FAYETTEVILLE – Cape Fear Valley Health will transition to a new software system to integrate all of its hospitals and clinics to a single electronic health record. The switch to Epic electronic health records (EHR) will occur on Friday, May 3.
“Having one integrated system builds on our core mission of putting the needs of patients first,” CEO Mike Nagowski said. “Providers will now have the information they need from one system, regardless of whether the patient was seen in the Emergency Department, clinic, outpatient facility or hospital.”
Epic is used by a majority of U.S. News and World Report’s top-ranked hospitals and provides records for roughly 64 percent of U.S. patients and approximately 80 percent of patients in North Carolina.
Organizations using Epic can seamlessly interoperate, exchanging patient data in less time and with greater ease. The patient data includes patient medications, allergies, immunizations and test results.
Patients will also benefit from the switch. Epic’s myChart feature is a free online patient portal that allows users to view test results, update information, communicate with their care providers, pay bills, and manage their appointments and prescription renewals with a single password.
Users can even download the myChart app on to iPhones or Android smartphones.
Cape Fear Valley’s move to Epic has been a year in the making, with extensive testing in recent months to ensure the smoothest transition possible. But some growing pains are expected when the system goes live.
“We hope the public will be patient as our entire staff becomes accustomed to the new Epic sytem workflows,” Nagowski said. “The new software will eventually enable us to benefit both providers and patients.”