Epic Version 2014 Upgrade Update: Tuesday Edition
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is Nursing and Case Management training mandatory?
Nursing: Inpatient nurses have two large changes to their workflows: Blood Administration and the
After Visit Summary (AVS). With the new module (Blood Administration) and the significant changes to the
AVS, analysts agreed with nursing stakeholders that mandatory training would best ensure success after golive. This mandatory training will also ensure consistent workflows as each nurse will receive the same course
training.
Case Management/Social Work: The workflow for case managers and social workers is brand new and
therefore, deemed mandatory for training. Previously, Case Managers and Social Workers entered information
in two separate systems. The new workflow allows them to document in one place, and more readily receive
and share information with key stakeholders. In addition, after go-live, the Case Management team will be
able to fax directly from Epic making a great impact on this team’s resources, both human and supplies.
Q. How are the clinics’ providers and clinical support staff being trained?
Ambulatory Health Information Systems Director, Lucy Stacy, and her ambulatory analysts conduct
ongoing refresher trainings for both support staff and providers within the ambulatory setting.
To make the training as convenient as possible for providers, both the ambulatory and inpatient
physician support analysts will be training during previously scheduled in-clinic training times. Providers will
receive training in both inpatient and ambulatory enhancements. Analysts are also available for additional
one-on-one trainings. Refresher training appointments have been sent to providers’ outlook calendars and
Practice Managers are partnering with trainers to accommodate provider training needs. Providers are
encouraged to attend Discovery Labs in Meeting Room D from April 13th-16th at the following times:
o 7-8 am April 13th-16th
o 12-1:30 pm April 13th -16th
o 5-6:30 pm April 13th-16th
Careful review of clinical support staff enhancements revealed little more than tip sheets would be
necessary for support staff to adapt to enhancements. Clinical staff is welcome and encouraged to join
provider trainings where appropriate. All CRMC and CRMG staff are encouraged to attend the discover labs
from April 13th-16th in Meeting Room D.
Q. Where is TrueConnect in the phases of this Upgrade?
We are in the Testing Phase. As we learned in last week’s communication, organizations with an
enterprise electronic health record must upgrade every few years to ensure a healthy system. Upgrades follow
the same phases as original implementations.
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Scoping: Determining the timeline, budget, and additional modules. Additional modules are not
enhancements. Modules are brand new work flows such as the Blood Administration and Matching
Module and the Case Management Module. This brings an entirely new workflow to end users.
Validation: Determining with organizational stakeholders including leadership, providers, and frontline staff, what enhancements are most desired in the Upgrade
Build: Analysts spend 60% of their work-lives building the enhancements for the service lines they
support.
Testing: Analysts enlist the help of end-users to test their build in alternate environments of Epic. An
alternate environment is a match or copy of the Production Environment (PRD), similar to the Epic
Playground where users can practice. Based on the results of testing, analysts know if they need to
continue to work the build or if they’re ready to move their build into the production environment
for end users to enjoy.
Training: Each end user is unique in his role. When an organization has an ‘Enterprise EHR’ there is no
‘one-size-fits-all’ training. Cheyenne Regional’s TrueConnect Epic analysts have individualized training
to accommodate each specific role affected by the Version 2014 Upgrade. Upgrade training focuses on
giving end-users a glance at new workflows and some time to practice in the alternate environment
prior to go-live.