South Coast Healthcare Organizations Kick Off Epic Implementation with Projected Go Live in June 2021, Nov. 2

BAH release – Coos Bay, OR, October 30, 2020 — Bay Area Hospital, North Bend Medical Center, Bay Clinic, and Advanced Health officially kicked off the implementation of Epic, an electronic health record (EHR) system. Project kick off was on October 19, 2020 and the Project Go Live date is scheduled for June 2021. Using one common EHR will allow Coos County’s major healthcare providers to standardize practices, support care coordination, improve evidence-based care, and make a patient’s healthcare experience more efficient from start to finish. “Utilizing Epic will enhance patient safety, collaboration, and efficiency required to meet the unique needs of patients across the continuum of care in our region,” shared John Burles, CEO at North Bend Medical Center. “When Epic goes live, clinicians and caregivers will have access to more complete and accurate health information, improving the quality of care provided to patients.” “Having North Bend Medical Center, Bay Clinic, Bay Area Hospital, and Advanced Health choosing to support this significant change improves the patient experience,” said Elana Crane, CEO at Bay Clinic. ‘Epic provides an easy vehicle for patients to access their medical records, send medication refill requests, pay bills, schedule appointments, and communicate with providers.” To implement Epic, the local healthcare organizations are working with St. Charles Health System located in Bend, OR as our Community Connect partner to ensure a seamless transition to the new EHR platform. Bay Area Hospital is in the process of securing financing for the project through a bank loan. The hospital is proud to continue its distinction as Oregon’s only district hospital without a tax subsidy by its constituents. Epic is a widely used health record system that many Oregonians already utilize to access their health records, including south coast patients who are also receiving specialized healthcare services in Eugene, Portland and many other locations throughout Oregon. “The choice to move to Epic came about as a means to replace the multiple EHRs used by each organization with a new integrated system so that local healthcare organizations are better connected, using the same system to provide the best patient care and experience possible,” said Brian Moore, President and CEO at Bay Area Hospital.