October 31, 2023

When the Texas Children’s project team started the journey to implement the Epic software system 15 years ago, they didn’t expect to change the landscape of pediatric health care, but they did just that. Our strategy proved to be the winning formula for integrating the software system in to pediatric health care operations, and we became the Epic best practice for the industry.

“The project team set out with a goal to ensure our version of Epic would be a game changer for our patients, staff and Texas Children’s, and they certainly delivered,” said Teresa Tonthat, vice president, Information Services. “I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished together and what we’ve developed for our staff, patients and other health care professionals. This is an important milestone to take time and celebrate, but we have no plans of stopping. I’m excited for what comes next.”

Together, our IS and clinical teams approached the implementation with a goal to provide a best-in-class software platform tailored to fit the specific needs of our staff and patients. The result was a comprehensive resource with the right tools to help us provide more thorough and efficient care for our patients.

“Nurses are dedicated to providing the highest quality, safest care possible to our patients. We must be up to speed at all times with accurate information at our fingertips. Having the right information available from one source at bedside has been a huge advantage,” Jennifer Sanders, vice president and associate chief nurse executive. “Epic helps us be more efficient, better informed and in the best position to deliver exceptional care to our patients.”

The Epic system is comprised of 54 modules our clinical teams use to help them make informed decisions on patient care. There are a handful, which have had the biggest impact, including:

  • MyChart Patient Portal. Allows patients to access their medical records, schedule appointments and communicate with their doctors online. It’s help make it easier for patients to be involved in their own care and have a better understanding of their health.
  • Mobility. Epic Rover has become an indispensable tool for healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, in various clinical settings. By providing secure and mobile access to patient information and streamlining critical processes like medication administration, specimen collection and infusion pump management, Epic Rover enhances patient safety, reduces errors and improves the efficiency of healthcare delivery.
  • Interoperability. This has allowed different healthcare systems to share information with each other making it easier for doctors to get the information they need to make informed decisions about their patients’ care. This proves especially beneficial to parents and patients when they need to transition care or seek a second opinion at Texas Children’s.
  • Telemedicine. Using telecommunications technology to provide medical care from a distance has made it possible for patients to receive care even if they live in rural areas or have difficulty getting to a doctor’s office.

“When the system went live, I saw immediate value in the first clinic session. I had a patient with ear infections and because I could see all her Texas Children’s Pediatrics notes and medication history in Epic, I was able to make a surgical recommendation without requesting outside records,” said Dr. Carla Giannoni, chief medical information officer. “Today we use it for so much more, and Epic adds new modules and features every few months.”

Giannoni continued, “Epic has streamlined data collection so we can improve our operational processes, and that has resulted in added efficiency and convenience. I also absolutely love that I can get most of the Epic data I need on call through the mobile app, Haiku. I can see OR schedules, my team’s patient list as well as my schedule, and chat securely with the bedside nurse.”

Click here to view a video about the Epic anniversary. Congratulations to everyone at Texas Children’s for 15 years of Epic success.

November 2, 2020

The patient is at the center of the 21st Century Cures Act in order to provide more power in the delivery of their health care, which includes access to their medical information.

In 2016, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology passed federal legislation called the 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule that puts patients in charge of their health records, which is a key piece of Health and Human Services (HHS) work toward a value-based health care system. The ONC Final Rule enables the health care delivery system to deliver an “app economy” to providers and patients, physicians, hospitals, payers, and employers with innovation and choice.

Through the delivery of modern smartphone and software apps, patients and providers will see benefits in accessing electronic health information (EHI). Patients will have more convenient and easier options to gain on-demand access to their EHI whenever and wherever they need it. In addition, there will be the increasing ability for patients to choose apps that will assemble and read their records. The interoperability, information blocking, and patient access to data and electronic health record certification requirements outlined in the 21st Century Cures Act will go into effect in multiple phases and will impact our patients, health care providers and health IT software developers.

To learn more about this effort, click here.

Changes go live with the Epic upgrade on November 8. Texas Children’s will release data via MyChart, and other patient portals, in order to make information more accessible and not require patients to go through the traditional medical record release process. Several other changes on the horizon include:

  • Patient Access API – Beginning December 31, 2022, CMS-regulated payers (including Medicaid MCOs) are required to implement a secure, standards-based application programming interface (API) that allows patients to access their claims, encounter information and some clinical data.
  • CMS Payer-to-Payer Data Exchange – This provision will require CMS-regulated payers to share certain clinical data with each other and other payers. This allows the patient to take their information with them as they move from payer to payer over time to help create a cumulative health record with their current payer.
  • United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) standard expands – Starting in October 2022, under ONC’s rule, the definition of EHI will expand beyond the USCDI. The EHI definition will include the full HIPAA electronic designated data set.

To prepare, educate, and ensure compliance across the organization, a workgroup has been assembled to carefully review the regulation, review our policies, procedures and business practices, and develop a system wide communication plan to ensure our providers are compliant with this new federal regulation. All Texas Children’s team members are invited to learn more about this regulation and its implementation via a virtual Town Hall for providers; see details below:

Provider Virtual Town Hall Hosted by Dr. Giannoni
Wednesday, November 4 | Noon to 1 p.m.
To join via MS Teams, click here.

Stay tuned to Connect for more updates on the 21st Century Cures Act and the organization’s implementation efforts. In the meantime, we invite you to review this site, which provides details on what you need to know, including a crash course, handouts and much more.

June 22, 2020

Like many projects across the organization, the implementation of Epic Tapestry has been on hold as we navigate our response to COVID-19.

But recently, project leaders were given the green light to return to this important work and the team is making great strides in getting the project back up and running.

Once implemented the system will allow Texas Children’s Health Plan to better integrate data for an improved member and provider experience. Tapestry, a module within Epic health care management, will help make this possible by first providing better information and improved work processes for employees who treat our more than 400,000 customers.

“The team has been incredibly patient and flexible as our pandemic response has taken priority,” said Justin Loudon, assistant vice president at Texas Children’s Health Plan. “However, COVID has resulted in an increase in health plan membership and served as a painful reminder of just how much efficiency and effectiveness must remain a focus for us. We are excited that the project is back on track.”

Benefits of Epic Tapestry

Epic Tapestry is an overarching application that will replace a variety of applications currently used. Its goal is to integrate the business of Texas Children’s Health Plan, and will:

  • Ensure a comprehensive, integrated enterprise solution with a common look and feel
  • Reduce manual work and provide a better data source for information
  • Incorporate evidence-based decision-support tools and better data entry at point of care
  • Optimize the patient/family experience across the enterprise
  • Challenge current practice – streamline and simplify
Employees will be trained for the change

All essential groups will be trained well before the Go Live date: Training will take place in a combination of ways, including:

  • E-Learning Courses
  • Quick Start Desk Reference Guides
  • Detailed Self-Guided Exercise Booklets
  • In-Person Classroom Training

Information Services educator, Elydia Villanueva, will lead training efforts for Texas Children’s Hospital employees, while Angie Ross, Epic Project Team Trainer, will lead training for Health Plan employees. Together they will ensure that impacted employees across the system will be prepared on Go Live day.

March 9, 2020

Training for Epic Tapestry is set to roll out this fall!

Epic Tapestry – launching in February 2021 – will allow Texas Children’s Health Plan to better integrate data for an improved member and provider experience. Customer-facing employees will have access to more information and will be better prepared to offer comprehensive service.

Training will take place in a combination of ways:

  • E-Learning Courses
  • Quick Start Desk Reference Guides
  • Detailed Self-Guided Exercise Booklets
  • In-Person Classroom Training

“Your training will be determined by your role within the organization and which portions of the module you must access,” said Elydia Villanueva, Information Services educator.

Villanueva is leading training efforts for Texas Children’s Hospital employees while Angie Ross, Epic Project Team Trainer, will lead training for Health Plan employees. Together with senior IT Project Manager Quintus Bratton, the three will ensure that nearly 1,000 employees across the system will be prepared on Go Live day.

An important point to remember is that employees will receive formal training, but they will also have access to a virtual “playground” where they can spend some time working within the modules at their own pace,” said Ross.

Training dates and locations will be released in October and training sessions will begin in December.

For more information about the overall project, visit https://texaschildrensnews.org/new-health-plan-system-will-provide-better-care-for-members/

May 14, 2019

EpicCare Link is a web-based provider portal for Texas Children’s that gives referring physicians and their staff secure and convenient access to the hospital’s electronic medical record (EMR).

Texas Children’s EpicCare Link can be used by:

  • Staff at practices that are not part of Texas Children’s but whose providers are active, courtesy or consulting members of the Texas Children’s Hospital medical staff.
    Community providers, including Texas Children’s adjunct medical staff and their staff.

Once registered and logged in to Texas Children’s EpicCare Link, referring physicians can access important information about their patient’s care at Texas Children’s, including discharge, consult and operative reports, imaging reports, lab results, medication use, and family history of their patient.

EpicCare Link users can also receive correspondence and messages from Texas Children’s physicians and can view and receive notifications about inpatient admissions, discharges, emergency room encounters, urgent care visits, and view upcoming appointments at the touch of a button.

For more information on EpicCare Link, click here.

April 19, 2016

42016epic640Before using Epic’s MyChart as their primary means of communicating with patients about routine matters, Dr. David Coats’ staff in the Division of Ophthalmology spent a lot of time transcribing conversations they had with patients and families into the hospital’s electronic health record.

With MyChart, that process is automated, saving staff valuable time and creating better documentation that can easily be accessed by both the patient and Coats’ medical staff.

“I believe that as we see increased utilization of MyChart, our staff will become more efficient and effective,” Coats said. “I also believe the health of our patients will improve and that there is significant potential for better patient satisfaction scores.”

This is just one of many examples of how Epic directly impacts patient care and will continue to do so the more it is used and improved. Texas Children’s started using the electronic health record software in 2008 and continues to see benefits from it organization wide.

“Technology is at the center of everything we do,” said Julie McGuire, director of Enterprise Systems for Information Services. “It impacts our culture, our quality of care and our effectiveness. To continue to lead in medicine and nursing, we must continue to advance technology.”

To help continue the momentum built over the past seven years, Texas Children’s is preparing to upgrade Epic as part of the FY16 Epic Ecosystem Lifecycle Program, which includes a new version of Epic, OnBase and other infrastructure updates to ensure a safe, reliable and secure environment.

Epic version 2015 will debut Sunday, June 12, delivering more than 700 new and enhanced features to improve tasks Epic users do every day, including enhancements to InBasket, Chart Search, Care Everywhere (Interoperability) and MyChart.

Questions?
To keep up with the latest Epic update news:

  • Visit the Epic Hub for key information about new and improved functionality coming your way
  • Check out Yammer at Texas Children’s Yammer (join the Epic Upgrade Group)