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Epic. What we’ve accomplished. What’s coming.

More than a year after our final Epic launch, we continue optimizing our systems to support exceptional patient care.

Expanding our functionality has brought greater efficiencies and tools for clinicians and patients. We’ve also accomplished several banner achievements since completing all systemwide Epic Go-Lives:

  • Second in MyChart use among all organizations using Epic
  • First in the nation to integrate all 12 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s opioid prescribing protocols into Epic
  • Notable level eight in Epic Corp’s Gold Stars Program. This rates how well we are using the system
  • Exchanged more than 6.6 million patient records with healthcare organizations locally and nationally using Care Everywhere
  • Completed one major upgrade earlier this year, and another is scheduled for Nov. 11

Here’s what’s coming.

What’s up next for Epic? In May, Houston Methodist operational and IT leaders met at Epic Corp. in Verona, Wisconsin, to discuss Epic’s strategic roadmap and explore new enhancements.

“Collaboration was really great between us and the vendor,” said Linda Kulhanek, Houston Methodist Hospital vice president of finance. “This was a great opportunity to get a combined view of what Epic has on the horizon.”

“I’m very excited about us getting our nurses equipped with the right toolset so they can be more mobile,” she said. “This mobility will help them be more productive.”

“We’ve developed strong partnerships with operations throughout our Epic journey, and we’re excited about the continuing opportunities,” said IT Vice President Darby Dennis. “We’re collaborating to ensure we include the right enhancements at the right time for our users.”

There’s an app for that.

Looking ahead, here are some examples of enhancements we can expect for clinicians.

Secure chat will allow HIPAA-compliant messaging, making nursing and physician communication easier. This is in addition to the mobile tools physicians already are using, including voice recognition for clinical documentation and order entry. And nurses can look forward to mobile tools.

A number of improvements for patients also are on the horizon.

New functionality will allow patients to reserve time in the nearest Emergency Department (ED). Another new tool lets patients e-check-in before arriving at a scheduled appointment, alerts the clinic when patients arrive and allows them to e-sign consent forms.

With a new Share Everywhere feature, patients can let any clinician access their medical information from a website with a secure code.

We’re also making progress with chronic disease management tools. For digital health monitoring, we’ve integrated personal biometric monitors − like Fitbit, Nokia and Apple Health − into Epic. We’ve also partnered to integrate the Apple Health Record Beta program with Epic, allowing patients to have their health records at their fingertips.

We continue exploring technologies, processes and tools that pave the way for unparalleled patient care.