A health system spanning Georgia and Alabama will go live with Epic EHR across its five hospitals and various clinics by the close of 2019.
Tanner Health System is in the process of launching a single, integrated Epic EHR system across its five hospitals and more than 30 outpatient clinics and urgent care facilities, according to Star News Online.
The health system has recently built a new surgical services units, a new emergency department, and a new post-anesthesia care unit, among other facilities. The switch to Epic across all locations will mark the completion of a complete infrastructure overhaul.
On July 1, Tanner began the EHR system rollout which will eventually connect all facilities in the Tanner Health network to streamline health data exchange and care coordination across locations. The EHR implementation process first launched at Tanner Medical Group’s outpatient clinics and urgent care facilities across Georgia and Alabama.
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Tanner Health expects to go live with the Epic system at its five hospitals by November 2019.
“Our mission is to advance health in the communities we serve,” said Tanner Health System President and CEO Loy Howard told Star News Online. “That’s a commitment we’ve made to our neighbors, and we take it seriously.”
Tanner Health officials first made the decision to implement Epic EHR in March 2018. A team of Tanner Health physicians and staff members evaluated systems from several different EHR vendors as part of the EHR selection process.
“Currently, our hospitals are on one system, our Tanner Medical Group practices are on another, and some of our emergency departments use yet a third,” said Tanner Health CIO and Senior Vice President Greg Schulenburg. “The information is there, but it takes time and effort to piece together the whole picture of the patient’s health.
“Epic will change that, improving care and efficiency in the process,” Schulenberg added.
When all patients in the Tanner Health network have complete EHRs within the Epic system, their health records will follow them across the care continuum. Providers in any Tanner Health facility or care setting will have access to the same patient health records.
“That’s ‘one patient, one record,’” said Schulenburg. “Every note, every prescription, every test result, right at the provider’s fingertips, so he or she can make the most informed decisions regarding patient care.”
The new Epic system will also help to streamline health data exchange between Tanner Health and other Epic users across the country.
“The installation of our new EHR is a win-win for our patients and our team,” said Howard. “Our team members chose the healthcare field because they want to help people, and this new system will enable them to do that more effectively and efficiently.”
A team of over 100 IT professionals and clinicians are currently working with Tanner Health to ensure the EHR implementation and go-live process runs smoothly. The Epic go-live team includes nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.
“These experts not only support our EHR implementation and team but also our local economy, investing in hotel rooms, meals and other travel expenses in the communities Tanner calls home,” said Howard.
Tanner Health officials will prioritize EHR training before and after go-live. All of the health system’s 3,400 staff members will complete training in the next year.
“Our Tanner team members are excited about what the benefits a new, single EHR will mean for patient care and efficiency,” said Howard. “Many of them are familiar with Epic from their work with other organizations and encouraged us to implement the platform.”
As part of the transition, all Tanner Health patients will also have access to Epic’s patient portal, MyChart. Patients can use the portal to access test results, communicate with providers, schedule appointments, and pay bills.
Several other health systems have launched large-scale Epic EHR implementations in 2019. In April, University Health System began work on a $170 million Epic system as part of an effort to cut hospital costs and improve the quality of patient care in the next few years.
Meanwhile, Catholic Health System invested $135 million in an Epic EHR replacement in February.
Date: July 15, 2019
Source: EHR Intelligence