Baptist Technology Services recently presented at the annual Epic Fall User Group Meeting (UGM), which was held in Verona, Wis. UGM connects 10,000 members of the Epic community from seven countries outside the United States. BTS teams made four different presentations during the UGM conference
including:
- Putting Patients in Control of Scheduling Through MyChart – presenters Chris Hopper and Jeremy Lindsey
- Improved Perioperative Efficiency : Use of Standard Metrics – presenters Kristina Semiche and Shelia Fleming
- Maximizing the Benefits of ACR Select – presenter Pam Beasley
- Business Continuity and Access (BCA) and Network Downtime : A Life Safety Device – presenters Chris Altendorf and Jeff Miller
To be invited, Epic clients across the globe submit conference presentation topics, then Epic selects those submissions to be presented. “I believe it was an honor for BMHCC to have four separate topics being presented at this UGM,” said Jeff Miller, director of Metro Support Services with Baptist Technology Services.
For the session on BCA devices, approximately 250 conference guests listened to presenters who shared real-life scenarios and how technical teams solved challenges.
In one case, the Baptist OneCare team shared how Baptist responded to power outages and the related BCA technology designated as “Life Safety Devices.”
In short, when a power outage occurs, something or someone needs to capture patient information and scheduling information. This set of BCA devices is categorized as critical just like a crash cart in a clinical setting. BCA ensures patient information and scheduling data is captured during an unplanned event that causes downtime in the system. Having the BCA avoids interruption in daily operations and patient care.
BTS teams have worked very hard during this past year to improve BCA deployment, learning many valuable lessons—which they shared with other Epic organizations during the conference. This work included executive support, clinic and hospital leaders along with site support, nursing informatics and front line staff. “Baptist received strong feedback following our presentations, and we have received several inquiries from attendees to share additional information beyond what we presented,” said Jeff.
Chris Hopper, system director for Baptist OneCare and co-presenter on the MyChart session, shared his excitement. “We are proud to represent Baptist at this national meeting to share our successes with other Epic community members. These presentations emphasize the role of technology and the Epic electronic medical record in patient safety, patient care, and patient engagement.”