Helping Providers of All Sizes Adopt the Epic EHR

Although Epic is a large, expensive product historically used by institutions with deep pockets, it is increasingly also the choice of community health centers, tribal health facilities, and other ambulatory practices. In our recent interview with two health IT leaders from Med Tech Solutions: Kaitlyn Nelson, Director, Strategic Accounts, and Imran Siddiqui, Chief Client Officer, we explore the process of adopting Epic even at these relatively smaller organizations.

Siddiqui says that Epic is often adopted because of its strong interoperability capabilities, enabling seamless data sharing across organizations. He adds that its integrated clinical and revenue cycle platform, disciplined governance model, and robust analytics capabilities support better care coordination, regulatory reporting, and overall clinical outcomes, while positioning organizations for long-term scalability. MyChart is also the market standard (most popular) for patient portals now.

Nelson explains why a third-party consultant such as Med Tech Solutions is desirable: the tech staff at small practices are already stretched thin and “wear multiple hats,” and federal funding cuts make it even harder to hire more staff. Med Tech Solutions likes to come in at the very start, discussing first of all options for hosting systems, then going on to building, training, and going live with Epic, and even archiving legacy systems.

Some of the challenges in adopting Epic include integrating it with other systems, customization, optimizing the implementation for a small provider, and workflow design. Siddiqui strongly advises organizations to document their workflows before installing Epic, in order to support what their clinicians are doing. He said it’s important for the organization to get up to the original level of production within 30-45 days.  This is particularly true at these smaller organizations where cash flow is key to their success.

Nelson adds that the end users must have a say, from the first discussions all the way through implementation. She calls for a “structured framework” to offer support and consistent answers in real-time. Departmental super users should be involved throughout each stage as Epic rollout and optimization champions to boost workflow alignment and cross-organization new system buy in.

Finally, Siddiqui warns that Epic has a longer implementation process than most EHRs and requires “an organizational transformation.” High-level managers have to own the process and not just leave it to CIOs.

Check out our interview with Med Tech Solutions to learn more about what it takes for organizations to be successful with Epic.

Learn more about Med Tech Solutions: https://medtechsolutions.com/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.

Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

Med Tech Solutions is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.

Although Epic is a large, expensive product historically used by institutions with deep pockets, it is increasingly also the choice of community health centers, tribal health facilities, and other ambulatory practices. In our recent interview with two health IT leaders from Med Tech Solutions: Kaitlyn Nelson, Director, Strategic Accounts, and Imran Siddiqui, Chief Client Officer, we explore the process of adopting Epic even at these relatively smaller organizations.

Siddiqui says that Epic is often adopted because of its strong interoperability capabilities, enabling seamless data sharing across organizations. He adds that its integrated clinical and revenue cycle platform, disciplined governance model, and robust analytics capabilities support better care coordination, regulatory reporting, and overall clinical outcomes, while positioning organizations for long-term scalability. MyChart is also the market standard (most popular) for patient portals now.

Nelson explains why a third-party consultant such as Med Tech Solutions is desirable: the tech staff at small practices are already stretched thin and “wear multiple hats,” and federal funding cuts make it even harder to hire more staff. Med Tech Solutions likes to come in at the very start, discussing first of all options for hosting systems, then going on to building, training, and going live with Epic, and even archiving legacy systems.

Some of the challenges in adopting Epic include integrating it with other systems, customization, optimizing the implementation for a small provider, and workflow design. Siddiqui strongly advises organizations to document their workflows before installing Epic, in order to support what their clinicians are doing. He said it’s important for the organization to get up to the original level of production within 30-45 days.  This is particularly true at these smaller organizations where cash flow is key to their success.

Nelson adds that the end users must have a say, from the first discussions all the way through implementation. She calls for a “structured framework” to offer support and consistent answers in real-time. Departmental super users should be involved throughout each stage as Epic rollout and optimization champions to boost workflow alignment and cross-organization new system buy in.

Finally, Siddiqui warns that Epic has a longer implementation process than most EHRs and requires “an organizational transformation.” High-level managers have to own the process and not just leave it to CIOs.

Check out our interview with Med Tech Solutions to learn more about what it takes for organizations to be successful with Epic.

Learn more about Med Tech Solutions: https://medtechsolutions.com/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.

Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

Med Tech Solutions is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.