Patients and providers at Tanner Health System can now access Epic Systems EHR and the Tanner MyChart patient portal.
After a successful 14-month implementation, Tanner Health System in Georgia launched its new Epic Systems EHR.
All patients in the Tanner Health System, which includes five hospitals, roughly 40 physician practices, three urgent care centers, four emergency departments, and multiple outpatient services, will now be able to access their health information on one single health record using the patient portal.
This EHR implementation will help increase care coordination, improve patient care, and enhance care across the health system.
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“This is an exciting time to be a part of Tanner, whether you’re a patient or a part of the Tanner team,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner.
The new online application is accessible on computers, tablets and smartphones, providing patients with 24/7 access to their healthcare information.
“Our Epic implementation is the largest and most transformative change in our history,” said Howard. “Our team members have risen to the challenge. Almost all have undergone hours of preparation and training, whether to provide input early on to make the system work its best for Tanner or to train on how to use the system — all the while caring for our patients.”
With the EHR implementation, patients of Tanner Health System can now access their own patient portal, Tanner MyChart. Utilizing the patient portal, individual can view their medical records, schedule appointments, order prescription refills, and pay physician and hospital bills. Patients with dependent children or elderly family members can also make proxy arrangements to access and manage their information and healthcare activities.
“One of the most visible benefits patients will see is the availability of the Tanner MyChart portal, which was launched initially by Tanner in its Tanner Medical Group practices in July and is now available for inpatient services as well,” said Greg Schulenburg, Tanner senior vice president and chief information officer.
“Patients are already handling a lot of their day-to-day tasks electronically, so their health care should not be an exception,” said Schulenburg.
Prior to the Epic implementation, the Tanner utilized three different health record platforms and several smaller specialty department records in its hospitals, emergency departments, and physician practices, said the health system in a release.
The 14-month implementation required more than 100 IT and healthcare professionals to build the Epic EHR system. More than 3,400 Tanner employees received EHR onboarding training, while also providing care for patients.
Since the July launch, more than 7,500 patients have signed up for the Tanner MyChart portal.
Epic is the largest EHR vendor in the country, with more than 250 million patients having a current electronic record with them. Epic Systems regularly earns a top spot on the annual Best in KLAS rankings, and a great number of US News and World Report’s top-ranked hospitals and medical schools use Epic.
Several hospitals across the country have recently adopted Epic Systems EHR. Most recently, Alameda Health System (AHS) in California launched its new Epic EHR in mid-October.
“We’re committed to meeting the unique needs of our community and are very excited about the multiple benefits the new EHR system means for improved clinical efficiency, health management and patient care,” said Alameda Health System CEO, Delvecchio Finley.
“Investing in this robust technology that equips our teams with a single electronic health record means that AHS will be able to deliver better integrated care, with added convenience, to our patients,” added Finley.
After a three-year implementation project, Alameda patients can access their 24-hour patient portal, MyAlamedaHealth.
“To get a hold of my doctor I have to transfer through so many calls and then it takes some time for him to get the message and get back to me. This way I can contact him directly,” said J. Jose Franco, a patient at AHS. “I’m really excited to enroll.”
Source: EHR Intelligence