Since last year, Houston Methodist continues to leverage innovative technologies that help us provide exceptional patient care and facilitate better workflows and communication across our system. Let’s take look a look back at how much we used some of these key technologies.

MyChart: Topping the Charts

MyChart usage increased in 2023, underscoring its value in facilitating patient engagement and enhancing the overall health care experience. More MyChart accounts were created and more patients continued to leverage this one-stop patient portal as a convenient and efficient way to manage their care.

MyChart’s features empower our patients to take control of their health care journey, allowing them to schedule appointments, refill medications, send secure messages to their health care providers and access test results — all from the app.

Virtual Care: Transforming Care

Virtual care also experienced growth in 2023, allowing providers to connect with patients through Epic video visits, telephone consults, virtual urgent care visits, telenursing and telepsych and telestroke consults.

Care Everywhere: Improving Patient Care and Outcomes

In 2023, Care Everywhere continued its pivotal role in supporting interoperability and collaboration. Care Everywhere allows clinicians from different health systems, who use Epic, to quickly and securely exchange important patient information. This helps them learn more about the patient’s history, enhancing care coordination and continuity and driving improved patient outcomes and better health care delivery.

In fact, Epic Research reports that the ability to access outside medical records for higher acuity patients in the ED is linked to a 34-63% reduced risk of a code blue event, depending upon the patient’s age (read Epic Research article).

Epic Cosmos: Data-Driven Insights, Better Patient Care

Epic Cosmos was new to Houston Methodist in 2023 — an innovative health care platform that’s revolutionizing patient care by seamlessly integrating electronic health records (EHR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This HIPAA-restricted database combines the Epic EHR data of approximately 230 million de-identified patients and uses advanced algorithms to analyze this vast amount of patient data, allowing providers to seek exploratory insights through signals in our data or Epic partners. For more information on Epic Cosmos and studies, go to this page.

Community Connect: Expanding Our Epic EHR, Connecting Patient Care

Houston Methodist’s Community Connect sustained its impressive growth trajectory — experiencing its biggest increase to date in 2023. HM’s Community Connect allows physician practices, who work with HM, to purchase our best-in-class version of Epic and practice management system to use in their practices.

Microsoft Teams: Staying Connected

Microsoft Teams served as a dynamic collaboration hub in 2023, keeping colleagues and areas across our system seamlessly connected.

2024: Looking Ahead

Two important launches are happening in 2024 — both geared to improve Epic, give our clinicians a better Epic experience and more time with their patients.

Epic Hyperdrive
Last month, HM began transitioning to Epic Hyperdrive — a special internet browser, like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, but only used to access a web-based version of Epic, instead of an application installed on a workstation. This behind-the-scenes change doesn’t impact Epic workflows, but users will experience improved system performance and a more modern look and feel to some activities. Early adopters began working with Hyperdrive last month. HMB and HMCL launched Hyperdrive Sunday, March 10, and everyone else systemwide will launch Sunday, April 21.

Hyperdrive also includes some new features, including the ability to update Epic faster, with shorter downtimes. This means better reliability, so you can do what you do best — take care of patients.

Take the KLAS Arch Collaborative Survey – Your Feedback Makes a Difference
HM received the results of its first KLAS Arch Collaborative survey in 2023, leading to systemwide initiatives to improve our clinicians’ overall Epic experience. The next KLAS survey is slated for May 20. Don’t miss your chance to take this survey and ensure your voice is heard — your feedback makes a difference. Survey details and instructions will be communicated later. Stay tuned for more information.