HHS announces move to Epic EMR

HAMILTON, ON– Hamilton Health Sciences announced that it has chosen to move to the Epic electronic medical record system, and has entered into negotiations with Epic to begin the implementation in September and to aim for a full “go-live” in June 2022.

“The renewal of our HIS is a major project under our Digital Health Plan, designed to transform how we collect, store and manage clinical information; improve patient safety; and enhance the services we provide. It is the largest investment ever made in our IT infrastructure,” said Rob MacIsaac (pictured), president and CEO of HHS.

The hospital made the decision to opt for Epic after a six-month consultation period involving the input of staff, leaders and physicians from across HHS. MacIsaac said that feedback from the workforce and clinicians will continue to inform the steps taken to ensure a smooth implementation process for the new system.

A steering committee has now been formed to begin mapping out the implementation process, paying specific attention to the capacity, training and technical capabilities required to successfully bring the new system online by June 2022.

“Thank you to everyone involved in the hard work that has made this important step forward possible,” said MacIsaac. “It has required contributions from many to ensure the proper consultation, analysis and overall diligence that’s needed for a project of this significance.

“In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Barry Lumb, Dr. Rob Lloyd, Duane Bender and Michelle Leafloor, each of whom played a critical leadership role alongside the many members of HIS Project Team.”