Baptist OneCare, Baptist Memorial Health Care's new electronic health record powered by Epic software, went live at four Baptist hospitals, including Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City, on March 1. Baptist Memorial Hospital-Booneville, located in Booneville, Miss., Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown, located in the metro-Memphis area and Baptist Memorial Hospital-Huntingdon in Huntingdon, Tenn., also went live.
The March 1 go-live represented the last of Baptist's multi-phased go-live plan for the 15-hospital system, which began in January 2014 with metro-Memphis area Minor Medical Centers and 60 Baptist Medical Group clinics in Tennessee and Mississippi. The Baptist OneCare system creates a single patient record that both caregivers and patients will be able to access. The EHR aims to maximize efficiency by reducing the need for duplicate tests and patients having to give the same information to multiple caregivers, according to Beverly Jordan, vice president and chief clinical transformation officer at Baptist. Patient privacy is protected the same way it would be with a written record. The biggest convenience for patients is MyChart, a free app accessible via Smartphone or computer that allows patients to schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, direct message their care providers with the option of including photos, access lab results and much more. Patients can sign up for MyChart by going to www.baptistonecare.org.
"We are so excited to roll out Baptist OneCare in our hospital," said Skipper Bondurant, administrator and CEO of Baptist Union City. "Our staff has spent many months preparing to facilitate a smooth transition, and patients will be thrilled with the ease, convenience, and ultimately, enhanced care experience that the EHR allows us to provide." In July 2012, Baptist signed a contract with Epic, a software vendor based out of Verona, Wis.-paving the way for the 15-hospital system's transition to a new electronic health record. The project involves all 15 Baptist-affiliated hospitals along with its clinics and financial systems. All 15,000 Baptist employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians will be affected by the project.
Baptist chose Epic after conducting a great deal of research and involving colleagues in numerous demonstrations, which more than 2,500 attended. Baptist took colleagues' feedback into deep consideration before making a decision, according to Baptist leadership. Baptist colleagues played a role in branding the Epic-powered software as Baptist OneCare. With more than 300 customers, Epic serves more than 50 percent of the U.S. population and approximately two percent of the world's population. Epic is known for making software geared toward use by mid-size and large hospital systems. KLAS' 2013 Best in KLAS Report rated Epic as the No. 1 software choice in a number of categories, including acute care, ambulatory care, pharmacy care, and radiology, among others. KLAS is an independent company that measures vendor performance to help hospitals make informed decisions.
About Baptist Union City In 2014, Baptist Union City was named a Top Performer in the Joint Commission's Top Performers on Key Quality Measures in the areas of heart failure, pneumonia care, and surgical care.For more information, please visit www.baptistonline.org/union-city.
About Baptist The Memphis area's largest not-for-profit health care system, Baptist Memorial Health Care offers a full continuum of care to communities throughout the Mid-South. In 2012, Baptist was ranked No. 2 among large employers and No. 23 overall nationally in Modern Healthcare magazine's top 100 "Best Places to Work in Healthcare." The Baptist system, which consistently ranks among the top integrated health care networks in the nation, comprises 14 affiliate hospitals in West Tennessee, North Mississippi and East Arkansas; more than 4,000 affiliated physicians; Baptist Medical Group, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 500 doctors; home, hospice and psychiatric care; minor medical centers and clinics; a network of surgery, rehabilitation and other outpatient centers; and an education system highlighted by the Baptist College of Health Sciences. The Baptist system employs 15,000 people, and in fiscal year 2012, contributed $229 million in community benefit to the areas it serves. According to the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Memphis, Baptist Memorial Health Care's economic impact is estimated at more than $2.6 billion.
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