Swedish Medical Center recently signed a contract with The Polyclinic to partner with the multi-specialty clinic in their implementation of the same Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, Epic , that Swedish uses between its four campuses, including the Ballard, and roughly 40 specialty and primary care clinics.

According to a press release from Swedish, once Epic is available to The Polyclinic’s physicians, who are all on the Swedish medical staff, it will provide them real-time access to a patient’s medical history, eliminating the need to physically transfer medical records from one facility to another. 

Both organizations share the vision of "one patient, one chart," which means regardless of where a patient is seen, their entire health record will be available to the physicians caring for them.

“This helps speed up diagnosis, reduces the risk of allergic reactions and avoids duplication of tests that have already been done,” said Polyclinic Medical Director Dr. Michael Tronolone. “In addition to being better care, this will improve the patient experience, and ultimately save patients, insurers and employers money.”
 
“Being on the same EHR system as Swedish makes the most sense for patient care and safety,” said Lloyd David, executive director and chief executive officer of The Polyclinic. The Polyclinic will roll out Epic in its 15 clinics in a systematic approach, aiming to go live with the first clinics this fall and complete full installation before the end of 2010.
 
As Swedish did, The Polyclinic looked at other EHR systems before choosing Epic.

“Now that we’ve made the decision to move forward with this important initiative, our physicians and staff people are very excited to begin working with Swedish to bring a proven EHR system to our organization,” said David. “Once our Epic implementation is complete, it will be a major advance in putting a more complete patient record in the hands of our physicians, when and where needed, at the point of care.” 

“We spent two years looking for the right EHR before selecting Epic,” said David. “We’re making a substantial investment, and although Epic is an expensive option, our partnership with Swedish is making it possible for us to do this. Without this partnership, it would take us longer and at a higher cost.”

David pointed out that a partnership of this kind is unique and demonstrates the trust between the two organizations.
 
“Our partnership is a testament to Swedish’s long-term, positive relationship with The Polyclinic and its providers,” said Swedish Chief Executive Officer Rod Hochman, M.D. “This expansion of Epic to The Polyclinic will support both organizations’ care-delivery systems. There is nothing better for a clinician or patient than coordinated care and connection for all the physicians. That’s part of our big picture. We feel that as a not-for-profit health system, its part of our mission to make that happen.”
 
“This partnership is especially timely knowing that development of EHR systems is a priority for the Obama administration as a key element to helping with national health-care reform,” added Hochman. “In fact, we’re already pursuing federal stimulus funds to help try and recoup some of our collective costs.”     
 
According to Judy Faulkner, founder and chief executive officer of Epic Systems, it’s notable that Swedish and The Polyclinic are coming together to benefit from a shared EHR strategy.

“Patients of both organizations will receive more continuous care and benefit,” said Faulkner. “We certainly applaud that and are very excited to help support this endeavor.”

Swedish also has campuses in First Hill, Cherry Hill and Issaquah.