For any hospital CEO, making significant decisions is a key part of the job, and the approach taken to evaluate options and reach conclusions can offer valuable insights.
Marc Gorelick, MD, CEO of Minneapolis-based Children's Minnesota, recently spoke with Becker's about what he considers to be one of his most important recent decisions — signing on with Epic.
"Obviously, it's a big decision that impacts literally every person in the organization and has enormous operational and financial consequences," Dr. Gorelick said. "So, first and foremost, we really wanted to make sure we did our due diligence."
The decision-making process began in 2019, when the health system brought together a multidisciplinary, multifunctional team of clinical and nonclinical employees to evaluate the various options for its EHR.
Dr. Gorelick said the organization, which includes two hospitals — one in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul, Minn. — as well as several outpatient clinics and specialty care centers, gathered information from companies and current users, and undertook a months-long due diligence process.
"We were ready to bring a recommendation to our board in March 2020, but we had to put it on hold. Then, once the pandemic was over, we said, 'Let's not assume that the information we gathered three years ago is still valid,'" he said. "So, we went back and replicated the process to ensure we were getting the most up-to-date information about capabilities, pros and cons."
Once Children's Minnesota gathered information from the front-line users and leaders across functions, executives making the final call participated in a formal debate. Executives were assigned roles, either supporting the health system's current EHR or advocating for switching to Epic.
"That was really important for us because it allowed us to avoid groupthink and ensure we were fairly evaluating all the information," said Dr. Gorelick.
"I think that’s always important — gathering the data and objectively assessing it to make the best decision."
He also noted that assigning roles helped create more open and candid discussions, as executives were more comfortable challenging someone in a specific role rather than confronting a colleague directly.
"While it may seem stilted, it allowed us to rapidly surface questions and issues," he said. "It's easier to criticize someone playing a role than a friend and colleague."
Ultimately, Children's Minnesota decided on Epic, a $130 million investment. The project will begin in 2025 and be completed in 2026.
Dr. Gorelick's takeaway from the process: "Partway through, when we were sharing progress with the board, they felt like this was an 'easy' decision. We resisted the temptation to jump to that conclusion and ensured we followed through with due diligence and the debate format to test all assumptions. Big decisions like this are never as simple as they seem, and we wanted to be absolutely certain before committing to the cost and effort."