The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) was ready for optimization and to redefine workflow across a broad spectrum of Epic applications. Beginning in November 2015, Mediant Health Resources has developed and executed an ongoing project plan that
includes curriculum and training protocols to meet the organization’s specific needs. Current feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with nearly 100% satisfaction across key metrics at the close of the pilot phase of the program.
UPHS is a diverse, award-winning research and clinical care organization comprised of five hospitals, three regional medical centers, and numerous clinical care providers. It operates under the guidance of the Penn Medicine governing board, alongside the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine for combined revenues in excess of $6.8 billion. Penn Medicine uses a wide array of Epic solutions, and after multiple EMR upgrades—going from Epic 2010 to 2012, 2012 to 2014 and then to Epic 2018—UPHS found a need for optimization and redefinition of workflow across the broad spectrum of its Epic applications.
A prime challenge of EHR adoption or upgrade for many organizations is effective on-boarding and efficient workflow integration. For the University of Pennsylvania Health System, this meant educating providers on ways to customize its Epic EMR for increased efficiency and improved quality of documentation while also reinforcing standardized workflows for the clinical support staff.
UPHS searched for a partner that could provide consultants with expertise and experience across a wide number of Epic applications, and these criteria led UPHS to Mediant Health Resources. Mediant has been able to leverage numerous veteran consultants, many of whom are coming from recently completed implementation assignments, in order to meet the health system’s goals.
The UPHS project is being executed in stages, beginning with a pilot phase. During this initial stage, Mediant trained 700 providers and the clinical support staff across 13 divisions within the Department of Medicine. Mediant began the process by shadowing providers and assessing their pain points. Armed with a detailed understanding of its struggles, Mediant developed a plan customized to meet the exact needs of the organization.
Mediant provided the lead team to develop and lead the program. Mediant consultants created in-depth workshop curricula and designed discussion points to be delivered during on-the-job support. Next, Mediant scheduled, taught, and tracked a series of training workshops tailored to providers and clinical support members. Finally, Mediant’s consultants provided shoulder-to-shoulder support for UPHS staff, including tip sheets for all salient topics, ensuring that all personnel were able to integrate learned skills into their day-to-day routine.
The project is finishing the pilot phase and beginning expansion into MSKR, OB, Department to Surgery and ED within the organization. Due to the optimization effort UPHS providers raised their PEP (Provider Efficiency Profile) scores exceeding the expetations of the health system. Clearly, Mediant Health Resources’ experience, knowledge, and tools have properly framed the project and are supporting its successful adoption, staying on time and within budget. Mediant has further distinguished itself with responsiveness to various needs and knowledgeable resources. Finally, Mediant has taken a flexible, client-centric approach to billing by invoicing UPHS a flat monthly rate. This avoids fluctuating monthly costs and makes the project easier to manage. Current feedback regarding the project’s effectiveness has been overwhelmingly positive.