United Community Family Services is implementing a $1.8 million Epic EHR, which will allow the Norwich, Conn.-based medical center to access health information from other Connecticut providers such as Hartford Hospital and Yale New-Haven Hospital, The Bulletin reports.
Four notes:
1. UCFS is switching from its current Greenway Health EHR to an Epic system; patient records stored in the old system can still be accessed through Epic.
2. The state of Connecticut provided a $836,000 grant to aid the nonprofit community health center's $1.8 million implementation.
3. UCFS trained 380 employees to prepare for the Epic EHR installation; Portland-based Oregon Community Health Information Network, UCFS' Epic adoption partner, sent members to Connecticut to support the employees' training.
4. While UCSF officials adapt to the new software, the health center has been taking fewer walk-in patients. James Gregware, vice president of IT for UCFS, told the publication the center expects to resume seeing normal numbers of walk-in patients after March 16.
"When you're transitioning to a new system, you have a reduced schedule because it takes more time to check people in," said Cara Westcott, chief operating officer for UCFS, according to the report.
Editor's note: This article was updated on March 13 at 11:30 a.m.