As the COVID-19 pandemic challenged every aspect of the healthcare system in 2020, momentum for MEDITECH Expanse continued, as 61 hospitals moved forward with their implementation plans and went LIVE with the EHR. These organizations ranged from small critical access hospitals to the largest physician-owned, private, for-profit healthcare network in the U.S.,Steward Health Care, which brought 18 new hospitals on Expanse.
“We ventured into uncharted territory last year as COVID-19 affected all aspects of the healthcare industry,” said MEDITECH Vice President of Client Services Carol Labadini.
“As pandemic demands grew, we were proud to see the many ways our customers leveraged their Expanse solution to better serve the needs of their communities. These efficiencies were oftentimes a driving factor in their decision to proceed with an EHR implementation during this unique time.”
Many of these healthcare organizations were new to MEDITECH, and saw Expanse as a critical step forward in moving to a mobile, integrated, and web-based solution. One such organization was Val Verde Regional Medical Center (Del Rio, TX), which went LIVE just a month before the pandemic hit. The health system realized immediate benefits - quickly adopting virtual visits, as well as Expanse Point of Care devices to provide nursing staff with mobile access to records and medication administration. They also added remote monitoring technology to track vital signs of chronically ill patients at home.
Similarly, Southern Ohio Medical Center (Portsmouth, OH) didn’t allow the pandemic to delay their ambitious technology strategy, implementing nearly all of MEDITECH’s EHR Toolkits at Go LIVE.
“One of our biggest reasons to transition to a new EHR was to leverage IT for improved quality and patient safety,” states Valerie DeCamp,Vice President of Clinical Integration and Chief Quality Officer, Southern Ohio Medical Center. “The toolkits are one of the big perks of going with MEDITECH. We are identifying issues sooner and using the toolkits to streamline and expedite our patient care.”
Many other organizations reported immediate improvements after going LIVE with Expanse, from improved workflow to time savings for ordering and documentation.
“For pharmacy and the hospital, we needed an integrated system,” said Sandra Culver, Director of Pharmacy, Methodist Rehabilitation Center (Jackson, MS). “So many things are interrelated, it’s important to be able to see the whole picture. Previously, none of us had the information we needed without physically going to the paper chart. Now, with MEDITECH, everything we need is just a fingertip away.”
Other long term MEDITECH customers recently moved to Expanse as the next step in their technology evolution. Regional health provider San Luis Valley Health (Alamosa, CO) looked to leverage Expanse’s modern infrastructure to support their population health efforts.
“We hope to achieve a better understanding of the health of our populations in the San Luis Valley,” said San Luis Valley Health IT Director Brian Heersink. “No question, we can better serve our community through the new and innovative tools that come with MEDITECH Expanse.”
Beyond new EHR implementations, 2020 also saw our first customers go LIVE with some of MEDITECH’s latest solutions, including High Availability SnapShot, Expanse Labor and Delivery, and Expanse Patient Care.
For example, King’s Daughters Medical Center (Brookhaven, MS) viewed their adoption of Expanse Patient Care as a way to give back to nurses who had endured so much throughout the pandemic.
“While it’s nice to be on the leading edge of technology, it’s even more important to streamline processes and improve efficiencies,” explained KDMC’s Chief Information Officer Carl Smith. “In the case of our Expanse Patient Care implementation, these two ideals converged. If there was anything we could do to make things easier for our nurses and lessen their stress, we were going to do it.”
Implementations show no signs of slowing down in 2021, especially for organizations like Beauregard Health System (DeRidder, LA), which went LIVE with their Expanse system on January 1. Today, clinicians there are able to see the complete patient journey, regardless of care setting.
“Improving the patient experience is all about putting the patient at the center of care, with technology that is safe, interactive, and easy to use. At Beauregard Health System we are dedicated to providing this for our community,” said Beauregard Health System Chief Executive Officer Traci Thibodeaux.
As the healthcare industry continues to move toward a post-pandemic world, MEDITECH looks forward to helping many more customers realize their Expanse goals in 2021, in order to best serve the needs of their patients, staff, and communities.
Learn more about MEDITECH Expanse, and why the platform was recently awarded Best in KLAS in 3 key categories, and a Top Performer in several others.
