its patients worldwide, and quickly return to financial sustainability.