Community-Based Care Org Implements Epic EHR for Interoperability

A community-based care organization in Minnesota is implementing an Epic EHR as part of the vendor’s Community Connect arrangement to enhance interoperability and drive the patient experience.

After more than two years of planning, preparation, installation, and training, Lake Region Healthcare (LRH) transition will move from three separate records systems to one on November 1st.

The EHR implementation comes from a partnership with Sanford Health as the Epic Community Connect host.

The Community Connect arrangement is Epic’s solution for smaller organizations to access Epic health IT cost-effectively. By accessing Epic through Sanford, LRH can maintain independence, support interoperability for care coordination, and provide for a lower-cost EHR implementation and maintenance.

Providers at all LRH-affiliated hospitals and clinics will now have one central means of accessing a patient’s medical data.

“The replacement of our EMR solution is mission critical to sustaining care close to home in a community-based setting, as we work toward the person-centered target of an excellent healthcare experience for the people we serve,” Kent Mattson, LRH CEO, said in a press release.

Due to its size and regional footprint, LRH is considered a “large” Community Connect site, which includes regional support from Sanford’s program and a direct relationship with Epic.

“We have not only had Epic’s support for project management and implementation but will have long-term support and executive partnership with the company,” Mattson said.

“The Community Connect model has been successfully used by other area community-based organizations to access Epic and will also bring LRH into the Minnesota Epic community, the EMR system used by current referral partners and most tertiary sites within the region,” he added.

Naomi Schmid, DPM, chief medical officer of LRH, noted that the implementation is set to improve the patient experience, as individuals will have access to Epic’s patient portal, MyChart.

“MyChart is a user-friendly and powerful tool to help you manage and make your appointments, request medication refills, communicate with your care team, and even conduct video visits,” Schmid said. “It also makes sharing your medical information safely and securely with people you provide care for, such as children or elderly parents, very easy.”