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Community Connect Paves Way for Two Hawai'i Hospitals Epic EHR Go-Live

Utilizing the Community Connect program, two Hawai'i hospitals tapped into Epic EHR through a nearby larger hospital, bypassing the usual high implementation costs.

By
  • Sarai Rodriguez
Published: 11 May 2023

The West Hawaiʻi Region (WHR) of Hawaiʻi Health Systems, which encompasses Kona Community Hospital (KCH) and Kohala Hospital (KOH), is preparing to launch Epic EHR through a Community Connect agreement with Queen's Health Systems (QHS).

The Community Connect program is a cost-effective solution that enables hospitals to link with larger, nearby hospitals to gain access to the Epic electronic health record (EHR) network. By facilitating interoperability with the local health system, this program can lead to increased referrals and reduced costs for EHR implementation.

After over two years of planning and preparation, the West Hawai'i Region of Hawai'i Health Systems will move to QHS's instance of Epic Systems on June 1, 2023.

Since executing the project contract during the summer of 2022, an implementation team has worked to ensure a smooth rollout by providing staff with training and immersion into the new EHR system.

The mandatory training sessions for hospital staff members to become familiar with the new Epic EHR system began in early April. The interactive and hands-on training sessions provide staff members with practical scenarios to apply their learning.

The implementation team aims to ensure that all staff members are comfortable and confident using the new Epic system and ready to make the transition. To achieve this goal, various training sessions will continue until mid-May.

Additionally, the team plans to provide ongoing support even after the system goes live, helping staff members troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

eClinicalWorks EHR Reduced Patient No-Shows at Urban Health Plan

Urban Health Plan (UHP) was able to cure its high no-show rates through the implementation of eClinicalWorks EHR and the healow AI no-show prediction, resulting in improved patient engagement and revenue outcomes.

Patient no-shows pose a longstanding and significant challenge to healthcare organizations. They not only disrupt clinic workflows and take appointment slots away from other patients but also come at a considerable cost to the health system.

A high no-show rate can financially drain health systems, not to mention result in poor patient outcomes. When patients miss their appointments, it can create gaps in the clinic's schedule and cause delays in administrative processes. This, in turn, can lead to longer wait times and lower patient satisfaction.

The federally qualified community health center (FQHC) organization, one of the largest in New York state, comprises 12 clinical sites, 12 school-based health centers, two mental health facilities, and ten administrative and program sites. In 2022, UHP served over 82,000 patients and had over 395,000 visits.

However, the no-show rate was alarmingly high across UHP's locations in the South Bronx, Corona Queens, and Central Harlem neighborhoods.

Healow, a system designed to anticipate missed appointments and cancellations before they happen, accurately predicted missed appointments and cancellations with a 90 percent accuracy rate at UHP.

After identifying high-risk patients, UHP reaches out to them with text message reminders and rescheduling options.

As a result of this implementation, UHP has significantly reduced no-shows and seen the highest number of appointments in its practice history, with approximately 42,000 patient visits in March 2023. Moreover, there has been a 154 percent increase in completed visits for patients identified with a high no-show probability.

“We are excited to see the impact the healow no-show prediction AI model is having on patient care at Urban Health Plan,” said Girish Navani, CEO and cofounder of eClinicalWorks. “By leveraging the power of data and machine learning, we can help providers like Urban Health Plan deliver more effective care to their patients and reduce the burden of missed appointments. This ultimately helps reduce the cost of healthcare and aid better patient outcomes.”

Neurology Practice Taps eClinicalWorks EHR Implementation to Drive Patient Engagement

The Texas-based Center for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery hopes an eClinicalWorks EHR implementation will enhance its digital patient engagement strategies.

Along with the EHR, the practice was onboarded with several eClinicalWorks tools, including an appointment booking solution allowing patients to schedule directly from the practice's website. This feature, known as Healow Open Access, enables patients to self-schedule appointments online, leading to fewer phone calls and more clinical efficiency.

"Any modern medical practice relies upon its Electronic Health Record and healthcare IT solutions to improve operational efficiency," Praveen Reddy, MD at the Center for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, said in a press release. The eClinicalWorks cloud-based EHR and Practice Management solution will address our providers' documentation needs and styles.

“Additionally, the online appointment booking solution will help mitigate front office burnout and increase patient satisfaction."

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