Dive Brief:
- A three-year strategic plan for McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital and affiliate TriHealth includes a $17-million commitment from TriHealth, about $9.5 million of which was spent to install Epic EHR system.
- The hospital upgraded all computers and adopted TriHealth's portfolio of 30 modules used in clinical and business departments.
- The affiliation agreement with TriHealth was reached in January and also includes $3.5 million to expand clinical services and $2.5 million to expand and renovate McCullough-Hyde's ED.
Dive Insight:
McCullough-Hyde needed to do something: Its annual report indicated an 11% drop in inpatient discharges from 2013 to 2014. The hospital spent more money than it made, resulting in a margin loss of $1.4 million last year.
So far, the transition to Epic has received rave reviews.
'The physicians are happy with it for the most part," said hospitalist Dr. Kami Park. "TriHealth has done a lot to help us prepare and provides a ton of support." She called the system "much easier" to use compared to the hospital's previous system.
"The flexibility to personalize the system to meet individual physician needs; it's more adaptable," Park said.