EpicCare Software

I have been using EpicCare EMR for over 2 years not and there isn't much bad i can say about it. Compared to most other EMR software out there it is far ahead of its competition. It's simplistic yet versatile design has made everyday challenges much easier for both healthcare employees and its patients.

Pros

Epic is extremely versatile in its ability to provide a lot of functions to its users in the healthcare settings. With its new updates setting up orders for patients have never been easier. From medication reconciliation to appointment scheduling to its organization of encounters and medical history, there isn't much epic cannot due.

Cons

Customer support/service is not very receptive to user friendly changes that are requested when it comes to simple tasks that could be made easier by the input of a button or checkbox in certain areas.

Downtime for service is can also be problematic if it needs to be performed during work hours which has happened a few times.

It has been a great system to bring the organization together. The access to see outside medical records, office visits, Ed visits and other testing is helpful in treating the patient as a whole.

Pros

The ease of maneuvering throughout the system. With little education the program was self explanatory. When working in the hospital the different aspects, like the banner help to quickly analyze the patient at hand.

Cons

Certain features throughout different organizations allow for a very general physical assessment. The option available is no change or normal. Example: a person’s normal HR could be a-fib but the option to chose regularly irregular would be considered the normal for the patient. What is needed for any change would be to document the actual sound. Also the charting by exception makes it difficult for other disciplines to know what is really going on.

EPIC is the best EMR software I have used and switching to EPIC helped bring out clinic to the next level.

Pros

EPIC made it possible for us to join other large healthcare systems and access records from other clinics, boosting the clinic's efficiency allowing us to better serve patients. The scheduling and charting features were superior to other healthcare software.

Cons

It took a full day to train to use it properly but the training is incredibly helpful.

Overall- I think it helps me deliver safe care to my patients. This platform allows me to accurately chart and organize my day to best serve the population in my hospital.

Pros

It allows for safe medication administration- links the drug info. right there with the medication and allows for user friendly charting. Plenty of flowsheets to chose from. Information that isn't helpful can be completed or hidden. Integrates with our devices to pull in vital signs and information about the patient. Also allows for communication between the interdisciplinary team connecting each other through messaging and allowing for contact information. There are a few ways to get to the same spot and I find the navigators are helpful.

Cons

Some charting/flowsheets are a bit redundant. Also, sometimes when flowsheets or sections of charting are hidden- it can be hard to find specifically where to reactivate it. I think it takes a while to get the right custom EPIC for your institution in place so there are tons of upgrades and learning curves with new versions.

Epic has one of the best EMR solutions on the market. It integrates well, with various authentication systems, has superb patient portals (usually entitled "MyChart") and has a great on-site support staff at launch. For people who learned medicine the "old" way using Latin-based terms like "NPO" and "PRN" this software is fantastic as it quickly converts it into "layman" language when documenting an encounter. This makes for a compelling tool when outputting medical records for patients, and the patient summary is fantastic post-encounter. It has a few bugs, like auto-replying to messages to a care team telling the patient to refill a prescription using the app or online patient portal when the portal says "this prescription cannot be refilled," and that message is usually not delivered to the care team for review. There are several idiosyncrasies that the less-technical provider will not understand, but as a holistic EMR, Epic makes a great tool that simplifies the encounter process from intake to discharge for all levels of the care team.

Pros

Work with Latin-based terminology and quick codes or standard non-Latin wording

Cons

Very difficult to port to it from another EMR or to leave it.

It is an efficient EMR that allows some communication between different health systems. However, the phone app and IPAD app are rudimentary and need improvements to make them useful.

Pros

It has an excellent portal for patients to correspond with physicians, as well as obtain their lab results and make appointments.

Cons

It is not always organized in the most logical way. The different key buttons show up in different places, depending on what screen you are using. There is no way to notify a patient you are out of the office.

Pros

Epic is intense--it can house nearly any data point you want to throw at it. The capacity of information in the charts is wonderful. The best feature, I think, is the depth of the "dot phrases," they cut your note taking time into a fraction. The customer support is wonderful, quick, helpful and efficient. We are big proponents for Epic and the pros certainly outweigh the cons.

Cons

Epic is a great tool but it's not always easy find what you're looking for--you need to be in the right "context" and working through the chart in a specific way to find certain things.

Overall, my favorite EMR system. I have no complaints about it and everyone loves it.

Pros

I LOVE Epic. In fact, everyone in my hospital loves Epic and we are actually shifting towards this system very soon. The reason is because there's less unnecessary clicking. Doctors HATE clicking. When you are in clinic with a patient, you want to write a note as quickly as you can because the focus is on the patient, not the computer. Epic minimizes that by organizing everything in a logical order (the tabs are great), and making the note itself like a "Word" document where you can free-text. Prescribing is a breeze and the tech support is excellent.

Cons

Some functions can be difficult to find and training takes two days at our hospital.

Overall, I am happy with EPIC. It made my life much easier then when I had to deal with the paper charts.

Pros

The organization I work at was one of the first organizations that started using EPIC when It became available. The best part of EPIC is that one can easily find all necessary information about a patient. Everything is there, labs, radiology reports, medical professionals notes, immunizations, referrals, etc. EPIC is easy to navigate, once one learns the navigation process and EPIC features.

Cons

There are too many features to remember. Many features and short cuts are hidden and almost impossible to find. When EPIC upgrades come, some of the upgrades are totally useless and unnecessary, like for examples, enhanced colors and little icons. Sometimes there are too many steps and clicks to get form point A to point B.

I am no longer an active user of EpicCare EMR, but overall, the few weeks that I had training on it prior to launch, I was not a fan.

Pros

The best feature of this EMR is the widespread availability of records for patients across the country and across many providers.

Cons

When you are opening a new chart, there is far too much on the screen at once and the clutter on the screen makes using it for the first time difficult for users.

Pros

Being both a builder and a user of several ehrs I do believe that this product is is very user-friendly. I am in a nurse informaticist. And the features and functionality available truly help arcare providers be able to care for and document the care they give.

Cons

I do believe there are several kinds and maybe it's just with what has happened within our organization but there is an ability to have too many variations in documentation which leads to discrepancy. Additionally from what I understand from the AC and am there is not a good way to search for these discrepancies in the system once they are built. The AC and am's that are sent to support future go lives as in our instance where we added on 14 new hospitals they did not have the level of experience to support our organization.

Pros

Easy access to sign on, easy to check patient medications.

Cons

Ever time you get to understanding the system, there is an update that changes everything. So, then you have to learn to do a different way. By the time you get that down, there is a new update that changes it.

Overall, Epic is the best EMR I've use to date and would love to see it used in more hospital settings.

Pros

I have seen both the business and user side of Epic. As a CNA, and nursing student, I have been using Epic for sometime. I love it. As someone who has also used other EMR services, I can say with confidence that Epic Systems is by far the easiest and most customizable. It does take time to navigate, but all EMR services do. Epic has great support, its easy to use, and has great customizable ability.

Cons

EpicCare EMR is pricey. A lot of hospitals don't use Epic for that exact reason. However, it is well worth the price.

Pros

The ease of navigation between functions and the multiple ways to perform functions which allow for us to determine the best way for you

Cons

no true complaints that are devastating or frustrating with the software. minor complaints that could maybe be considered petty

Pros

EPIC is the system that the majority of hospitals and healthcare facilities use in our city. This is EXTREMELY beneficial because when we have patients that go to more than one site, the other site can access the patient's medical history and receive very important information. The electronic system allows for providers to communicate with each other without actually being on the phone or in person, and it allows for the providers to access records from multiple sites. This is very important for our organization because our providers serve patients at multiple locations.

Cons

This system has made communication easier for administration, providers, and other healthcare professionals so I have no complaints about EPIC.

Overall functionality and use it easy and it provided a great experience in regards to charting and documentation

Pros

It was very easy to learn how to use. Not a steep learning curve. The flowsheets are easy to use and provide easy charting functionality. Overall this is the best EMR that i have used.

Cons

It takes a while for it to get tailored to the specific facility that you are in. When they first install it it is not specific to the facility and needs many updates.

Pros

This software stores and manages patient data fairly easily. It also has the functionality to produce reports as needed.

Cons

I do not like the overall feel of the software. I feel as though it is a little outdated. It could also be organized a little better.

Pros

I like that I can see patient treatment options & notes down to the day, time, and provider recording them. It helps to inform patient management decisions.

Cons

I do not like that it can be hard to understand which treatment options are on protocol / recommended vs. which are non-preferred.

Pros

Totally patient-centered. All the data you need is on the patient, not the software. Can be shared with other Epic using sites.

Cons

Too many clicks. Not enough updated and supports being pushed out from Epic to the many sites. Needs better end-user training.

Pros

I think that everything can be found in one place. As a clinician, it is nice to have notes and information from every discipline that is caring for the patient, which provides more well-rounded care. The formatting and tabs are also easy to use.

Cons

It is constantly changing, making it hard to keep up. Although everything is customizable, it takes too many steps to do so, and makes it almost not worth it.