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University Health System to launch $170 million tech upgrade during coronavirus crisis


University Health System will launch a sweeping, $170 million technology upgrade Saturday after delaying its implementation for two months because of the escalating public health crisis.

Officials said they’re confident in the project, and that they have contingency plans in place to deal with problems if they arise during the transition.

About 10,000 employees at University Hospital, UHS clinics and Bexar County Jail will switch to a cloud-based electronic health record, or EHR, system developed by Epic Systems Corp.

“Installing a new EHR is a significant undertaking. It’s like replacing a health system’s central nervous system,” said Lee Wasvick, an Epic executive who has worked with UHS on the project.

“That’s why a team of IT staff, administrators and clinicians spend months preparing for the launch,” he said. “This preparation includes testing hundreds of scenarios and training staff on how to use the system.”

Normally, the Verona, Wisc.-based health software company would bring in around 200 expert trainers to assist hospital employees with in-person guidance during the transition. But travel restrictions have forced the company to provide a virtual go-live process.

On ExpressNews.com: University Hospital prepares to roll out $170.8M patient information system

Health care workers won’t be able to work shoulder-to-shoulder with techs monitoring any glitches in the roll-out. But Wasvick said Epic’s team will be available around the clock via video conference to provide assistance.

UHS isn’t the company’s first client to undergo a switchover during the pandemic, and the hospital system already employs some of the information technology specialists needed for the transition.

Work on the project began nearly two years ago, and testing of the new system started 10 months ago.

“Over the past couple of months, our staff and physicians have invested many hours to be trained on Epic,” UHS spokeswoman Leni Kirkman said. “They need to put what they’ve learned into practice now while the information is still fresh.”

A labor and delivery nurse, for example, underwent 17 hours of training to learn the Epic system. Employees scheduled for training after March had to complete their training hours online because of restrictions on in-person gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.

UHS’ board of managers approved the project in October 2018 to help the public hospital run more efficiently, increase patient safety and improve patients’ experience.

The Epic platform will be used for everything from billing to ordering lab tests to keeping patient records, and is already in use by UT Health San Antonio, UHS’ academic medical partner.

The software checks a patient’s medication list for adverse drug interactions and allows patients to message their doctors with questions on an app from their smartphone.

Hospital administrators told the board last fall it usually takes about six months for staff members — especially those in billing and collections — to become comfortable using the new system.

“While we certainly did not plan to launch this new system during a pandemic, there are some key benefits of making the switch now,” Kirkman said.

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UHS’ outpatient clinics currently have a lower volume of patients, which will allow staff at those facilities more time to get used to the new system.

Kirkman said Epic is updating its system weekly so its clients can keep up with the latest treatment recommendations for COVID-19 patients.

In Bexar County, more than 15,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus. A spike in hospitalizations over the past two weeks has stretched resources thin at hospital systems throughout San Antonio.

Laura Garcia covers the health care industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura





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