Boosting operational efficiency and optimizing budgets during major projects is a common goal for healthcare organizations of all shapes and sizes. However, every organization has a unique journey, whether implementing a new EHR, replacing a legacy integration solution, or modernizing their current IT setup.
During a recent webinar, we explored the journeys of two healthcare organizations – Baptist Health and Overlake Medical Center & Clinics. Baptist Health faced the challenge of migrating their existing EHR to Epic, while Overlake Medical Center & Clinics planned to replace their legacy integration solution with Corepoint Integration hosted in the cloud within their existing Epic environment.
Throughout the conversation Julian Ammons, Director of IT Digital Cloud Development Operations at Baptist Health, and Patrick Hardwick, Platform Architect at Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, shared valuable lessons from their major projects.
Ammons and Hardwick discussed:
Watch the full webinar here or continue reading for a recap of the conversation.
Assessing team readiness and optimizing for efficiency
When preparing his team for the migration to Epic, Ammons emphasized the importance flexibility and knowing that “for these kinds of projects no detail is too small.” Ammons noted that while their integration team at Baptist Health includes a modest number of staff to build and maintain interfaces in Corepoint, they are leveraging automation to enhance efficiency. The key is to use automation as a tool to augment and streamline processes rather than a replacement for people.
When discussing the role of an IT team in healthcare, Ammons shared a clever analogy. “The clinical people are out there on top of the building with the Superman symbol on their chest, providing hope to the world and letting people know that ‘Hey, you come here, you can get help,’” Ammons explained. “We tend to be more like Batman. They guess if we exist or not. Most of the time we’re an urban myth or an urban legend, and then the only time they know we’re there is when we stop doing our job or something happens that we have to step in.”
Ammons continued, “We exist when we’re useful. It can be a difficult life, and it can be one that seems rather thankless. So, we have to find ways to make sure that the team understands that, one, we are flexible around things and we want them to understand that flexibility, and two, that they are important. That’s why those details and that innovation that they can put together become so important and have to stand out as they work on their projects.”
For Overlake, Hardwick discussed how their organization had outgrown their legacy integration solution. “It didn’t have the failover capabilities we wanted, which of course makes everybody a little nervous,” Hardwick shared. “Also, the overall usability feature set was not meeting our interface analyst needs.”
Additionally, Overlake’s digital transformation program highlighted the necessity of replacing their legacy integration solution. Their previous solution became a barrier to digital transformation and hindered the onboarding of a new solution that could bring significant cost savings to Overlake. This legacy solution required cumbersome workarounds during the interface-building process.
Hardwick emphasized the importance of boosting employee morale and giving your team the tools they need to succeed. “Our team was ready for a state-of-the-art solution; they were desperate to feel like they were working with the latest and the greatest,” said Hardwick.
The critical role of documentation
Having up-to-date, thorough documentation was a key topic throughout the webinar. Hardwick shared how their migration project highlighted the need for up-to-date, comprehensive documentation. He pointed out that often systems run for years with outdated or incomplete documentation, leading to inefficiencies and increased risk during migrations.
Ammons concurred, adding that good documentation helps in understanding and managing integrations effectively. This preparedness is crucial for preventing surprises and ensuring that teams are well-informed about the systems they work with.
Managing timelines and expectations
Managing timelines in large-scale migrations is an ongoing challenge. Both experts advised a clear and realistic approach to setting and managing expectations.
Ammons emphasized the need for prioritization and open communication with teams to navigate overwhelming tasks effectively. He advised leaders to be proactive in addressing issues and to provide clear guidance and support to their teams.
In any major project, people play a huge role in achieving success and meeting timelines. “We never feel like we have enough people to get the work done, but somehow, we have managed to do it because we have rock stars on the team,” said Ammons.
Pat Hardwick added that understanding what can and cannot be controlled is crucial. Effective vendor management and internal communication play significant roles in meeting deadlines and achieving project goals.
The cloud advantage
The discussion also covered the benefits of transitioning to a cloud-based environment. Both Baptist Health and Overlake Medical have adopted a cloud-first strategy, which has significantly streamlined their EHR migration processes.
Ammons spoke about how moving to the cloud has dramatically increased efficiency at Baptist Health. Tasks that previously took hours can now be completed much faster due to automated processes and improved infrastructure. The cloud has also facilitated a shift from a maintenance mindset to one focused on innovation and proactive problem-solving.
Ammons shared that before moving to the cloud “we spent a lot of time firefighting instead of making ourselves fireproof.”
“The cloud has given us a lot more flexibility. Instead of waiting for that problem to occur again, we’re going to catch it before it happens,” said Ammons.
Pat Hardwick echoed these sentiments, pointing out specific cloud advantages such as reduced network management burdens and elimination of technical debt. He noted that cloud solutions offer more flexible connection options and less reliance on outdated technologies, contributing to overall operational efficiency. “Our network team doesn’t have to manage 24 VPN tunnels anymore, so they’re thrilled with that by being in the cloud,”
As far as cost savings, Hardwick shared that there were “soft costs around reducing risk, having a system with failover capabilities, and the satisfaction of our analyst team. When your team is working with the old technology, they feel like their skills are stagnating. By going to the cloud, we recognize cost opportunities around not having to maintain on-premises infrastructure.”
The journeys of Baptist Health and Overlake Medical Center & Clinics offer valuable lessons for any healthcare organization embarking on IT migration projects. From the importance of team readiness and thorough documentation to the advantages of cloud solutions and effective timeline management, these insights highlight critical elements of successful digital transformation. By leveraging these strategies, healthcare organizations can optimize efficiency, enhance team morale, and ultimately deliver better patient care.
To learn more about how you can improve efficiency and optimize costs during major projects, contact us today.
You might also like:
OU Health Standardizes on Epic & Corepoint Integration Engine Amidst M&A Activity
Learn OU Health selected Corepoint to serve as a single integration solution to connect applications across the enterprise as well as more than 100 third-party vendor systems
Gartner® How Healthcare Provider CIOs Can Communicate the Value of IT
Learn how healthcare CIOs can demonstrate the strategic value of IT to drive organizational success
UofL Health Builds a Strong Foundation for Growth
Discover how UofL Health leveraged Rhapsody to migrate hundreds of interfaces and establish an engine footprint that can grow seamlessly overtime while avoiding disruptions to patient care.
