Physician and Funeral Director BuyIn

1
Physician and Funeral Director Buy-In

• Kathlene A. Mueller, Manager
• Office of Data, Statistics and Vital Records/
  State Registrar
• South Dakota

2
Keys to a Successful Buy-in

• Communicate with your partners
• Start Early
• Communicate Often
• Use Different Modes
• Involve your Partners
• Involve them Early
• Involve them often
• Money
• If you have it, it helps, but if your product is
  good it will not matter.
• Expertise
• Where you dont have it, find someone who does.

3
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Communicate
• Communicate Early - Bring the necessary partners
  to the table at the outset.
• Buy-in for an EDR in South Dakota began in 1998.
• The Vital Records Office had gone through the
  task of mapping each process to remove
  duplication of effort.
• These processes were then taken to the partners.

4
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Communicate Often and with Different Modes
• Funeral Directors
• Attended five district meetings of the Funeral
  Directors Association Yearly or twice a year
• Attended the Funeral Directors Association
  Meeting Yearly
• Wrote Articles for the Funeral Directors
  Association Newsletter.
• Presented Sessions at applicable meetings
• Developed a Booth
• Designed our own Newsletter to share information
  with them monthly.

5
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Physicians
• Presented the concept to the South Dakota State
  Medical Associations Commission.
• Wrote Articles for the Public Health Bulletin.
• Developed an Electronic Death Registration Brief
• Register of Deeds
• Presented twice a year at their Spring Workshop
  and Fall convention.
• Made visits to their Office Twice
• Designed our own Newsletter to share information
  monthly
• Coroners
• Many Coroners also Funeral Directors
• Sent Informational Letters

6
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Involve Your Partners Early and Often
• Formed the Electronic Vital Record and Screening
  System Workgroup in July of 2000. Made up of
  hospitals, funeral directors, Registers of Deeds,
  coroners, physicians and their Associations. The
  group assisted with
• RFP Analysis and Vendor Selection
• Helped write and or review legislation.
• Assisted with system design.
• Served as our Pilot sites
• Continue to act as a resource even today.

7
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Money If you have it use it.
• South Dakota received the SSA dollars in the
  amount of 500,000. System Development was
  already funded. We used SSA dollars to obtain
  buy-in.
• Provided 2500 grants to each funeral home who
  was ready to go by January 1, 2004.
• Must meet equipment requirements
• We are also providing grants to Round II Funeral
  Homes.

8
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Expertise Where you dont have it, find someone
  who does.
• When obtaining physician buy-in SD looked for
  individuals who would have expertise in working
  with physicians.
• Contacted the South Dakota State Medical
  Association for assistance with obtaining buy-in
  for physicians. (Member of Work Group)
• SDSMA suggested contracting with the University
  of South Dakota, Office of Continuing Medical
  Education.

9
Buy-In South Dakota Experience

• Expertise Continued
• Contract includes
• developing an tutorial for physicians to learn
  how to complete the cause of death and use the
  EDRS.
• Conducting educational sessions for completing
  the cause of death and using the EDRS.
• Grand Rounds
• Marketing Materials
• Labor