June 12, 2023
Today St. Peter’s Health announced its transition to a new, best-in-class Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, Epic. The system-wide launch began on June 10 at the St. Peter’s Health Regional Medical Center and will be completed today as the St. Peter’s Health Medical Group transitions remaining patient records. Through a partnership with the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth (SCL) Health, part of Intermountain Healthcare, this $25 million dollar investment allows St. Peter’s to have to access to the number one ranked EHR in the country.
“Since 2017, we have worked to bring this technology to our staff and community,” says St. Peter’s Health Chief Executive Officer Wade Johnson. “When we set our sights on becoming the Gold Standard for healthcare in Montana, we knew investing in and implementing a new EHR would be a defining moment on our journey. I couldn’t be prouder of our teams and to say that Epic is finally here.”
According to St. Peter’s Chief Information Officer Ryan Winn, this move aligns St. Peter’s with top-tier medical centers, including Providence, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins. “Epic gives patients, and their care teams, secure and immediate access to medical records and other important health information creating a more seamless experience for everyone across the continuum of care,” says Winn.
Electronic health records contain a patient's medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, laboratory test results and more. “This enhanced ability to exchange health care information electronically makes way for greater quality and patient experience improvements at St. Peter’s,” says Winn. “From our clinician’s perspectives, Epic gives a simple and easy access point to all past and current health information to complete a patient’s medical evaluation providing the best care possible.”
In addition to greater access for St. Peter’s staff, patients will now be able to use a new digital tool called MyChart to manage their health care information and medical records. This one-stop-shop will allow patients to manage appointments, pay their medical bills, order prescriptions, communicate with their care teams, and more, all from the palm of their hands.
“Patients take a more proactive approach in managing their health when they can easily access and manage the resources they need to be successful,” Winn says. “MyChart can be accessed from a computer desktop or app on your phone or tablet.”
MyChart is replacing the St. Peter’s Patient Portal and offers a robust host of tools for self-managing appointments and more. “After June 10, our Patient Portal will no longer be used to share patient medical records and other health information,” says Winn. “Instead, it will be shared in the patient’s secure MyChart account. When you schedule an appointment or check in for a service, you can ask to have an instant activation information sent to you making it really easy to set up and access your account.”
For more information about MyChart and how to activate your account, please visit sphealth.org/MyChart.