By GREGORY ZELLER //
Northwell Health has announced a patient-data effort of Epic proportions.
Epic Systems, precisely, Northwell’s new partner on a mission to implement a next-generation electronic health record strategy. The New Hyde Park-based health system and the Wisconsin-based EHR pioneer will customize a digital solution that, among other benefits, creates one patient record across the entire Northwell spectrum.
Epic Systems will replace Veradigm (previously Allscripts), Northwell’s current EHR provider. The health system plans to introduce the Epic EHR system in phases, with the first rollouts scheduled for 2025.
Sophy Lu: Foundational effort.
The overhaul is part of the health system’s larger, ongoing digital transformation, designed to relieve provider burdens, streamline services and improve patient experiences.
Northwell Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Sophy Lu said switching health-record providers – and, specifically, combining all patient data into a single electronic record – was part of a “significant foundational decision to simplify our digital ecosystem in order to enhance the connectedness of Northwell’s integrated system delivery and bring joyful experiences at every touchpoint.”
“We are excited for the collaboration and possibilities with Epic,” Lu added.
Northwell – New York’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, now boasting 21 hospitals and 900-plus outpatient facilities – figures to check off several important boxes in its EHR trade-up.
Besides those single patient records across ambulatory, emergency, inpatient and post-acute care, the health system is looking to reduce what it termed “workflow redundancies” and eliminate “the need for workarounds,” while otherwise benefitting from “a more intuitive platform” with a host of clinical- and revenue-side benefits.
It will take a “multi-year effort” to introduce Epic Systems throughout the vast health system and fully realize its benefits, according to Northwell Health Executive Vice President of Enterprise Services Joseph Moscola, but it will be worth it in the end for patients and providers alike.
“Implementing Epic at Northwell will require … re-visioning the consumer experience, clinical workflow and standards,” Moscola said in a statement. “We are at the start of an exciting digital transformation journey, which includes utilizing Google Cloud to discover data insights and refining our customer relationship management to create personalized experiences.”
