Seven out of 10 physicians have used the same electronic health record (EHR) for more than five years, a Medical Economics survey found. Yet one-third of physicians still struggle with EHR usability. What’s holding physician practices back from optimizing their EHR? Most independent and small group practices either do not have the personnel or financial resources to invest in upgrades that could help physicians more effectively leverage the EHR.
Epic EHR is trying to change that. Epic’s Community Connect program enables large healthcare systems with Epic EHRs to “share” their systems with independent and small-group practices. Community Connect aims to foster symbiotic relationships between practices and health systems where practices gain access to advanced EHR features while larger “host” systems gain increased referrals and revenue.
Unfortunately, most physicians participating in Community Connect say they receive “bare bones” support from Epic in implementing their system, according to KLAS’ 2020 report. Community Connect physicians report much less satisfaction with their Epic experience than those who buy direct from Epic, according to the KLAS report.
Some health systems partner with a consultant to help mitigate these issues. By selecting the right EHR consultation/implementation partner like Healthcare Triangle (HCTI), healthcare organizations can most effectively optimize EHR investment and achieve sustainable gains in performance.
In HCTI’s experience, the right EPIC EHR consultant will do four things to maximize the success of participation in Community Connect.
- Talk things through: The best EPIC EHR consultants will take the time to sit down with the host organization to discuss their goals for and the level of EHR management and flexibility they can provide physician practice recipients.
- Provide comprehensive training: An expert consultant will provide sufficient hands-on training to position organizations for a positive experience during go-live and beyond.
- Deliver ongoing customer and technical support: Transitioning to Epic from another EHR, especially for small and legacy systems, often comes with a steep learning curve. A reputable, expert consultant will provide system personalization assistance and deliver prompt, continuing support as questions arise.
- Offer transparent pricing: The right consultant will provide clear, easy-to-understand pricing for every aspect of Epic implementation and support, including software licensing, labor, and training.
Read our latest blog to learn how healthcare organizations can optimize their EHR investment and maximize the success of the participation in Community Connect.
Considering the move to Community Connect? Contact us at info@healthcaretriangle.com for more tips on ways to ease the transition.
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