The Mayo Clinic has launched its $1.5 billion electronic health records system overhaul, an upgrade that will touch 51,000 employees across the country.
Mayo’s Wisconsin operations began the clinic’s phased consolidation to Epic's EHR from its previous combination of Cerner and General Electric systems. The move extends Epic’s hefty market reach among large healthcare systems, even as the company sets its sights on smaller practices and rural hospitals.
The switchover will not be complete until October 2018, with transitions at some sites in Minnesota expected in November 2017, the Rochester, Minnesota-based organization said in an announcement. Mayo’s main campus in Rochester will make the switch next May, followed by the clinic’s sites in Arizona and Florida.
As important as it is to get the entire system on a single platform, a broader set of improvements aims to streamline workflows.
“It is a whole technology information system upgrade,” Timothy Johnson, Mayo Clinic Health System’s regional vice president, told the local Post-Bulletin. “That includes the revenue cycle, network upgrades, security upgrades.”
The completed system will handle the flow of patient information, making it available to all medical personnel. It will also handle billing and consolidated patient statements.
The project builds on Mayo's healthcare innovations and teamwork, Christopher Ross, the clinic's chief information officer, said in a statement. “By applying the world’s most forward-thinking technology and processes to our electronic health records and collaborative care systems, our experts will be even more connected in delivering the high-value care, research and education that Mayo is known for and patients deserve.”
Most of the estimated $1.5 billion budget for the project will go to Mayo staff for design input and configuration, Ross told the Post-Bulletin. Mayo said it expects to train 51,000 employees across the country by the end of the implementation.