The large healthcare system revealed that the practice complexity coupled with flu season was causing delays in the successful transition from Epic to Cerner EHR. According to reliable reports, Phoenix-based 28-hospital health system Banner Health’s huge efforts to switch Epic EHRs at two of its prominent hospitals with Cerner EHR software continues to create difficulties costing $45 million to the healthcare system.
The Banner Health is currently working to move a couple of Tucson academic medical centers for Epic EHR to Cerner EHR. The large heath care organization acquired these two academic medical centers in 2015 from the University of Arizona. The change was necessary as Banner Health was using Cerner in all its hospitals where as the new two academic medical centers it acquired had always operated on Epic EHR software.
Banner Health spokeswoman Jennifer Ruble revealed that the recent EMR transition regarding the new Tucson hospitals and clinics had so far been very challenging.
“Workflow issues and academic practice complexity are two primary concerns that we continue to manage. These issues were amplified by a severe flu season earlier in the year and the large scale of this change process,” she said.
Ruble noted that as a result patients had to go through long delays. She says that her healthcare organization regretted that very much.
“The Arizona Department of Health Services surveyed us related to these concerns in December. That survey closed on Jan. 22. We remain highly focused on solutions, and are making constant and steady improvement,”
