July 29, 2021 In the Know with Your CMIO For a moment, it felt like we were getting closer to the finish line of our COVID-19 marathon, and now it seems like the finish line is out of sight. On top of a global pandemic, there are a variety of forces that can lead health care providers to feel busy, overtasked and frankly, overwhelmed. To help us stay ahead of these challenges, Houston Methodist continues to focus heavily on ways to improve your clinical workflow efficiencies while maintaining patient safety. Since we went live with Epic over five years ago, we’ve continued to improve our delivery on changes that impact you, including our Epic Update processes. We’ve reduced the frequency of our Epic Updates — now twice a year instead of four — and with each Update, we’ve enhanced our Update Companions and made the review process easier. Our next Epic Update is Aug. 15. I encourage you to review your role-specific Companion and discover the exciting new features and enhancements geared to improve your Epic experience and help you be more efficient. To streamline the review process, at the top of each Companion, we’ve listed the most important changes for your role. Simply click the link to go directly to the summary for that change. Be sure to also review the Epic mobile Companion and find out how you can accomplish more using Epic mobile tools. Accessing your Update Companion is even easier — you can click one of the links in the article below or hit F1 while logged into Epic. I want you to know that I appreciate each of you and your continued resilience through this marathon. We’ll continue identifying and leveraging technologies to help make you more efficient, so you can continue focusing on providing safe, patient-centered care. Dr. Nicholas Desai In This Issue All Providers
HMSL and HMWB Providers
Inpatient Obstetricians
Epic Update For All Providers Sunday, Aug. 15, is the next Epic Update, showcasing useful new features, including:
To prepare, be sure to review your Update Companion. There are two easy ways to access:
Remember:
Update Companion links by role: For All Providers If you’re not using Haiku/Canto 9.7 or later, you’ll receive this pop-up message when logging in. If you receive this message, be sure to update to the new version as soon as conveniently possible and/or before Sunday, Aug. 15 to continue access. For instructions, read the Update Haiku/Canto to the Latest Version tip sheet. For All Providers Some Epic functions will be unavailable, and no changes or enhancements will be made from Wednesday, Aug. 11 at You’ll still be able to work in Epic as usual, but you won't be able to do the following:
For All Providers To prepare for the Update, Epic will experience a planned downtime on Sunday, Aug. 15. from 2 – 3:30 a.m. During this downtime:
For detailed information, review the Planned Downtime Instructions. Good to Know For All Inpatient Obstetricians On Monday, Aug. 2, passwords for GE CPN and associated applications are being updated to align with your Epic/Windows passwords. This will help improve security and ID/password consistency.
For All Physicians, Residents and APPs Starting Monday, Aug. 9, residents with e-prescribing capabilities can now
For more information on e-prescribing using SecureAuth or instructions on signing up, review the tip sheet, or visit the E-Rx Controlled Substances website. If you have any issues with sign up or access, contact the IT Physicians Help Desk, 832.667.5555. COVID-19 For All Inpatient Ordering Providers Isolation orders in COVID-19 Order Sets have been changed to meet new OSHA standards. Now, only the isolations required for the patient (Airborne and Contact Isolations) will display for the ordering provider.
For examples with screenshots, read the full article. For All Providers There’s a new COVID Vaccine Series Completed column available for Patient List to help you quickly identify if a patient has completed their COVID-19 vaccine series at least 14 days prior or more. Note: A completed series means two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Key Updates For All Providers When a patient’s chart is marked as needing an interpreter, DNR and Modified Code orders now include a question to confirm whether an interpreter was used. For All Providers Starting today, the Clinitron bed order will be replaced with the Air Fluidized Therapy Bed order in Epic. This will help standardize terminology and reflect our current, available hospital support surfaces. For All HMSL and HMWB Providers Starting Tuesday, Aug. 3, at HMWB and Tuesday, Aug. 10 at HMSL, Tube Feeding and Free Water orders will change to support the EntrafloH2O feeding pump. For examples, including screenshots, click here. For All Providers Using LifeImage On Tuesday, Aug. 3, Houston Methodist’s cardiology and radiology imaging library service will change to Ambra Imaging, a cloud-based image management system that integrates with Epic. With Ambra, you can:
Training has been assigned to current LifeImage users via LMS. Note: Ambra will eventually replace LifeImage. For All Providers On Sunday, Aug. 15, all HMSJ department references will change to HMB in Epic, aligning with the official hospital name. Note: The new acronym will now have a higher position on alphabetized lists.
Reminders For All Providers For All Providers For All Cardiologists For All Providers Ways to Reach IT IT Physician Help Desk:
Houston Methodist IT Website for Physicians: |