Early in 2020, Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS) announced plans to implement a new unified electronic health record (EHR) system that will offer high-quality care and convenient communication to patients and providers.  In collaboration with Epic Systems Corporation, members of the LMHS Information Systems (IS) team began the software configuration process.  Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has continued to move forward and progress has not slowed.

“We remain on schedule with the implementation of the Epic system,” said Rob Montagnese, President & CEO of LMHS.  “Epic Systems’ headquarters are located in Wisconsin, so the use of technology has allowed us to hold meetings remotely via video and web conferencing, which has been instrumental in keeping this project on track.”

Starting in January, LMHS employees traveled to Verona, Wisconsin, to begin certification courses on the Epic system.  In-person training continued through mid-March until the pandemic forced stay-at-home orders in several states, including Ohio.  Certification training continued remotely, which has allowed the project to enter the Workflow Walkthrough and Configuration phase.  The IS team, in conjunction with key clinical and business subject matter experts, are focused on building and configuring the Epic system, and when completed, functional testing will begin.

Initial software training will consist of three groups of employees: super users – end users with extensive knowledge of workflows and the supported Epic applications – from the clinical and business departments; credentialed trainers from IS; and physicians and advanced practice specialists who will train their peers.  These groups will consist of experienced business and clinical staff with a familiarity of various LMHS departments.  They will receive complete training on the Epic system, which will allow them to assist in teaching other LMHS employees and physicians to use the software.  A two-week period, known as at-the-elbow support, will allow super users who are fully trained and comfortable with Epic to be an in-person resource for newly-trained employees as they navigate through the system.

“The IS team has worked hard to maintain our timeline for completing the Epic installation,” said Sallie Arnett, Vice President Information Systems.  “Our goal is to have our certified employees and super users trained by the end of the year.  This will allow time for the remainder of LMHS staff to be trained and become familiar with Epic in the first quarter of 2021, before we go live with the system in March.”

Epic will store all patient records within one system to provide better access to information throughout the continuum of care.  Moving the most important historical patient information needed for immediate care over to the Epic system from the current EHR system will be completed prior to go-live.  Information, such as patient identifiers and demographics, will be converted for all patients.  Lab results, imaging and other test results dating back two to five years, as well as vaccine records and allergy information also will be moved over to the new system.  All patient data will remain available through the current EHR system and through archives that will be accessible via the Epic system. 

Currently, medical records for Hospital services and physician offices are located on separate patient portals, requiring two different login accounts.  A benefit that the new EHR system will provide is the ability for patients to access their health information from all LMHS facilities in one online location.  MyChart, Epic’s patient portal, is a secure online health management tool that will allow patients to schedule appointments, receive test results, send messages to their providers, request medication refills, and pay medical bills.

“MyChart will assist with population health management by allowing our providers to send communications that notify patients when they are due for vaccines, routine procedures or other tests,” Rob said.  “It will allow patients to engage with their providers to receive better care.  By adopting this user-friendly technology, LMHS continues its mission to improve the health of our community.”

The use of Epic will enable providers to have access to complete medical information, which will lead to more informed diagnoses and a better quality of care for patients.  Individuals will have personal and family information at their fingertips to encourage them to become more involved in managing their health.