6 Benefits of Optimizing Your Epic EHR System

Most healthcare organizations that utilize the Epic EHR system experience benefits such as increased productivity and efficiency, enhanced reporting and data analytics, and most importantly, improved patient care. However, some facilities fail to fully optimize their system after implementation, preventing them from taking advantage of all of its features.

In the post-go-live phase, once your organization is beyond the initial learning curve, it’s essential to revisit and optimize Epic system functionality. We’ve outlined 6 of the key benefits this effort offers:

1. Improved Workflows

Further customizing the Epic system, coupled with refining work practice procedures, allows your organization to create the most efficient workflows. This supports the staff by streamlining their daily efforts and minimizing any extra work due to workarounds they may have adopted.

2. Improved Quality of Care

A main goal of healthcare organizations is to provide the highest quality of care to patients. Optimization of the Epic system can help achieve this by improving patient care coordination, reducing risks through standardized workflows, and offering better provider-to-patient communication.

3. Improved Data Analytic and Reporting

It is common to experience a backlog of report requests shortly after go-live. This is sometimes the result of users getting familiar with their workflows and refining the types of reports they truly need. Optimization allows the organization to revisit and refine what information is deemed mission critical, to detect any potential data integrity issues, and to implement additional analytics solutions.

4. Increased Productivity

Making system improvements has a direct impact on the productivity of your staff. By providing them with enhanced tools, efficient workflows, and reliable information -- in the form of user-driven analytics, reports and dashboards -- it supports them in being their most productive.

5. Increased Compliance

Healthcare organizations spend significant resources working to comply with regulatory requirements and to obtain incentives. Though the optimization process may seem like added effort, the resulting benefit is decreasing the resources necessary to meet compliance directives.

6. Higher ROI

When utilizing the Epic system to its full capacity, the return on investment increases. By implementing additional features, your organization is leveraging the advanced functionality that makes the system so powerful. Optimization efforts can also increase ROI by improving revenue management and boosting cost savings due to efficiencies gained.

Lastly, it is important to ensure your optimization efforts are in line with your organizational goals and objectives. This will assure your team has the support and appropriate resources necessary to complete the process.  

Learn More

We’ve highlighted a few of the benefits of optimizing your Epic system’s functionality. The Syntrix team can work side-by-side with your organization to help you utilize your system to its fullest capacity. Simply contact us today for a free consultation.

Interested in learning more about how Epic optimization can help eliminate a reporting backlog? Check out our FREE eBook below: