East Coast System Partners With Mercy For EHR Services

Mercy signs first commercial Epic EHR client

CaroMont Health, based in Gastonia, N.C., has signed an agreement with Mercy Technology Services, the IT services arm of the fifth largest Catholic health system in the U.S., to provide implementation services for CaroMont’s Epic electronic health record (EHR).

“We have used multiple EHRs, and we wanted to consolidate to improve operations and patient experience,” said Mike Johnson, chief information officer (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 made a similar strategic decision in 2004 to install Epic – now in 33 Mercy hospitals and hundreds of clinics – and prepared for its implementation and support by training its own team of Epic-certified specialists. Alice Stewart, Mercy vice president of clinical systems, explained, “It takes an army to put this kind of system in place. One would be hard-pressed to find a consultant with as many Epic installs as Mercy specialists have completed as a team. We have seasoned veterans working in step who accelerate deployment and reduce risk.”

As part of the service, CaroMont will gain Mercy’s unique Epic system. Unlike Epic’s out-of-the-box base model, Mercy’s system contains years of enhancements driven by the physicians and nurses who use it.

“It’s a substantial head start for hospitals wanting optimum productivity, advanced clinical workflows and evidence-based care already built in the system,” said Gil Hoffman, Mercy CIO.

Epic recently designated Mercy as an accredited provider of the Epic Connect program – the first in the country to receive such status. Through the program, Mercy provides Epic implementation, management and hosting services in a software as a service model, along with consulting for existing Epic clients who could benefit from Mercy’s best practices. Mercy also offers services to tap into Epic data, integrating it with claims and external information for population health, accountable care organization reporting 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 Hoffman. “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.”

About CaroMont Health
CaroMont Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides inpatient and outpatient medical services within five counties and two states. CaroMont Health employs more than 3,900 healthcare professionals with a medical staff membership of 455. CaroMont Health is comprised of five entities: CaroMont Regional Medical Center, CaroMont Medical Group, Gaston Hospice, Courtland Terrace and CaroMont Specialty Surgery. CaroMont Health is located at 2525 Court Drive in Gastonia, N.C., and can be reached at 704.834.2000. For more information, visit www.caromonthealth.org.

About Mercy
Mercy is the fifth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. and serves millions of people annually. Mercy includes 33 acute care hospitals, four heart hospitals, two children’s hospitals, three rehab hospitals and one orthopedic hospital, nearly 700 clinic and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. For more information, visit www.mercy.net , www.mercy.net/mercy-technology-services.