Emory Healthcare Taps Epic Systems EHR to Drive Patient Experience

Emory Healthcare has had a long relationship with Cerner, but the Georgia health system will transition to Epic Systems EHR to improve the patient experience.

“What excites us most about this transition to a fully integrated, unified clinical and billing system are the benefits to our patients, care team members, and clinicians,” Dane Peterson, interim CEO and current president and COO of Emory Healthcare, said in a press release. “We believe having all of our entities on one integrated platform will bring great value. Consistent with our Care Transformation Model, patients remain at the center of all of our decisions.”

The Epic Systems EHR implementation starting on October 1, 2022, will allow Emory Healthcare to align its hospitals and clinics onto a single integrated platform.

By signing on with Epic Systems, Emory Healthcare intends to expand its data sharing capabilities. The platform will allow providers across organizations to seamlessly share patient records and healthcare information while offering optimal self-service options for patients.

The transition to a single integrated system will also benefit the scheduling, registration, and precertification process across all Emory Healthcare facilities.

Additionally, patients will have access to the MyChart patient portal, where they can access their health information, sign consent forms, and complete pre-appointment questionnaires. Patients can also update insurance information, addresses, phone numbers, and medications through MyChart.

The Georgia-based health system affirmed that patients can expect an advanced patient experience and that care team members will find more integration and alignment of services across the healthcare system.  

“While the move to Epic represents a significant change, the long-term benefits of a unified billing and clinical system across the enterprise and improved integration are substantial,” Sheila Sanders, chief information officer for Emory Healthcare, said. “Epic is a leading developer of comprehensive health care software and is used by numerous academic medical centers around the world.”

Emory Healthcare is adopting the Epic Systems EHR in favor of its previous vendor, Cerner.

Over the last few years, most of Cerner’s lost contracts were to Epic. According to a 2022 KLAS market share report based on acute care EHR purchasing activity, Cerner only had a 46 percent retention among legacy customers, with most of its customers switching to Epic.

Over the last six years, Cerner has lost seven large customers (representing over 28,000 beds), mainly due to ongoing revenue cycle functionality concerns.

Besides government contracts, the vendor has not been selected by any net-new large health systems since 2013.

However, Cerner does continue to see significant growth with CommunityWorks, supporting the needs of rural, critical access, and community hospitals.