Cleveland-based University Hospitals announced this week that it had completed its year-long migration to a single Epic electronic health record for all of its care locations.
WHY IT MATTERS
Healthcare system leaders said the implementation — which moved more than 5.6 million patient records and scheduling systems to a single platform — is a “transformational moment” that will lead to better care delivery from providers and a more connected experience for patients.
Robert K. Eardley, UH’s Chief Information Officer, said the value of a unified patient record to enable more effective and efficient care delivery was a guiding principle for University Hospitals as they pursue this long and complex initiative.
“For years, our healthcare providers have had to coordinate the best care for our patients using the tools in nearly two dozen different computer applications,” he explains. “By moving all that care into one integrated file with Epic, our exceptional caregivers can more efficiently find the right information and more easily document the best next step of care for that person. This will provide the personal and compassionate approach to care for which we are known.”
In addition to a comprehensive single EHR for physicians, the move will help increase patient access by enabling easier scheduling through MyChart – which will integrate patient records at UH with their records at other healthcare organizations in Northeast Ohio and across the country.
THE BIG TREND
University Hospitals join several other major healthcare systems across the country that have made the full transition to a full Epic system. Over the past month, Intermountain Healthcare and UPMC announced major new EHR migrations. Boston Children’s Hospital plans to take this step as well.
And university hospitals nearby competitor/collaborator Cleveland Clinic is also making a number of important research innovations using data from MyChart.
Earlier this year, we showed how UH turned a virtual care application designed for the COVID-19 response into a multi-functional digital health tool that helps manage capacity in emergency departments and urgent care centers while boosting care for chronic conditions.
ON THE RECORD
“When implementing Epic, our guiding principle was to put the patient first in all our decision-making,” said Eardley. “Over the past few years, this process has touched almost all of our healthcare providers, and every one of them has taken that principle to heart. Training and preparing nearly 30,000 healthcare providers was a monumental effort, and when we went live they were supported by more than 6,000 employees to ensure our healthcare providers are equipped to deliver exceptional quality of care even during this transition. Our patients deserve it.”
“This implementation shows the heart of university hospitals,” added health system CEO Dr. Cliff Megerian. “At a time of continued adversity for many healthcare systems, UH has chosen to invest in the latest and greatest technologies, essentially replacing the ‘central nervous system’ of our hospitals. In addition, we are confident that this will differentiate the way we care for patients and enable us to continue to deliver excellent services.”
Mike Miliard is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.