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May 1, 2025·Healthcare IT News

Epic Systems has seen significant growth in the U.S. acute care EHR market, achieving its largest net gain in market share in 2024 despite a slight overall market decline, as indicated in the latest KLAS report. The company secured contracts with ten major health systems, including ChristianaCare and UAB Health, bolstered by a strong reputation for customer partnership. Conversely, Oracle Health, Epic's main competitor, struggled with a net loss of 74 clients despite gaining nine new contracts, as customer loyalty and relationship ratings fell post-Cerner acquisition. However, some customers express cautious optimism about Oracle's new product offerings, including the Clinical AI Agent.

May 1, 2025·LinkedIn

Epic Systems has distinguished itself in the healthcare technology sector by prioritizing a deep understanding of healthcare complexities over rapid innovation. While many startups focus on improving user interfaces and accelerating development, Epic emphasizes the importance of trust, safety, and integration within clinical workflows. A significant aspect of its strategy lies in rigorous employee training on healthcare regulations and electronic health record systems, ensuring that development teams are equipped to meet professionals' needs. Additionally, Epic fosters user engagement through annual meetings where clients can propose and vote on new features, creating a collaborative environment that informs its software development, unlike many tech vendors that rely solely on internal strategies.

Apr 29, 2025·CNBC

A software outage at multiple Community Health Systems (CHS) hospitals, triggered by Oracle engineers deleting critical storage during maintenance, led to a five-day disruption of the Oracle Health electronic health record (EHR) system beginning April 23. Approximately 45 hospitals reverted to paper-based records while CHS activated downtime procedures. The outage was resolved on April 28 without any connection to cyberattacks, and a CHS spokesperson reported that patient care was not materially affected. This incident underscores the importance of EHR systems in healthcare and follows Oracle's acquisition of Cerner, positioning it as a major player in the market.

Apr 28, 2025·Healthcare IT News

Jupiter Medical Center in North Palm Beach has implemented an Epic electronic health record (EHR) system and is focusing on continuous optimization to meet evolving needs. CIO Kevin Olson emphasizes that EHR optimization is an ongoing effort requiring collaboration between IT and clinical stakeholders. Best practices include aligning initiatives with organizational goals, using a phased approach with measurable milestones, and providing tailored training for caregivers. Olson stresses the importance of optimizing nursing workflows and enhancing communication tools to support clinicians effectively.

Apr 24, 2025·Healthcare IT News

TriHealth, a nonprofit health system in Ohio, has launched a post-acute care collaboration system designed to reduce patient readmission rates and enhance care coordination. Faced with a 25% readmission rate from skilled nursing facilities and a prolonged average patient stay of 25 days, TriHealth aimed to streamline patient monitoring post-discharge. The new PAC Management platform, developed by PointClickCare and integrated with TriHealth's Epic electronic health record system, facilitates real-time access to patient data, enabling care managers to focus on risk mitigation and improving patient outcomes by replacing outdated methods of communication.

Apr 17, 2025·Feinberg School of Medicine

A study published in PLOS One by Northwestern Medicine highlights the potential of using electronic health record (EHR) data to identify individuals at risk of homelessness by tracking changes in their residential addresses. The research, led by Abel Kho, MD, analyzed data from about one million patients and found that those with a history of homelessness experienced significantly more address changes compared to those without. The increasing homelessness rates in the U.S. underscore the need for healthcare institutions to leverage EHR data effectively to address housing instability, which can adversely affect health outcomes and incur higher healthcare costs.

Apr 16, 2025·MedCity News

Culina Health has partnered with Adventist HealthCare to enhance access to insurance-covered nutrition care in the Washington, D.C. metro area. This integration allows patients within the Adventist HealthCare Physician Alliance, which comprises over 2,400 providers, to receive virtual, personalized nutrition counseling from Culina Health’s registered dietitians for various health issues. The partnership streamlines the referral process through electronic health records, enabling patients to be connected to a dietitian within a week. This initiative aims to address the low engagement with dietitians among Americans by improving accessibility and affordability of nutrition care.

Mar 25, 2025·HIMSS

Corewell Health has received the 2024 HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence, becoming the first health system in Michigan to earn this distinction since 2018. The award acknowledges the organization's dedication to enhancing patient care, particularly among underserved and chronically ill populations, through the innovative use of clinical informatics. Key initiatives include a high-risk underserved clinic that utilizes electronic health records to manage at-risk patients, resulting in fewer emergency visits and improved chronic disease management. Additionally, a longitudinal care management model addressing clinical and social determinants of health has demonstrated effective outcomes, including reduced A1c levels in diabetic patients and better blood pressure control in those with hypertension.

Mar 13, 2025·GAO

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making gradual updates to its electronic health record (EHR) system, which has faced a pause in its 2023 rollout amid user concerns. During this hiatus, the VA has implemented over 1,500 configuration changes but still has around 1,800 unresolved requests. While the agency has made some enhancements in patient safety and system performance, it has not yet revised cost estimates or the rollout schedule, which are critical for project oversight. A 2022 analysis estimated that the total costs for EHR modernization could approach $50 billion, highlighting the need for the VA to reassess its budgeting and to set a baseline for measuring progress, particularly in relation to the configuration change requests. User feedback remains largely negative, despite some improvements being reported in 2024.

Mar 9, 2025·CNBC

Oracle's federal electronic health record (EHR) system experienced a major outage on Tuesday, affecting multiple agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense. The disruption impacted several VA facilities and raised concerns about continuity of care for veterans. The outage, which began around 8:37 a.m. and was resolved by 2:05 p.m., led affected sites to implement contingency measures for patient care. Oracle is investigating the cause of the outage, which is part of ongoing challenges associated with the EHR system following its acquisition of Cerner in 2022, with the VA expressing prior concerns about patient safety and system effectiveness.

Feb 24, 2025·Mass General Brigham

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed a tool to assess frailty in older adults, utilizing electronic health records from over 500,000 patients. This tool classifies patients aged 60 and above into four categories—robust, pre-frail, frail, and very frail—based on 31 health deficits identified in their records. Published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, the findings indicate that very frail individuals are at a significantly higher risk of death and rehospitalization within 90 days compared to those classified as robust, aiding clinicians in managing high-risk patients even without comprehensive primary care records.

Feb 16, 2025·Becker's Hospital Review

Indiana University Health (IU Health) is undertaking a major transition to the Epic electronic health record (EHR) system, scheduled to go live in mid-2027 alongside a new $2.3 billion medical center in Indianapolis. New CIO David Burton, who joined IU Health in February, is focused on assembling a skilled team of IT and operational leaders to ensure successful implementation. The system's strategy includes improving consumer experiences with online bill payment and scheduling while committing to a comprehensive, large-scale rollout of Epic, despite concerns about associated risks. Burton emphasizes this transition as a pivotal moment for the organization's technological advancement, noting it has been 24 years since the last EHR implementation.

Feb 12, 2025·Cleveland Clinic

Health Information Management (HIM) is integral to the safeguarding of patient data and compliance with HIPAA regulations at Cleveland Clinic. Nicholas Judd, senior director of HIM, emphasizes its role in enhancing hospital operations and allowing providers to concentrate on care delivery, while Sharon Slivochka, HIM director, focuses on managing patient record access and ensuring electronic health record integrity. Advances in technology are reshaping the HIM Physician Advisory role, as illustrated by Dr. Allison Weathers’ work in integrating informatics expertise to optimize workflows. By prioritizing collaboration with healthcare providers, the HIM team seeks to address challenges, reduce administrative work, and continuously update practices to align with evolving regulations.

Jan 29, 2025·Becker's Hospital Review

CIO Luis Taveras, PhD, has spearheaded a rapid IT integration following the merger of Jefferson Health and Lehigh Valley Health System, achieving this within four months. He has advanced the organization's electronic health record (EHR) migration to the Cloud and implemented WorkDay, emphasizing the importance of creating a unified IT team free from legacy system divisions. Taveras aims to shift the organization towards proactive operational excellence over the next five years through a strategic plan that focuses on teamwork and a common understanding. The organization is also moving its Epic system to Microsoft Cloud, with Taveras confident in the transition. He advocates for in-person interactions to build trust and enhance collaboration among team members while integrating IT with other departments.

Jan 28, 2025·Becker's Hospital Review

Ballad Health in Johnson City, Tennessee, has launched the "Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff" (GRoSS) initiative to improve the nursing work environment by streamlining operations and reducing inefficiencies in the electronic health record (EHR) system. Developed by nurse executives and IT leaders, the initiative includes strategies such as allowing nurses to paste assessments when there are no changes and introducing equipment that automatically feeds data into the EHR, thus minimizing manual entry. These measures aim to reduce frustration and unnecessary overtime while allowing nurses to focus more on patient care, particularly as the organization addresses high vacancy rates and rising patient acuity following a significant turnover during the pandemic.

Jan 26, 2025·Becker's Hospital Review

SSM Health, a nonprofit health system in St. Louis, is initiating "Project One," which focuses on overhauling its electronic health record (EHR) system, particularly its Epic platform. Since becoming an Epic customer in 2005, SSM Health has faced challenges in consolidation due to multiple instances of the platform and other EHRs across its facilities. Chief Digital and Information Officer Saad Chaudhry highlighted that despite previous unification efforts, inconsistencies in workflows and implementations remain, necessitating a comprehensive rebuild. Project One will serve as a hybrid of an Epic upgrade and new installation, aiming to standardize workflows and improve infrastructure across SSM Health's operations in four states, ultimately enhancing clinical and operational efficiency.

Jan 7, 2025·ChristianaCare

Robert Hartmann has been appointed vice president of Electronic Health Record (EHR) Transformation at ChristianaCare, starting January 2, 2025. In this role, he will lead the implementation and support of a new EHR and revenue cycle system using Epic Systems software, developing strategies that align technology with patient care, enhancing workflow for medical teams, and overseeing compliance and operational functions. Previously, Hartmann was the director of Enterprise Systems at Tegria, where he managed a significant Epic transformation for Northwell Health. He also has nearly ten years of experience at Epic Systems, focusing on clinical and revenue cycle projects.

Dec 20, 2024·Federal News Network

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to recommence its Electronic Health Record (EHR) system rollout in fiscal year 2025 after a 18-month suspension due to performance challenges. Following a halted deployment in April 2023, recent improvements at five existing sites and successful implementation at a sixth site with the Defense Department have led to renewed optimism among VA officials. Senior officials, including Kurt DelBene, advocate for an incremental approach to EHR modernization to better address the needs of veterans and VA staff. Notably, updates have resulted in a 50% decrease in system crashes and lags, alongside a 60% drop in incident tickets, indicating progress in operational reliability.

Dec 17, 2024·Becker's Hospital Review

Epic Systems conducts "immersion trips" for its employees to visit hospitals and health systems, allowing them to observe the real-world application of their electronic health record (EHR) software. Founder Judy Faulkner noted these experiences help employees assess software effectiveness and understand customer needs while fostering empathy for healthcare professionals. The autonomy given to employees in selecting relevant software upgrades supports innovation and responsiveness, empowering them to identify necessary modifications based on firsthand observations.

Dec 12, 2024·UCF

A partnership between the School of Global Health Management and Informatics and Orlando Health is providing students in University of Central Florida's health management and informatics programs with essential training on the Epic EHR. This collaboration allows students to access training modules that are usually available only to employees of sponsoring healthcare facilities, giving them practical experience with the software. The program includes simulated environments and covers various components of the Epic system, preparing students for the complexities of electronic health records and enhancing their job readiness upon graduation.