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One of the most compelling benefits of integrating UVA Community Health into the broader UVA Health enterprise is having all hospitals and patient care facilities sharing medical records on the same Epic system. 

“This change will create an integrated patient record that is familiar to providers and does not require additional searching. For our patients, it will mean the convenience of having all their information stored in a single medical record,” notes Robin Parkin, Chief Information and Technology Officer for UVA Health. 

Looking even more broadly, use of a common medical record system will create an enterprise data warehouse that will have many uses from aggregating our performance results to supporting the management of population health.

In a recent interview, Parkin spoke more about the benefits of using a singular instance of Epic and outlined the schedule for migrating UVA Community Health facilities onto the shared platform.

Some people are asking why we are not purchasing a separate Epic system for UVA Community Health. Can you explain why using a single instance makes better sense?

Parkin: Epic is our primary electronic medical record vendor, and UVA Health currently owns 59 fully integrated modules within the suite of their products. We can grow and expand this environment as much as we want for far less than it would cost to purchase a separate instance of Epic for UVA Community Health. More importantly, sharing the same instance greatly enhances our data-sharing capabilities, supports roll-up reporting needed to see the health system as a whole and allows for recognizing specific entity contributions.

What will become possible once every UVA Health hospital and clinic is on the same instance of Epic?

Parkin: Using a common system will allow all appropriate users to share a patient’s clinical and demographic information and make it easier to request a patient transfer. Referral and consult orders can be written across organizations, allowing a UVA Community Health provider to better leverage the specialized care available in Charlottesville. A good example, would be referrals to our world-class cancer care center. These requests will move quicker than they can now because the patient’s medical record can be shared within Epic. 

Looking toward the future, being on the same instance of Epic will allow us to consider new services. A great example is “Remote ICU,” an off-site service that could monitor ICU patients in our community hospitals. While remote ICUs do not replace traditional bedside ICU nurses, they add an additional layer of support to the care team. These services monitor patients in real time and have helped increase survival rates and reduce lengths of stay. 

How will using the same instance of Epic benefit our Licensed Independent Practitioners?

Parkin: I have noted some of those benefits already. Generally, providers will benefit when any of our entities care for the same patient because they will have access to a shared record. It will also be simpler to arrange a consult or referral because requests can be processed within Epic and the patient’s record can be shared. 

How will patients benefit from having a shared medical record?

Parkin: When all facilities are migrated to the same instance of Epic, a patient seen by providers in multiple UVA Health locations will benefit from: 1) improved record access; 2) automated (implied faster) requests for a referral or consult; and, 3) easier coordination of their visits with different providers and services.

What is the schedule for the Epic migration?

Parkin: The scope of the Community Health transition is tremendous. First, all infrastructure must be established to connect the Community Health entities back to our data center in Charlottesville. We must migrate or replace servers and end-user hardware as well. There are over 400 software applications being replaced. In most cases, Community Health will use the same software products as used in Charlottesville. The most significant go-lives are:

• Epic & Integrated Systems | Prince William/Haymarket | Live Nov. 1, 2022
• Epic & Integrated Systems | Culpeper | Tentative Live April 1, 2023

The rollout of application services is expected to complete around fiscal year end 2023.

How does the adoption of a single instance of Epic advance our mission and align with initiatives emerging in UVA Health’s strategic plan that is currently under development?

Parkin: Launched earlier this year as part of strategic planning, UVA Health’s new mission statement is  “Transforming Health and Inspiring Hope For All Virginians and Beyond.” A common instance of Epic system-wide will most certainly be transformational for our patients and providers.  

A few key examples worth highlighting include, but are not limited to: 

• Patients will have a single MyChart account and a comprehensive electronic medical record that captures all UVA Health encounters throughout Northern and Central Virginia.
• Providers will have access to a more comprehensive medical record for patients being cared for by both UVA Community Health and UVA Academic Division.
• A common Epic instance and related clinical IT platforms will allow us to harmonize quality and clinical decision support tools across UVA Health.
• A common Epic instance will enable UVA Health to optimize and scale a multitude of new and innovative telehealth capabilities including both “provider to patient” and “provider to provider” interactions.

Sharing our technology infrastructure is essential to our future as an integrated health system. After this technology transition is accomplished, we will be able to consider many new opportunities with greater ease.

What do you think is most exciting about the expansion of UVA Health? 

Parkin: Since I came to UVA Health, there have been many conversations about bringing our exceptional care to more people. The acquisition of UVA Community Health has created many more opportunities to do that. It will give more patients and providers throughout Virginia the opportunity to access the amazing expertise and care that UVA Health has to offer.