Several Healthcare Orgs Announce EHR Implementation for Distinct Goals

Morris Hospital Unifies Patient Records with $12M MEDITECH EHR Implementation

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers have embarked upon a system-wide MEDITECH EHR implementation costing nearly $12 million.

This investment in MEDITECH has involved years of planning and preparation to eliminate the need for separate patient records in different care settings, including physician offices and hospitals.

According to health system officials, Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers used to rely on multiple EHR systems for various care settings in the past, but with these technological advancements, the health system can now use a single EHR system for all patient information, regardless of the care setting.

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers shifting to MEDITECH will enable patients to access data on all of its medical records associated with the hospital and healthcare centers, instead of having to navigate two separate portals.

“We have been using multiple electronic health record systems in different care settings for years because that was the best solution at a previous time,” John Wilcox, chief information officer at Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers, said in a press release. “With improvements in technology, today we are able to use one electronic health record system whether we’re seeing a patient in the physician office setting, caring for an inpatient at the hospital, treating a patient in our Emergency Department, or performing diagnostic testing.”

Morris Hospital conducted a thorough vendor review process in 2018 and ultimately selected MEDITECH Expanse for EHR needs. Following this decision, the hospital purchased additional server capacity and storage to support the new system infrastructure.

However, the project was put on hold in early 2020 due to the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the hiatus, the hospital focused on building and testing the new system and providing training to over 1,500 staff and providers to prepare for the implementation of the new EHR system.

“Changing to a new electronic health record system is typically a once in 20 year event for a healthcare organization,” said Wilcox. “Our Board of Directors recognized that this is a necessary, top strategic initiative for our organization that will enhance continuity of care, patient safety, and operational effectiveness. It will touch every patient who uses Morris Hospital for any service and every person in our organization who logs in to our electronic health record system.”

Coryell Health Implements Oracle Cerner EHR Focusing on Patient Experience

Coryell Health, a Texas-based healthcare provider, has recently announced that it will be commencing the rollout of its Oracle Cerner EHR. The healthcare provider intends to increase clinical efficiencies across its facilities, improving patient experience.

The Oracle Cerner EHR project aims to improve the care provided by Coryell Health in various ways. One of its key objectives is to improve patient safety by integrating all patient information into a single system. Furthermore, the project seeks to streamline medication reconciliation across service areas and implement surveillance tools to monitor high-risk protocols like sepsis.

The implementation will also offer a single source for clinical and hospital financial data.

“This new technology will help solve ongoing challenges in healthcare by utilizing more reliable, intuitive, and useful tools to reduce complexity and help improve the caregiver and patient experience. This state-of-the-art technology will allow us to continue to offer the community a higher quality of care,” David Byrom, CEO of Coryell Health, said.

“Instead of two separate systems, we will have one integrated EHR platform, providing seamless care of patients and residents within one clinical and financial record. The OracleCerner EHR will improve clinical documentation, medical information, registration, scheduling, and billing efficiencies.”

According to officials, Coryell Health is scheduled to commence the first phase of its Oracle Cerner EHR implementation in its hospital, clinics, and outpatient departments on March 28. The second phase, which will include senior living programs, is set to begin on June 27, 2023.

“Once the implementation of Oracle Cerner EHR is complete, all of our service lines, including our senior living, will utilize the integrated system,” said Heather Rambeau, chief nursing officer for Coryell Health. “This upgrade will allow for an enhanced continuity of care while improving the patient experience through simpler coordination of treatment, more easily accessible medical records, and a streamlined patient billing process.”

Palm Plastic Surgery & MedSpa Looks to eClinicalWorks for Streamlined Workflows

Florida-based Palm Plastic Surgery & MedSpa has launched an eClinicalWorks EHR implementation to streamline workflows and enhance patient engagement.

The healthcare provider previously used an unnamed EHR vendor but switched to eClinicalWorks EHR to reduce costs and inefficiencies that are typically associated with traditional colocation hosting models. With the implementation of this new EHR system, Palm Plastic Surgery & MedSpa can now collate and compute patient data from all sources.

“We’re excited to implement the eClinicalWorks Cloud to gain quick access to patient information and clinical insights, reduce costs, and streamline documentation,” said Allyson Deziel, MD, founder of The Palm Plastic Surgery & MedSpa. “Our team is also looking forward to utilizing the speech-to-text clinical documentation and dictation software, which will allow our providers to continue to spend quality time with our patients while generating comprehensive notes.”