Northwell selects Epic to integrate its electronic health record

Northwell Health staff update patients' electronic health records at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. 
 

Photo: Courtesy Northwell Health

Northwell Health has announced an agreement with medical records software company Epic to implement the health system's next generation electronic health record. Northwell said the initiative is part of an ongoing digital transformation to provide an integrated solution that will result in one patient record across every venue of care. 

Northwell currently uses Allscripts. 

The health system expects to roll out the new EHR in phases, with the first go-live occurring in 2025.

"Implementing Epic at Northwell will require a multi-year effort re-visioning the consumer experience, clinical workflow and standards followed by configuration and ultimately activation," said Joseph Moscola, PA, executive vice president of Enterprise Services at Northwell. "We are at the start of an exciting digital transformation journey, which includes utilizing Google Cloud to discover data insights and refining our customer relationship management to create personalized experiences."

WHY THIS MATTERS

The investment in its EHR will transform how it delivers care and manages revenue cycle across the enterprise, Northwell said. 

This includes having one patient record across ambulatory, emergency, inpatient and post-acute care to improve clinical continuity and care coordination. Having a more intuitive platform will reduce the administrative burden for clinical and revenue cycle staff and eliminate workflow redundancies and the need for workarounds, Northwell said.  

THE LARGER TREND

Northwell is among New York State's largest health systems, with 21 hospitals and about 900 outpatient facilities 

An April 2022 KLAS report found that Epic's 2021 net growth in electronic health record market share exceeded that of all other vendors, followed by Meditech and Cerner.

Epic also held the largest share of acute care hospitals, at 32.9%, with Cerner at 24.4% and Meditech at 16.7%. CPSI followed with 8.7%. Allscripts had 4.3%, and Medhost made up 3.1%. 

ON THE RECORD

"We are excited for the collaboration and possibilities with Epic," said Sophy Lu, senior vice president and chief information officer at Northwell. "This is a significant foundational decision to simplify our digital ecosystem in order to enhance the connectedness of Northwell's integrated system delivery and bring joyful experiences at every touchpoint."  
 

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org

Emily Kwan will offer more detail at her HIMSS23 session "Implementing an AI NLP Tool to Address SDOH Needs." It is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, at 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CT at the South Building, Level 1, S105 C.