The University of Arizona Health Network, based in Tucson, has laid off 23 employees from the network's record keeping department following the implementation of an electronic health record system, according to a report in the Arizona Daily Star.
Network officials said the new Epic system made the record-keepers' jobs unnecessary, according to the report.
Network officials have also pointed to the new system as a reason the network posted close to $30 million in losses during the first eight months of the fiscal year. The initial capital outlay for the EHR was approximately $83 million, and the health network spent an additional $32 million in additional training and support and in costs associated with a one-month delay of the system's scheduled go-live.
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