Epic

Since 2010, one in four rural hospitals across the US has closed its obstetric unit, increasing the average travel distance to the nearest hospital to 29 miles. Madison Regional Health System knew that women in labor from across a wide region with records across multiple systems might find themselves in their care. With longer drive times associated with a higher likelihood of a premature delivery, there's less room for error because every second once the pregnant mother enters the facility needs to count. But would their unit be ready for these mothers? As their Chief Executive Officer Teresa Mallet put it, "We've decided the answer will always be yes." Madison Regional began using Epic's electronic health record and MyChart patient portal one year ago to signal their commitment to the next generation of families in their community. Now, they no longer need to compile the information from different hospitals, and the care team immediately has the mother's health history side-by-side with the baby's chart, providing a complete picture and allowing them to give their patient their full attention. And once the baby is born, their health record provides continuity of care wherever they go, whether they move across the country or find their way back to where it all started: Madison Regional. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gDvS2wVN

Anyone exchanging healthcare data should be accountable under HIPAA. Right now, not everyone is—which means patients can’t be guaranteed that their health records are being used appropriately. https://lnkd.in/g3W3-RbN

Across healthcare organizations, Epic AI is taking on more of the documentation work, giving nurses more time to be present with their patients. One example: drafting end-of-shift notes using shift data already available in the patient’s chart. At WakeMed in North Carolina, nurses are using the feature with an unexpected benefit for patients’ families. With Art's help, they're now able to write end-of-shift notes for every shift — and the notes are shared with patients, which means families can read them too. One nurse shared feedback from a patient’s family member: "I am my grandmother’s proxy but live in another state. I can sleep easy when I read the nurse’s note and see that she had a good day.”

On Saturday, Santé Québec brought 28,000 end users across two regions live on Epic, bringing staff from paper records and fax to a unified electronic system where health data follows patients where they get care. Santé Québec is the second Epic system translated into French and the second system in Canada hosted by Epic. Read more (in French) here: https://lnkd.in/gMpddi8h

The first review is in for Chart with Art for nursing. Houston Methodist is co-designing AI charting tools with Epic, pioneering a new experience for nurses. Epic developers have been onsite at Houston Methodist, in the unit alongside nurses, to watch how Chart with Art performs in real situations and workflows — so that nurses can spend less time charting and more time focused on their patients.

Lyceum makes the transition from classrooms to clinical sites easier for students. The program provides educational institutions with a realistic Epic-hosted training environment, training materials, and guidance. Instead of waiting until they’re providing real patient care, medical and nursing students can develop their electronic health records skills across common patient care scenarios, such as entering medication orders, retrieving patient information, documenting vital signs, and reconciling data. Starting in fall 2024, the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh's College of Nursing, Health Professions, and STEM became the first public university nursing program to use Lyceum. This practical experience provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills to become better prepared for their future as healthcare professionals. As simulation coordinator and senior lecturer Polly Anderson puts it: “Nursing students from UWO can leverage the knowledge gained through the early utilization of this tool to become the leaders and drivers of health care for generations to come.”   “We have a leg up on learning,” shared Dustin Branton of Mauston about receiving his Lyceum training starting his sophomore II semester.     Read more: https://lnkd.in/deBz2yTQ

High blood pressure affects 1/3rd of adults in the United States and is one of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease or stroke. Home blood pressure monitoring helps patients better understand and manage their hypertension, typically resulting in lower overall blood pressure readings. At Baptist Health System KY & IN in Kentucky, they identified patients with uncontrolled hypertension during clinic visits by surfacing a visual reminder for physicians to enroll patients in their home monitoring program. Patients receive educational material about high blood pressure and daily tasks to complete, such as taking their medication and submitting blood pressure readings, through MyChart Care Companion. Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuffs take readings for patients which are filed into MyChart and the patient’s chart where providers can regularly review them to spot concerning trends early and provide guidance, when necessary. Baptist has enrolled more than 1,000 patients in their program since 2023 and 67% of those patients have achieved their blood pressure goals. Additionally, patients in the program experienced an average systolic blood pressure decrease of 10-11 mmHg and an average diastolic decrease of 3-4 mmHg, which is on par with prescribing a new medication for the patient. Nice work, Baptist! https://lnkd.in/gYPBVbea

Thanks for stopping by, Katie Couric! Podcast: https://lnkd.in/guFCdAdz

Aw, shucks. #TIME100Companies https://lnkd.in/gJAu4nhW

Healthcare systems have a unique opportunity to help human trafficking victims. The vast majority of victims interact with a provider during the course of their abuse. Baptist Health has designed and implemented a child sex trafficking screening protocol in Epic that helps clinicians catch indirect warning signs and guides the care team through appropriate next steps—all built into existing workflows. It’s working. The protocol is finding victims they otherwise would not have, and staff are using it in almost every eligible visit. If you’re interested in getting this set up at your organization, please leave a comment so we can have your Technical Services representative get in touch. https://lnkd.in/gezNDQja