Empowering Hawaii’s Critical Access Hospitals with Epic Community Connect
The Challenge
Rural hospitals face unique challenges when implementing complex EHR systems such as Epic. When Epic Community Connect is deployed from a large host organization, the default build and workflows are designed for dedicated teams for each function and configured for environments with extensive specialized staffing, whereas smaller hospitals depend on versatile staff who juggle many responsibilities. Without expert guidance, critical access hospitals risk underutilizing Epic’s capabilities, which can impact patient care, financial performance, and staff satisfaction.
The Solution
HSi partnered with HHSC’s West Hawaii Region (WHR) to bridge these gaps and provided a comprehensive consulting engagement that included post-Live support, revenue cycle optimization, clinical informatics mentorship, and reporting capability development. We addressed several key challenges to ensure the hospitals thrived after Go-Live.
The Benefit
By bringing in Epic experts from outside, WHR supplemented their internal knowledge and made inroads to making Epic Community Connect work for their unique environment. HSi’s approach helped WHR:
- Optimize revenue cycle workflows, improving cash flow and reducing billing errors.
- Enhance clinical documentation and charge capture, particularly in high-acuity areas like the Emergency Department.
- Identify a roadmap to grow sustainable internal capabilities for informatics and reporting, reducing reliance on external vendors.
- Continue to advocate for WHR’s needs within the partnership by identifying ways to enhance collaboration and communication.
