Supporting Growing Hospital Systems Through Mission Driven EPIC Support for Over 25 Years
We Specialize In Epic Implementation Consulting
Epic is a leading electronic health record (EHR) system used across inpatient and ambulatory care settings. By securely centralizing patient medical records, Epic streamlines data management and retrieval — all while enabling exceptional interoperability to support optimal patient care.
Implementing Epic EHR involves installing the application, configuring it to mesh with your healthcare organization’s workflows, and integrating it with other facility technology. It can be one of the most complex IT undertakings by any healthcare facility.
Partnering with HealthTECH Resources’ specialized Epic implementation consultants ensures an efficient, cost-effective rollout. Our team helps minimize operational risks, avoid potential pitfalls, and maximize your return on investment.
To discuss your unique needs with our unparalleled experts, including urgent staffing needs, please connect with us online or call (602) 903-7961. We’re the fastest, most knowledgeable, and most reliable EMR/EHR staffing company in the country.
CIO or IT Director Needing Epic Implementation Support?
Our specialized consultants can help you implement, optimize, and manage your healthcare IT systems efficiently.
Trusted by leading healthcare organizations across the country — Get a response within 24 hours.
Epic Implementation Process
From the planning stage to the post-go-live support stage, having the right team for your Epic implementation process is crucial for successful projects. While building your organization’s implementation team, you’ll likely discover skills gaps. Filling those at the beginning of the process through skilled staff augmentation enhances your healthcare facility’s ability to optimally implement your Epic application.
Here’s a high-level overview of the typical Epic implementation process, broken down into key stages:
➔ Planning and readiness assessment:
This initial phase involves establishing implementation goals, tasks, timelines, and deadlines within your project’s scope and budget. It also includes examining your current systems, workflows, and infrastructure to ensure readiness.
➔ System design and configuration
After gathering inputs from key stakeholders and gleaning a deep understanding of your goals, processes, and more, our Epic implementation consultants will collaborate and work closely with your in-house team, allowing your healthcare facility to leverage internal and external resources for maximum implementation success.
➔ Testing and validation
The Epic system will be used in an environment mimicking the real world to ensure that all works smoothly and well. As noted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the goal is to ensure that users can “achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”
➔ Training
The National Institute of Health (NIH) calls it “extremely important for organizations to offer comprehensive Epic system training before, during, and after implementations. Moreover, easy-to-use systems that allow transition periods, a re-engineering approach, and user involvement may be beneficial.” That’s exactly what we provide.
➔ Go-live and post-live optimization
A smooth Epic go-live ensures a seamless transition to the new Epic system. Post go-live Epic optimization allows end users across roles to deepen their engagement with the application and your healthcare organization to more fully, rapidly achieve ROI.
Why You Need an Epic Implementation Consultant
Epic’s Power — and Complexity
Epic is a robust application that provides a wealth of benefits to healthcare organizations. This robustness, though, also means that the software is complex to implement.
Consultants Reduce Risk and Drive Success
Experienced Epic implementation consultants bring niche expertise to each intricate stage in the process. Their guidance helps to reduce risk, improve timelines, and boost adoption for customized results.
Expertise Matters
Our broad network of Epic specialists will tailor your implementation to your facility’s specific needs. With experience from previous rollouts, they know how to keep the project moving at the right pace.
Finding the Right Pace Is Key
A rushed implementation can leave key workflows underdeveloped, forcing staff to spend more time on routine tasks. If implementation drags, it delays your ability to realize the full benefits of Epic — and increases your costs. The right consultant team knows how to strike the ideal balance.
More Focus on Patient Care
By working with skilled Epic consultants, your healthcare facility team will benefit from minimized disruptions, reduced time spent on unnecessary tasks, leading to more time and attention on quality patient care.
Tailored Epic Implementation Services We Offer
Some healthcare organizations rely on us to provide Epic implementation services from beginning to end. Others may seek specialized niche services to fill gaps. We offer both. Our Epic implementation services include:
✔ Strategic Planning
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT highlights the importance of strategic planning, describing key steps. They include mapping out the current state of workflows and then envisioning desired workflows, post-implementation. These redesigned patterns should enhance efficiency and remove duplicative processes.
Once all of this is completed, then Epic implementation consultants can craft a plan to transition from the current system to the new Epic one. This includes but isn’t limited to data cleaning and migration of patient demographics, provider information, and more. Some data may need to be archived or de-duped.
For maximum security, it’s best to incorporate privacy and security planning from the very beginning of the Epic implementation.
✔ Workflow Optimization
Maximize application efficiency, enhance compliance, and encourage end-user adoption by streamlining workflows and ensuring that they mesh with your healthcare organization’s processes and procedures. Our Epic implementation consultant will work alongside your in-house team to gather inputs about current and planned workflows to ensure optimal configuration.
✔ Staff Augmentation
To analyze your facility’s skills gaps and determine the most effective ways to right-size Epic implementation human resources, just contact us. We specialize in helping healthcare facilities create laser-targeted teams with professionals having exactly the right experiences and talents.
✔ Project Recovery
As part of an Epic EHR implementation, HealthTECH Resources also specializes in contingency planning/disaster recovery planning. This allows us to smoothly address any issues that can occur during the implementation process.
✔ Module-Specific Expertise
Epic provides dozens of modules to allow healthcare organizations to tailor their system to their specific needs. Our Epic EHR implementation experts have specialized experience in a wide range of modules, just a few examples include:
Common inpatient modules include:
- ASAP: Epic’s information application for busy emergency room departments
- Anesthesia: anesthesia information management system module
- Bugsy: identify and monitor patients at risk for infection
- ClinDoc (aka EpicCare Inpatient): documentation required for patients admitted to the facility
- OpTime: operating room management application for surgeons
- Phoenix: manage comprehensive continuum of care for a transplant patient
- Stork: outpatient pregnancy care and in-hospital delivery documentation
Common outpatient modules include:
- EpicCare Ambulatory: use this module for overall ambulatory/outpatient medical records management
- Healthy Planet: population management system for a defined patient population
- MyChart: patients’ self-serve access to their medical records and provider interactions
- Kaleidoscope: targeted ophthalmology and optometrist applications
- Willow Ambulatory: medication histories, medication dispensing, and prescription claims information
- Nurse Triage: seamless access to patient records
Other modules include Wisdom with tools and workflows for dentistry procedures and Hospital Outpatient Department (HOD), which can combine EpicCare Ambulatory and EpicCare Inpatient modules.
Common Challenges and How We Solve Them
Staffing and Training Gaps
The first of three common challenges that can occur during the Epic implementation process involves staffing or training gaps. As the system is being implemented, your healthcare facility won’t want to suddenly realize that expertise is not available for a key step. We also address training gaps that can prevent end users from being able to fully benefit from the new system — which can reduce efficiency or ROI potential. Our professional network contains Epic implementation experts who design customized training programs that are both engaging and interactive.
End User Adoption
One of the most overlooked hurdles is getting staff to actually use the system effectively. Our change management experts focus on building user engagement and ensuring successful adoption across departments — leading to long-term success and satisfaction.
Integration Complexity
As a third challenge, Epic’s robustness creates a situation with integration complexity. HealthTECH Resources can provide Epic implementation consultants with specific knowledge in integrating technologies, no matter the complexity.
CIO or IT Director Needing Epic Implementation Support?
If you’re ready to begin your Epic implementation project or are still considering how you will move forward, the best thing you can do is to schedule a free consultation call with HealthTECH Resources. We can help you to create a strong foundation for your upcoming project that bakes in crucial components from the very start.
Our leadership will listen carefully to your specific goals and requirements to provide insights that will help your healthcare organization in your particular situation. To benefit from an expert consultation with our boutique agency that has a sole focus on EMR/EHR technologies, connect with us online or call (602) 903-7961.
CIO or IT Director Needing Epic Implementation Support?
Our specialized consultants can help you implement, optimize, and manage your healthcare IT systems efficiently.
Trusted by leading healthcare organizations across the country — Get a response within 24 hours.
Epic Implementation FAQs
What is Epic implementation?
The Epic implementation process involves the configuration and customization of this particular brand of software to dovetail with the processes and workflows of your healthcare organization and its integration into the facility’s overall technology. Specific components of the Epic implementation process include analyzing the current EMR/EHR system and creating an implementation plan; cleaning and migrating data; integrating and optimizing the system; training end users; testing the application; and going live.
What is the EHR implementation process?
EHR implementation involves configuring and customizing the EHR software of choice, such as Epic, to integrate it into the healthcare facility’s overall technology. The goal is to dovetail the Epic EHR implementation to seamlessly mesh with the facility’s unique processes and workflows.
How long does an Epic implementation take?
It depends! Some projects are fairly straightforward while others can be much more complex. Some facilities are transitioning from a more manual system or from an EMR implementation to an EHR while others are switching from another EHR system to Epic to take advantage of all its functionalities and power. As a general answer, an implementation may take several months or more. For a more specific response, please contact us so that we can connect with you EHR professionals who are highly experienced with the Epic EHR implementation planning processes and timelines.
How many hospitals are using Epic?
According to a May 2020 KLAS report, 29 percent of acute care hospitals use Epic, which is the largest EHR market share. In 2019, Epic had gained 55 facilities, which shows the continuing momentum towards using this premier application. Phrased another way, the majority of top-ranked hospitals and medical schools, according to the U.S. News and World Report, use Epic. Answering this question from a patient usage perspective, more than 250 million people have their electronic health records in Epic. To augment your staff with first in class Epic implementation consultants, please contact us.