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NextGen EHR Implementation Brings Integrated Care to Missouri FQHC

A federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Missouri, a family clinic in New Mexico, and a regional medical center in South Carolina all recently announced upcoming EHR implementations.

By
  • Sarai Rodriguez
Published: 08 Mar 2023

Compass Health Network, a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) and federally qualified health center (FQHC), announced it would deploy a NextGen EHR implementation to support its aim of providing integrated care.

With over 84 locations serving 100,000 patients in Missouri, the FQHC offers a full continuum of services, including primary care, behavioral health, and oral health. Through this partnership to support integrated, whole-person care, Compass Health Network will be able to provide a one-stop solution for its behavioral health, primary care, oral health, and human services.

“Compass Health Network is taking a more complete approach to delivering whole-person health with our fully integrated solution,” said Srinivas (Sri) Velamoor, chief growth & strategy officer and executive vice president at NextGen Healthcare. “It is critical for providers to work on a platform that provides both a comprehensive clinical record and actionable insight at the point of care – benefitting both patients and providers.”

In recent times, there has been a growing emphasis on the successful integration of physical, behavioral, and mental healthcare, and FQHCs are spearheading the transformation of the clinical model toward whole-person care.

Many FQHCs are investing in clinical software, staffing, and partnerships to advance their ability to meet the needs of vulnerable populations with integrated, holistic services and technology solutions. However, significant barriers remain, such as a lack of access, provider capacity, and pay parity for behavioral health services about other medical care. To advance towards whole-person care, teams of providers must coordinate among themselves around the needs of each patient.

New Mexico Family Clinic Taps eClinical Works EHR

New Mexico-based De Baca Family Clinic has completed an eClinicalWorks EHR implementation to improve interoperability across its medical, dental, and behavioral health services.

The De Baca Family Clinic offers various healthcare services, including primary care, preventive care, immunizations, women's health, behavioral health, and health education.

With the implementation of the multidimensional eClinicalWorks EHR system, the clinic aims to provide integrated and seamless care to its patients. Health centers are vital in delivering primary healthcare services to patients and communities.

The eClinicalWorks software solution addresses the need for integrated care that includes dental care, behavioral health, and pharmacy services, the press release stated. As these centers grow and expand their operations, they require a unified software solution that operates smoothly across all aspects of their organization.

Additionally, the EHR implementation aims to improve patient engagement by offering solutions such as CHECK-IN and the eClinicalWorks Patient Portal to improve communication and empower patients in their healthcare.

"The decision to transition to the eClinicalWorks EHR was driven by our commitment to providing the highest level of patient care possible," Lisa Walraven, CEO of De Baca Family Clinic, said in the press release. "We were looking for a fully integrated solution to meet our medical, dental, and behavioral health service needs. The eClinicalWorks state-of-the-art EHR system will help us achieve that goal by offering our providers an advanced clinical tool that is more user-friendly and efficient than our previous EHR."

Medical University of South Carolina Extends its Epic EHR to Nearby Medical Center

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) announced a partnership with the Regional Medical Center (RMC) of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties, helping the medical center implement its Epic EHR system throughout the organization.

According to a recent statement, MUSC had invested nearly $15 million to finalize its partnership with the RMC of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties.

“MUSC put in almost $15 million in order to bring some services to RMC that MUSC should pay for rather than RMC,” Patrick J. Cawley, MD, chief executive officer at MUSC Health, said.

A significant portion of the expenses was attributed to adding supplies and improving services, including implementing a new Epic EHR system, Cawley said.

Mark Mizzelle, a laboratory applications analyst, stated that the transition has been relatively seamless, with only minor alterations.

“We are just learning how to log into their system and get our emails straight,” he said. “So far, we have not seen anything. It probably will be when we go to their EMR (electronic medical record) system. We are using Cerner now, and they use Epic. We are going to be going to that, but not sure what time.”

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