As part of its long-term strategy, Indianapolis-based Community Health Network is transitioning its EHR to the cloud as a foundation for integrating more advanced technological capabilities, such as artificial intelligence.
Cloud-based EHR offer several distinct advantages over traditional on-premises solutions, including scalability, data accessibility, and enhanced security.
Patrick McGill, MD, Community Health Network's chief transformation officer, said the shift to the cloud is about creating a flexible, future-ready infrastructure.
"We really feel strongly about where technology is moving," said Dr. McGill. "That's going to set us up for the technology platform in the future. We're very excited. We're also investigating an enterprise ERP platform, and as we think about workforce and planning, and how we bring down overhead costs to be a more efficient business, that's important."
The cloud environment enables healthcare providers to scale data storage and processing power as patient records grow and data analytics needs expand. Even with tight margins, Dr. McGill sees spending on these platforms as a strategic imperative.
"We've got to make some investments so we can grow, and how do we invest smartly to really place our bets to open up growth, improve access, and lower the cost of care?" he said. "We've got some specific technology investments on patient engagement and outreach. We've got some investments on understanding the patient journey. Those are really where we're focusing in late '24 and moving into '25."
Community Health Network’s decision to transition its EHR to the cloud aligns with industry trends, as more healthcare systems recognize the potential of cloud-based solutions to improve both patient care and administrative functions.
In addition to the cloud migration, Community Health Network is launching several AI-driven projects aimed at improving patient outcomes, optimizing care delivery, and enhancing clinician efficiency. From patient engagement to operational processes, AI is becoming deeply integrated across Community Health Network’s service lines.
One of Community Health Network’s exciting partnerships is with Lirio, a company specializing in "precision engagement." Lirio’s technology uses AI to deliver tailored nudges to patients, helping them stay on top of preventive care, follow-up visits, and medication adherence. This kind of precision engagement is critical to encouraging proactive health behaviors, which can reduce the need for emergency interventions and improve long-term health outcomes. The health system is also working with Notable on patient outreach and engagement.
In partnership with Nuance, Community Health Network is also piloting an AI solution called ambient clinical intelligence. This technology listens to and documents patient-provider interactions in real time, eliminating the need for clinicians to manually input notes. This approach not only saves time but also enhances patient-provider interactions by allowing clinicians to focus on the patient without the distraction of entering data during visits.
"We've got a lot of things going on that bring a lot of excitement. It's an exciting time to be in healthcare," Dr. McGill said. "It's also a scary time to be in healthcare. But I think the future is very promising, and we just have to stay focused and keep the patient at the center and stay true to our values."