Community Medical Centers Move to Epic EHR for UVA Health Rebrand

Three Virginia-based community medical centers will be transitioning to Epic EHR following their recent acquisition by UVA Health.

On July 1, 2021, UVA Health gained full ownership of several UVA community health facilities, including UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center, UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center, and UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, the health system stated.

After the acquisitions, UVA Health has worked to integrate the medical centers to create one unified health system, including bringing all acquired entities onto UVA Health’s instance of Epic Systems.

Several healthcare facilities such as UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center, UVA Health Cancer Care Gainesville, the UVA Health Bull Run Family Medicine Clinics, UVA Health Obstetrics, and Gynecology locations have already migrated to Epic Systems.

With this Epic Systems implementation, UVA Health said it hopes to improve interoperability and care coordination at these facilities.

“We are investing significant time and resource into all three medical centers and their associated clinics,” explained UVA Health Chief Executive Officer K. Craig Kent, MD. “We plan to further enhance the exceptional care already provided in Culpeper and Northern Virginia as well as provide our specialist offerings throughout the region.”

New EHR implementations are increasingly happening not because of new purchases, but because of healthcare mergers and acquisitions. Newly acquired clinics are undergoing EHR implementations to be on the same system as their new parent companies.

For example, in 2022, MarinHealth went live withAPeX EHR system, the University of California San Francisco’s version of Epic Systems, to boost care coordination.

The implementation meant that providers in both the clinic and hospital setting could gain access to patient data, which will help them make more informed decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment plans, according to the press release.

“Having access to consolidated medical records across different clinical areas will improve care when patients are referred to various specialists or other ancillary services at all MarinHealth locations,” David Klein, MD, chief executive officer of MarinHealth Medical Center, said.

“All providers and organizations using Epic can easily exchange patient data, which will greatly improve patient care,” Klein added. “Providers also will have the ability to coordinate care with doctors outside of MarinHealth who serve their patients and their families, closing care gaps and reducing duplication. This integrated system furthers the MarinHealth mission to be the destination for health and healing in the North Bay.”