Carle Richland Memorial Hospital invested $10 million in a new Epic EHR implementation and other hospital infrastructure.
Illinois-based Carle Richland Memorial Hospital will launch a new $10 million Epic EHR implementation and phone system by March 2020.
At a public meeting earlier this month, CRMH CEO Harry Brockus detailed forthcoming changes to the hospital part of CRMH’s twenty-year plan.
Brockus stated CRMH selected Epic as part of an effort to improve health data exchange and access across the hospital and with outside facilities.
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The single instance of Epic will facilitate communication between providers across the nonprofit hospital, streamline administrative tasks, and improve the quality of patient care delivery by enhancing care coordination and clinical decision-making.
CRMH patients will also gain access to Epic’s patient portal, MyChart. Patients can access MyChart from their desktops or mobile phones to schedule appointments with providers, view test results, and pay bills online.
Roosevelt Medical Center Switches to athenahealth EHR
Elsewhere in health IT news, Montana-based Roosevelt Medical Center recently announced plans to transition to an athenahealth EHR system to improve patient care delivery and promote clinical efficiency.
The new system will connect RCM’s clinic, outpatient facilities, and hospitals to create a single patient health record across the health system. Patients will also gain access to athenahealth’s patient portal to schedule appointments, message providers, view test results, and pay bills online.
“This is about delivering better healthcare by embracing technology and the convenience it can provide our patients,” Brian Fordyce, RMC Information Technology Director told Roundupweb.com.
RCM board members, providers, department managers, and staff have been collaborating with athenahealth since January 2019 to ensure a smooth transition to the new cloud-based system. The EHR solution is designed to meet the unique needs of the RCM community.
Hospital staff received extensive EHR training throughout the month of May. Administering adequate EHR training can help to reduce administrative burden on providers in the long-term and cut down on the amount of time providers spend engaged in EHR use as opposed to interacting face-to-face with patients during encounters. A select group of RCM staff members have been named super-users and will train new staff on the system in the future.
RCM abandoned its contract with its former EHR vendor, Medworxs, after using the system since May 2012.
“With all of the requirements for documentation it seemed to be a good time to make a total system change to meet our needs while also providing better service to our patients,” said RCM CEO Audrey Stromberg.
The athenahealth EHR product package is designed to be more affordable during the implementation phase with limited up-front costs to reduce financial strain on healthcare organizations.
“This is never an easy process but it’s one we believe is worth its’ growing pains. Bringing convenience to patients through this technology gives our community better access to care in a way that works with their busy lives,” said Fordyce.
Michigan Regional Hospital Goes Live with Epic EHR System
Finally, Michigan-based ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital completed its Epic EHR implementation earlier this month, according to WTVBAM.
Hospital officials stated the new system will help to improve clinical efficiency, patient safety, care quality, and patient satisfaction across the organization.
ProMedica will also be offering patients access to Epic’s patient portal to ensure patients can easily access their complete health information, bills, and appointment schedules online.
Patients at the hospital are asked to bring a form of identification to the hospital during visits that include information about their current address and insurance provider to streamline the patient registration process.
Date: May 22, 2019
Source: EHR Intelligence