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Chehalem Business Connection
September 2013
Page 12
A
fter months of preparation
and training, a much-antici-
pated “epic” change occurred
earlier this year at Providence New-
berg Medical Center.
“Epic” is the name of an electronic
health-record system (currently in use in
five states) that Providence is in the
process of adopting
s y s t emw i d e . Th e
switch took effect at
the Newberg hospital
in June, with Provi-
dence providing an
additional 80 support staff on-site for a
period of two weeks to help ensure reg-
ular employees didn’t get overwhelmed.
“It is new to them,” explained
Yvonne Kirk, PNMC chief operating
and nursing officer. “The staff have had
a lot of playground (training) time, but
they still have some concerns about
‘How do I keep my quality of care high
while I’m learning this new charting
system?’”
Despite the challenges the transition
presents, Providence’s leadership
thought they were far outweighed by the
benefits, which are many, according to
PNMC Clinical Informatics Coordinator
Greg Johnson.
The primary plus,
Johnson said, is that
Epic streamlines pa-
tients’ records across
every point of entry in
the Providence system.
In other words, whether an employee is
an EMT in an ambulance, a nurse at a
patient’s bedside or a surgeon in the op-
erating room — they can all call up the
same file.
“It allows us to see the same record,
rather than trying to share information
across all these different systems,” John-
son said. “It allows us to have more con-
tinuity for the patients.”
That means future Providence pa-
tients should no longer experience a
frustration that Kirk said may be famil-
iar to some: having to provide the same
information, repeatedly, to different em-
ployees of the same hospital.
“It should provide a better experience
for both patients and staff,” she said.
To make a system like that work, staff
needed computer access virtually every-
where at PNMC, and Johnson said that’s
exactly what’s been done.
“We have everything from worksta-
tions on wheels to (stationary) comput-
ers in every patient room,” he said.
“Anywhere we’re doing patient care,
there’s a computer.”
PNMC’s previous charting system
was electronic as well, but the specific
program varied depending on where you
were in the hospital, Kirk said. In the
birthing center, staff charted patient in-
formation one way; in the intensive care
unit, they did things differently.
The Epic program has other benefits,
too. Not only can patient records be eas-
ily accessed at any hospital in the Provi-
dence system, but — if necessary — the
information can also be securely shared
with hospitals outside the system or in-
dependent physicians. Patients can also
access their own information online
using a system called MyChart (mychar-
tor.providence.org).
Johnson said preparations for the
Epic changeover have been in the works
for about two years.
“It’s been a really good journey so
far,” he said. “We’re seeing improve-
ments in patient care already.”
Fo r mo r e i n f o rma t i on , v i s i t
Providence patients may also call 1-877-
569-7768.
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Medical center making an ‘epic’ switch
New charting program streamlines Providence patient records and makes them easier for providers to access
“It allows us to see the same record,
rather than trying to share information
across all these different systems.
It allows us to have more continuity
for the patients.”
In June, a large cadre of techs gathered at Providence Newberg Medical Center to troubleshoot the installation of the ‘Epic’
system.
Stay current on the news, sports
and advertising in the area by
reading The Newberg Graphic,
published every Wednesday.
500 E. Hancock St., Newberg
503-538-2181
fax 503-538-1632
