AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems, is in the midst of migrating its EHR system from Cerner to Epic Systems and its new system will be powered through the cloud after partnering with Virtustream Healthcare Cloud.
The Florida-based health system and Virtustream partnered knowing AdventHealth’s new Epic Systems EHR platform will be fully implemented across its 37 hospitals and hundreds of health facilities over the next three years.
The cloud vendor aims to provide a secure cloud platform that improves application availability, better end-user experience, and increase IT business agility. The company also said it utilizes a cloud consumption billing model that is based on usage.
“Our technology strategy at AdventHealth directly supports our health systems’ focus on providing whole-person, consumer-centric care,” Phillip Arthur, vice president and chief technology officer for AdventHealth’s technology division, said in a statement.
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“By implementing Virtustream’s managed cloud platform, our caregivers will have seamless and reliable access to the information that enables them to provide convenient and connected care for the patients we serve.”
Virtustream’s xStreamCare services aims to provide AdventHealth with end-to-end support, from the hypervisor to the core infrastructure so the health system’s IT team can focus on supporting caregivers and empowering patients through innovative projects.
Virtustream will also work with AdventHealth’s new Epic Hyperspace, by leveraging its VMware Horizon Apps to provide secure access to patient data.
Cloud-based EHRs are becoming more prevalent in the healthcare field, raising debate about how effective they are compared to other types of EHR solutions.
According to information published by HIMSS Analytics, two-thirds of IT leaders from health systems and hospitals reported that they currently utilize the cloud-based technology.
Thirty percent of practices that house more than 11 clinicians are looking to replace their EHR system by 2021, according to a 2018 Black Book report. Ninety-three percent said a top priority was cloud-based mobile solutions for easy access to data.
“AdventHealth needed an experienced cloud partner who could migrate and manage its EHR environment and provide the flexibility necessary for future developments as the industry continues to evolve with the needs of modern patient care,” Drew Fassett, senior vice president of Global Sales at Virtustream, said in a statement.
In early February, AdventHealth announced its EHR migration from Cerner to Epic Systems and the Epic implementation began in March.
The Epic implementation will allow the health system to be on a single, integrated platform. This platform will include its EHR and a revenue cycle management system that covers its acute care, physician practice, ambulatory, urgent care, home health, and hospice facilities.
“Our journey to become a consumer-focused clinical company requires a fully connected network throughout our entire enterprise,” said Terry Shaw, president and CEO at AdventHealth, in February.
“Connecting our network with a robust, integrated health record platform will give our caregivers access to the clinical information they need at the point of care and ultimately advance our consumer promises through a more seamless experience for those we serve.”
Using Epic, clinicians will be able to communicate across the health system’s clinics and hospitals. Clinicians at AdventHealth will be able to view patient medical history, lab results, and other forms of health information through the EHR system.
An added feature is Epic’s Community Connect program, which will connect AdventHealth to associated providers as a part of the unified platform.
The EHR implementation also comes with Epic’s patient portal, MyChart. Patients will be able to access their medical records, see lab results, scheduled appointments, talk to their care team, and request prescription refills, among other functions.
As of now, over 250 million patients are connected through Epic Systems.
Source: EHR Intelligence