Kansas Hospital Implements Epic EHR to Enhance Interoperability

Allen County Regional Hospital has implemented an Epic EHR to improve interoperability and patient data security.

Allen County Regional Hospital is a member of Saint Luke’s Health System, which consists of 16 area hospitals and several primary and specialty care practices.  

Moving to Epic allows Allen County Regional Hospital and its primary care clinics to align patient health records, workflows, and billing with Saint Luke’s Health System providers.

“Moving to the Epic system will provide better security for our patients’ information and enable important health information sharing among a patient’s care providers, no matter where they receive care within the Saint Luke’s Health System,” Steve Schieber, CEO of Saint Luke’s critical access region, noted in a public statement.

“This implementation is a major step forward for Allen County Regional Hospital,” Schieber continued. “Aligning the EMR system with all other clinics and hospitals across the Saint Luke’s system will provide countless benefits and allow us to offer more services locally.”

The clinicians and staff at Allen County Regional Hospital have been trained on the new EHR workflow and processes. Officials say that providers are committed to using the system’s tools to improve the healthcare experience for their patients.

Clinicians across disparate care settings can now access a patient’s health history and medical progress to support care coordination and patient-centered care.

For better efficiency, patients will receive one consolidated bill for services received after October 1 at Allen County Regional Hospital or any other Saint Luke’s Health System facility.

Patients can access their health information, test results, billing, and online bill pay through the mySaintLukes patient portal.

Healthcare experts affirm that patient portals can be practical tools for improving patient engagement and satisfaction, proving to be integral bridges between the patient and the provider.

In the past, other healthcare organizations have recognized the importance and enthusiasm for the features the Epic MyChart patient portal offers.

In 2022, Piedmont launched an Epic EHR implementation at its five newest hospitals, gaining patients access to Piedmont My Chart.

“The convenience of Piedmont MyChart is a game changer for our patients across our service area,” Geoff Brown, chief information officer at Piedmont, said in a press release at the time of the announcement. “It gives our patients the tools they need to be active participants in their own wellness.”