Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com March 14, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 11 mation on the patient," Mikitarian- Bradley said. An Epic backbone The $700-million implementation of UMass Memorial Health Care's new electronic medical record system Epic – that will come online in July of next year – is more than a single system for storing and access to patient records, but the technological framework that UMass plans to use to interconnect disparate doctors with its central resources. Community locations, such as the Northborough location, will be tied directly to UMass' existing experts. "Technology is what is going to allow us to disperse the care we are delivering out into the community and at a more convenient setting for our patients and at a lower cost," Dickson said. Right now, there are more than 20 electronic medical record systems under the UMass umbrella, said Dr. William Corbett, and this means doctors out in the community might not get a complete picture of the treatment that took place when patients are brought to UMass. "There are aspects of care we get an incomplete picture of in our present world, and we will get a complete picture in the near future," said Corbett, senior vice president of the UMass Medical Group for Community Practices and co- chair of the Epic committee. Increased connectivity is something many hospitals are embracing, said Girish Navani, CEO and co-founder of eClinicalWorks. His Westborough com- pany provides medical record programs for use by hospitals and doctors and recently took its first steps into the U.S.inpatient market. While old systems were not made with the Internet in mind, modern sys- tems like eClinicalWorks's cloud-based Electronic Health Record system can be accessed anywhere there is Internet access. These comprehensive products handle every portion of the medical sys- tem – including all of the medicine in the clinic, patient registration, medical records, insurance, billing, labs, and x-rays. Having an app for smart phones where patients can book an appoint- ment just completes the multiple layers of interaction available for patients. "It is care that is continuous and care that is more prompt," Navani said. "You build one interface and you can connect all your customers to it … The advan- tages are mind-boggling." Beyond connected records The multitude of points of interaction are the bonus for these systems, Corbett said. Medical patients want multiple ways to interact with their doctors. The new Epic system forms the foun- dation for more of this telemedicine, said Corbett. Epic offers a number of points of attachment for technologies such as video appointments that can be worked right into scheduling. This vir- tual medicine can be as simple as a doc- tor scheduling a visit where they review a photo of a surgical site to ensure it is healing properly. With this new Epic program, UMass doctors will be able to venture ahead into all kinds of virtual medicine, Corbett said. UMass is already piloting some of this technology with its employees. The organization is using the Zipnosis pro- gram to walk patients through minor medical problems such as colds and rashes. Patients are worked through a list of questions in order to give them medical advice. If the patient is looking sicker than can be handled, they are directed to a doctor or emergency room. Although he is a proponent, as a prac- ticing doctor Corbett does admit ulti- mately there are situations where there is no replacement for an in-person visit, thus highlighting the core effort of UMass to grow within the community. "It's never going to take the place of a doctor's visit," he said. "We're trying to offer as many points of access as we can." n T H E R O I O N S TA N D U P D E S K S 99% 98% 88% 76% OF PEOPLE CHANGED WORK HABITS A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE Changing behavior and transforming workplace culture. WOULD RECOMMEND INMOVEMENT A MORALE BOOSTER Cultivating positive connections through employee wellness. MEASURABLE INCREASE IN EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY A STRONGER WORKFORCE Empowering companies to attract, retain and motivate employees. INCREASED SENSE OF EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING A CONTAINMENT MEASURE Cutting down on medical costs and disability claims. S M A L L M O V E M E N T C A N L E A D T O B I G C H A N G E * *based on 2015 survey of InMovement Today's workforce is disengaged, dispirited and fatigued. Why? The human body is built to be in motion but the way we work keeps us sedentary for nine hours a day. Prolonged sitting decreases productivity and morale, all while increasing healthcare costs. T H E T R U T H A B O U T S I T T I N G A L L D AY For more information on workspace fitness solutions, please call the pros at Precision Fitness Equipment at 1-800-334-4733 or email Dave Ramsey at DRamsey@pfe-inc.com RETAIL LOCATIONS: Framingham, Hanover, Newton, Attleboro, MA; Nashua, North Hampton, NH www.pfe-inc.com World Class Service Since 1988 Desktop Solutions from $399! UMass Memorial decentralizing UMass employee counts Medical Center/Medical Group Hahnemann Campus 388 Memorial Campus 2,274 University Campus 4,969 Other Worcester 1,844 Other locations 666 Subtotal 10,141 Marlborough Hospital 638 Clinton Hospital 261 HealthAlliance Hospital 1,303 Community Healthlink 1,130 TOTAL 13,473 Eric Dickson, UMass Memorial Health Care president and CEO, announcing the relocation of 500 IT workers to the Mercantile Center in downtown Worcester. >> Continued from Page 1 P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y

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