WellStar to Move to EpicCare Information System

Over the last decade, our use of technology to enhance the care and treatment of patients has increased enormously. WellStar leadership understands that, as one of the Top Five Integrated Health Systems in the country, one clinical information system for physicians, hospitals and our other points of care is critical to our patients and our success. World-class healthcare requires world-class information technology solutions.

Since McKesson’s mid-December announcement of their “Better Health 2020” initiative, WellStar senior leadership with the assistance of external experts has been carefully studying our strategic clinical information technology needs and options for the future. Last week, the WellStar Board of Trustees approved and endorsed senior leadership’s recommendation to implement the EpicCare integrated healthcare software across our System.

Epic, based out of Wisconsin, is the industry leader in the development of a single software solution for integrated healthcare systems. The EpicCare system allows for a single patient record across the care continuum – from the physician office to the hospital and even to the patient's home.

We will begin implementation work without delay and would target to be using EpicCare software
across our System (including our hospitals and the WellStar Medical Group) by the end of 2013. This implementation will require a tremendous investment in capital resources as well as time and commitment from our entire WellStar team.

The EpicCare implementation will provide new career opportunities for our team members. We will need approximately 150 individuals to fill positions on our new project team. These positions will be filled with top talent from clinical and other areas across the System. As we are pursuing a very aggressive time line, we plan to have our team ready for EpicCare training and certification beginning in June 2012. If you are interested in joining this project team. Please visit the eSource RightPath web site for updates. In the future, there will be additional opportunities for physician involvement in this project through advisory groups that will help determine how the applicaiton looks and work flow processes.

We hope you will share our excitement about this extraordinary step in patient care. This implementation will truly transform our culture, unite us as a System and move us further down the RightPath to improving patient care through technology.