Uchikura & Co., LLC

The Pain of Changing Hospital Computer Systems

My hospital, Virginia Mason, is currently switching its computer system to Epic. I went in for a regular check-up this morning, and I had to wait in line just to check in.

 

Even though I had already entered all my information into the Epic system yesterday, they still had to ask me everything again. Apparently, the information I entered was not properly saved or available in the system yet. I had to show my insurance card again and confirm who I was, even though I have been a patient there for at least four years.

 

I’m not complaining. Honestly, I feel their pain.

 

While I was checking in, there were four staff members working the check-in counter, but there was still a long line of patients waiting. On top of that, there were two IT support people standing behind the staff helping them with the new system.

 

This is not a small hospital. Virginia Mason has many branches, so I can only imagine similar situations are happening everywhere across the organization right now.

 

System migrations at this scale must be incredibly difficult. From the outside, people may only see delays and confusion, but behind the scenes there are probably thousands of moving parts, training issues, data transfers, and workflow changes happening all at once.

 

However, once this transformation is complete, Virginia Mason will be able to communicate and share information more easily with other hospitals and clinics that also use the Epic system. In the long run, that could become a very good thing for both patients and healthcare providers.

 

Right now, though… what a pain — for both patients and staff.