Newport News VA. –July 10, 2017 Being named among Hospital &Health Network's Most Wired for the 13th consecutive year, Riverside Health has recently taken an even larger step to keep pace with clinical best practices and a higher level of integration. After installing its first electronic health record system in 1996, Riverside has recently introduced the Epic EHR as a platform to replace several of its operating systems across its inpatient hospitals, physician practices, outpatient clinics, surgery centers, cancer centers and billing systems.
"We've always made technology a priority when it comes to better serving our patients," says Dennis Loftus, Riverside's Chief Information Officer. "This transformation is significant –not because we installed a new electronic health record across our entire health system –but because it brings most of our systems together in one complete and inclusive record."
Culminating more than two years of planning and system build, Riverside has successfully transitioned to a single, comprehensive electronic health platform in partnership with Epic, one of the most well-known EHR companies in the world. This conversion follows the successful launch of the Epic electronic health record across all the Riverside Medical Group practices earlier this year.
This implementation marks a significant milestone for Riverside, because it builds on the legacy of information technology that has made the system among the most wired year after year. Riverside's new comprehensive health record will follow patients throughout the system, which means providers in every setting of care will have access to patients' complete history and care plans.
"Patient safety has always been a top priority at Riverside and the ability to follow our patients throughout the system as well as among other Epic users means that care is safer," says Dr. Charlie Frazier, Chief Medical lnformation &Innovation Officer at Riverside. "Data can be more easily translated into actionable care plans and we can roll best practices out in a more broad and consistent manner."
In addition, data collection and reporting functions also mean that clinical leadership will be able to track patient outcomes in real time.
"We know that to provide the very best care in an environment that is always changing we need a system that supports providers and clinical staff, engages patients, and does a better job of connecting all the moving parts that make up a complete health care experience," Loftus adds. "That has always been our priority at Riverside, but the Epic EHR is a tool that helps us deliver on our promise of treating every patient as we would treat our loved ones."