EHR Implementation Service Agreement Help Transformation To Value-Based Care
By Wendy Grafius, contributing writer
The stated goal of the implementation is to keep project costs in check and minimize risks.
CaroMont Health, of Gastonia, NC, has contracted with Mercy Technology Services, the IT services division of the nation’s fifth largest Catholic health system, to implement Mercy’s proprietary Epic EHR. The partnership is expected to facilitate optimum productivity, advanced clinical workflows, and evidence-based care for CaroMont’s inpatient and outpatient medical services.
In 2004, Mercy selected Epic EHR for 33 of its hospitals and hundreds of clinics. To prepare for the implementation, the health system developed and trained its own team of Epic-certified specialists. “One would be hard-pressed to find a consultant with as many Epic installs as Mercy specialists have completed as a team,” said Alice Stewart, VP of clinical systems at Mercy. “We have seasoned veterans working in step who accelerate deployment and reduce risk.”
In fact, Mercy recently became the nation’s first accredited provider of Epic Connect, a designation in which Mercy provides implementation, management and hosting of the SaaS model, as well as consultation services.
By partnering with Mercy, CaroMont will have access to Mercy’s unique Epic system, which includes years of enhancements from Mercy’s clinicians. “We have used multiple EHRs and we wanted to consolidate to improve operations and patient experience,” said Mike Johnson, CIO at CaroMont. “This is a complex, large-scale implementation and it will be important that our efforts be successful. Our goal is to keep project costs in check and minimize risk. We chose Mercy because they are accredited by Epic and they have a great track record.”
Mercy’s services will also include integration of Epic data with claims and external information for population health, accountable care organization, and business intelligence. “Providers across the country are under pressure to quickly transform to value-based models like accountable care, and they need proven solutions,” said Gil Hoffman, CIO at Mercy. “Mercy Technology Services brings experience and answers to real-world problems, helping providers reach financial, operational, and clinical goals. We are pleased to partner with CaroMont in their implementation of a consolidated electronic health record.”
The CaroMont Health System is composed of 435-bed CaroMont Regional Medical Center, 96-bed skilled nursing community Courtland Terrace, and 12-bed inpatient Robin Johnson House of Gaston Hospice. 3900 dedicated professionals, including a medical staff membership of 455, of which 200 are CaroMont-employed physicians, provide services in five counties and two states. Recognitions include Midas National Platinum Award for Excellence in Quality Outcomes, Thomson Reuters’ Top 100 Hospitals, and HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence.
Mercy’s 43 hospitals – 33 acute care, four heart, two children’s, three rehab, and one orthopedic - serve millions of patients in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. A team of 40,000 employees and more than 2000 Mercy Clinic physicians deliver care at 700 clinics and outpatient facilities. Named one of Hospital & Health Network’s “Most Wired” organizations ten times, Mercy was an early adopter of electronic health records and was the nation’s first Epic user to implement EHR-automated care paths. The health system also ranks among the top 10 healthcare supply chains.
SOURCE: Mercy