Health system giant UPMC is transferring some 6 million patient medical records to a single digital recordkeeping system, a massive consolidation from nine electronic health record systems today, which will involve 600 information technology technicians and as many as 1,200 doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other clinicians.
The transfer of the records to Epic Systems Corp. digital platform from one operated by Oracle’s Cerner Corp. — both operated and maintained internally — means that some 27 million digital patient admission, discharge and transfer messages generated daily at UPMC and stored in multiple medical records systems will shrink by one-half or more messages per day, UPMC Chief Technology Officer Chris Carmody said. Lower operating costs, improved cybersecurity and freeing doctors to spend more time with patients are among the advantages of the change, which begins in the fourth quarter after two years of planning.
Transfer of all UPMC patient records to the Epic platform is expected to be done by mid 2026.
“It’s not just a technology transfer, it’s truly transformational for the system,” Mr. Carmody said. “We’re really guided by our clinicians in how we build this system. Care doesn’t slow down for data to move.”
For patients, the data transfer will be seamless, with eventual expanded functions for MyUPMC, a secure online portal where patients can schedule appointments, review test results and contact doctors. UPMC officials did not disclose the cost of the project, but said it was expected to pay for itself within seven years.
UPMC is a $26 billion health care and insurance giant that employs more than 5,000 doctors and operates 40 hospitals. The enterprise generates a digital mountain of data that for many years has been split between Cerner for inpatient records and Epic for outpatient records.
The split in storing information can cost doctors time in accessing medical histories, time that could otherwise be spent with the patient. The unified Epic digital platform will provide quick access to the patient’s entire medical record.
“This is a big deal in the way health care data is managed so all the constituents have access to it,” said Shannon Larkin, vice president of marketing at Harmony Healthcare IT, a South Bend, Ind.-based consultant, who is not involved in the transition at UPMC. “The records need to be centralized to release them when requested by a patient.”
Storing data on multiple digital platforms can delay the release of medical records, she said. Health systems migrating data to new platforms often archive older patient information, leaving “key clinicals,” such as the latest lab test results, the most immediately available to physicians.
“The health management team can release it and the clinical team can access it when they need it right at the time of care,” she said.
UPMC CIO Ed McCallister said the digital platform switch will have far reaching effects.
“It’s one of the most transformative activities we’d had here at UPMC,” he said. “It’s going to impact everybody. It’s the entirety of the organization that’s going to move this forward.”
Kris B. Mamula: kmamula@post-gazette.com
First Published: September 5, 2023, 1:05 p.m.
Updated: September 6, 2023, 9:16 p.m.
