Community Medical Center Implements New Electronic Health Record through Bryan Health Epic Community Connect

Community Medical Center (CMC) is now live with Epic, an electronic health record system that features streamlined workflows, improved data sharing between facilities and enhanced patient communication features.

The Falls City-based hospital went live with Epic on September 6 after a year-long collaboration with Bryan Health. Bryan offers its Epic Community Connect program so that smaller, independent hospitals and clinics have access to the platform for their providers, staff and patients.

“Our providers had been asking for a new electronic health record," said Ryan Larsen, chief executive officer, Community Medical Center. "Epic has become the premier health record system in Nebraska, adopted by nearly all major health systems. It was also the system most of our doctors trained on in residency. This made Epic the obvious choice. Likewise, due to its experience implementing Epic in rural facilities, Bryan has been an ideal partner to make this happen. Beyond the advanced clinical tools and care coordination that our doctors and staff will use, we think local patients are going to love MyChart, the Epic patient portal. Through it, individuals can view test results, message providers and pay bills online. It’s a tremendous advantage and provides a new level of convenience.”

CMC is the first hospital outside the Bryan Health system to be connected to the organization’s Epic electronic health record system. Bryan Medical Center adopted Epic in 2018 and has since installed the platform at all of its facilities across the state.

Bryan Health supported CMC through every phase of implementation. Additionally, the organization provided extensive teaching and used a “train-the-trainer” model. This method allowed Bryan staff to teach multiple Epic super users at CMC, who then trained their colleagues on how to use the platform.

“With the expertise of Bryan Health, we have a safe, secure tool that allows us to do our best work – care for our patients,” Larsen said.

Bryan’s Epic Community Connect is set for future expansion. The Dialysis Center of Lincoln Kidney Care and Lincoln Medical Education Partnership are two additional facilities scheduled to upgrade to Epic in the near future.

For more on Epic Community Connect, visit BryanHealth.org/EpicCommunityConnect.