Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare is the first health system in the U.S. to implement Epic on a large scale on Mac platforms, and the move has had substantial cost savings and environmental benefits, Scott Smiser, chief technology officer for the health system, told Becker's.
The implementation phase
Demand signaled Emory Healthcare to deploy Epic on MacBook Air. According to Mr. Smiser, many providers had a personal preference to use MacBooks. However, it became evident that Emory was not prepared to support these devices from a "BYOD perspective." So the health system saw the opportunity to combine the Epic experience with the Apple products.
The implementation process involved using a beta version of Epic's Hyperspace for Mac in the Apple Testing Innovation Lab in Atlanta, where Emory's team conducted testing and regression analysis. The effort's success became evident in December with the realization that the integration of Apple technology was feasible, according to Mr. Smiser.
"As we came out of the holidays, that's when we got Apple engineers and Epic engineers on site," Mr. Smiser said. "We had already picked our initial phase zero physicians that wanted to sign up for this, and we had no problems finding early adopters of this product. So in January is when we actually rolled out for the first set of users."
Mr. Smiser said he has been in the industry 32 years and that witnessing Apple engineers, Epic engineers, Emory's Epic support team and physicians use something for the first time was a "very unique opportunity."
Overcoming learning curves
"There's been a learning curve for some," Mr. Smiser said. "We have a very diverse group of folks within Emory. For example, we have people who've said they use Apple devices at home and know how to use it and they're very enthusiastic about it. But we also have another population that aren't quite as familiar but are eager to learn."
For those not as acquainted with Apple devices, Emory provides virtual training and support. But overall, Mr. Smiser said the health system has found the learning curve is "not that bad."
"They really gravitate towards it and they love using these devices," he said.
Benefits and costs
The decision to adopt Apple devices was driven not only by the product's technical capabilities but by their potential for cost savings and environmental sustainability.
"At the end of the day, we're going to get a longer life cycle out of these devices," Mr. Smiser said. "The overall total cost of ownership is cheaper and if I look at a MacBook Air versus a standard Windows laptop that we're buying, just out the door we're paying $100 less just for the purchase price. Then you start adding in the annualized cost savings, the carbon footprint savings, user experience and overall user satisfaction."
According to Mr. Smiser, Apple products' efficient operation results in fewer support tickets and requires less personnel for maintenance. Additionally, he said the company's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030 aligns with goals in healthcare, as advocated by organizations such as The Joint Commission.
Emory has also conducted studies that found that Apple's silicon chips consume 50% less power than Windows equivalents, contributing to reduced carbon emissions.
"When organizations think of Apple, they probably think that it's going to be more expensive," Mr. Smiser said. "We've really dispelled a lot of that and we've shown with some industry research and with our own data that these devices are less expensive over time."
The future of Apple at Emory
Emory plans to expand the use of Apple devices across its enterprise, with initiatives underway to create dedicated Apple zones at its facilities.
"We're identifying across the enterprise different units and clinics within the network. Specifically looking at how we can create Apple zones so that we identify nursing units and clinics that just flipped to Apple. And we've already had engineering walkthroughs with Apple in some of our quarters."
The health system also created a new role in its technology office: Apple experience manager. A former Epic and Apple employee is helming this position, and his role is to look at how Emory is using Apple products across the enterprise.
"The staff are really excited about using Epic and these systems on Apple devices," Mr. Smiser said.