A key question remains amid the recently announced Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care and Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care $11 billion merger: Which of the three EHRs currently used between the two systems will reign supreme?
Advocate, a 12-hospital system, operates on Cerner and Allscripts EHRs, while Aurora, a 15-hospital system, uses Epic's EHR. But, Lisa Lesniak, vice president of public affairs for Advocate, says a decision on a single EHR has yet to be reached since the merger was announced this week.
"That's one of the important areas under consideration," Ms. Lesniak tells Becker's Hospital Review on behalf of both health systems.
Advocate and Aurora will establish an integration team to explore its EHR opportunities so the hospitals can ensure they are leveraging the strengths of both organizations, she says.
She adds that hospital officials are not yet sure who will take over as CIO once the merger is complete.