As MUSC continues to prepare for our housewide implementation of Epic in July 2014, lessons learned from other facilities implementing health IT may prove useful. A new qualitative study suggests five of these lessons:

1. Governance matters-clinical stakeholders must have a clear voice in designing and implementing IT processes that effect their work.
2. Planning must be thorough-planning and implementation may take years and should not be rushed.
3. "Support at the elbow"-although training is important, having sufficient resources available in-person with the clinicians at the time of go-live is essential.
4. Managing perceptions-leadership should be aware of employee concerns and address these promptly.
5. Truth or consequences-health IT is not a panacea for all safety and quality issues; after implementation clinicians must be on guard for unintended consequences.

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