bEnEFiting proviDErS ANd PAtIENtS

flurry is moving into northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota — a flurry of activity and excitement as Essentia Health’s FargoMoorhead region becomes the next to upgrade its health information system to an electronic health record (EHR). Currently, Essentia Health Fargo uses a combination of paper charts and computer records to manage patient information. By the end of July, the hospital and F-M area clinic locations will transition to an entirely digital approach with its EHR system through the installation of integrated software from Epic Systems, Inc.

Essentia Health internally brands their electronic health record project as Encompass. Lara Lunde, MD, the lead physician for the project, said an EHR will centralize patient information. “Speaking as a provider, it will be a one-stop shop for all of the information I need on a patient,” Dr. Lunde said. “It’s coordinated care.”

Mary Jane Rivard, RN, the Encompass inpatient clinical lead for Fargo, agrees, noting that rapid information sharing is a significant patient safety benefit of an HER — especially in a medical emergency. “You are able to see real-time documentation, so there is no need to wait for a fax or a call,” she said. “Several caregivers can review a record all at once, saving a great deal of time.”

According to Sue Strapple, Essentia West Region site lead, the EHR upgrade means Essentia Health can begin offering patients online access to certain medical records through a module in the Epic system called MyHealth. “Patients will be able to access information such as physician-released lab results and immunization records and also contact their providers securely,” she said. “We expect MyHealth to be available this fall. Also, in the future, we hope to allow patients the ability to request or book appointments online, which will be very convenient for them.”

A great deal of planning is underway for the migration, both to educate staff and patients and to generate excitement around the EHR effort. The organization even has an Encompass countdown clock that is moving ever closer to the go-live date.

Miranda Glandt, marketing manager, said Essentia Health patients will be notified well in advance of the change. “We want people to understand why this transition is exciting and important,” she said. “And we want to thank everyone in advance for their patience as our team implements the new electronic system to better our patient’s healthcare experience.”

“We are going to ensure that we’re well staffed during the transition,” Dr. Lunde said. “Experienced system users from our partnering Essentia Health regions who currently use Encompass will be available 24/7. We’re taking appropriate steps to make sure this transition goes as smoothly as possible.” [AWM]