Essentia Health’s clinics in Graceville and Chokio, along with Essentia Health-Holy Trinity Hospital, will be connected to other Essentia facilities through a new electronic medical record, which launches tomorrow. Staff have been busy preparing and training since July.
Lori Rixe (from left) and Kim Sigler, who work in the lab at Essentia Health-Graceville, prepare for the launch of electronic medical records with Technology Learning Specialist Mary Holm-Lund.
Our Graceville facilities are the last ones within Essentia to be converted to the EMR, which has been rolled out across our health system over the past four years. “This is the culmination of years of work,” says Graceville Administrator John Campion.“When Graceville joined Essentia Health in 2010, one of the primary reasons was the promise of the electronic medical record.”
The integrated software, which Essentia Health calls Encompass, is provided by Epic Systems, Inc. It’s the same software that allows for the easy flow of information among all of our regions. Trainers from Fargo and Duluth have been on-site in Graceville and Chokio, offering hands-on training as well as e-learning.
“There’s been a lot of excitement as we move toward this transition,” says Director of Nursing Jill Johnsrud. “Staff sees how the electronic medical record will have a positive impact on our patients. We’re excited to achieve this goal.”
Installing a new electronic medical record takes a lot of work. And, if past experience is any indication, it will take time before everyone becomes comfortable with Encompass. While the adjustment takes work, the ultimate goal – having all Essentia Health facilities linked by one EMR – is fundamental to our efforts to enhance the safety and quality of our care. Having one record that follows each patient is also a way to make sure patients feel we know their stories, no matter where they go within our system.
“We’ve had excellent trainers,” Johnsrud says. “And we really appreciate all the work that has been done in smaller facilities within Essentia – the Adas and Deer Rivers. The learnings from the smaller hospitals in our health system have taught the trainers a lot. That has translated into an electronic medical record that suits our particular needs.”
Campion also shares kudos. “We’ve benefitted from the expertise of other people, including Beth M. Olson and her team in Information Services and many others. They’ve done all the work and we have received the benefits. And now, our patients will derive the benefits,” he says.
This fall has been a particularly busy time in Graceville. In addition to the Encompass go-live, staff have been training and converting to several other new systems, including Laborworkx and Lawson as well as Achievematrix, a software used within long-term care facilities.
