Unity Health Toronto has taken a major step in its drive to better connect patients, families and their care teams after selecting Epic Systems, a globally-recognized vendor, to build and implement its new network-wide electronic patient record (EPR) system. Once implemented, this system will support multiple care environments, from home to hospital and community.

“When we established our first strategic plan in 2019, we committed to transforming the digital infrastructure at Unity Health to create a seamless health care experience for our patients, families and care teams,” said Dr. Tim Rutledge, President and CEO of Unity Health. “The implementation of a new network-wide EPR system is a crucial piece of this work and we’re excited to move forward.”

The decision to work with Epic Systems was made following a robust engagement and procurement process that involved over 500 staff, physicians, learners and patient and family partners. An international leader in the EPR space, Epic Systems is the chosen vendor of many premier health systems across Ontario and Canada, including SickKids Hospital, UHN, Trillium Health Partners, Mackenzie Health and The Ottawa Hospital.

Throughout the evaluation phase, it was clear that Epic Systems would be best suited to meet Unity Health’s strategic objectives and clinical requirements.

“There are a few places in which Epic Systems stood out,” said Dr. Trevor Jamieson, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Unity Health. “The overall usability of the tool was felt to be superior almost across the board – it has a nice interface. There’s lots of potential for customization, which means we’ll be able to do some really interesting things and drive care forward in some very meaningful ways.”

The implementation of a network-wide EPR system will improve the way that clinical teams deliver care. Without an EPR system, clinicians spend considerable time on clerical tasks, such as analyzing data, writing patient notes and sending referrals. These tasks all pull clinicians away from their patients.

“There’s huge potential for an advanced EPR system to reduce workflow burden and inefficiencies in our system,” said Jamieson. “We’ll be able to help people do their jobs more easily, communicate with each other more efficiently and ultimately, get back to the bedside.”

Patient experience is central to this project. Unity Health’s new EPR system is intended to provide better connection between patients and their care teams, empowering patients to play a more significant role in their health care journey.

“A good EPR system puts control back into the hands of patients and caregivers,” said Angela Cianfrini, a patient and family partner who sits on the EPR Executive Committee. “It encourages self-advocacy and alleviates some of the burden on patients and caregivers to chase information and clarify uncertainty.”

It also provides reassurance to patients, she said.

“When you see that all of your health information, upcoming appointments and latest test results are all in the system, it signals to you that your care team is on top of everything. There’s a lot of comfort in that, especially if you’re navigating a stressful health care journey.”

Angela joined Unity Health as a patient and family partner about five years ago after helping her father navigate the health care system as an oncology patient. When the opportunity arose to join the EPR Executive Committee, she jumped at it, remembering instances in which she had difficulties with information sharing and follow-ups to her father’s care across multiple sites and health care providers.

“I was eight months pregnant when my father was diagnosed and the first few months were a whirlwind,” she said. “It was hard to keep track of his care. I couldn’t help but think, imagine we had something on our phones to help with this process. I want to make sure that exists for the next person.”

Patients and patient and family partners play in integral role in this project, drawing on lived experience to help Unity Health make decisions about system requirements. This relationship will be particularly important as Unity Health employs an equity lens to this project, building and implementing a system that recognizes the various ways in which different patient populations engage with their care.

Clinical teams will also be engaged every step of the way to ensure that the system addresses challenges and inefficiencies in their areas of care. Ultimately, that’s why we’re doing this, said Jamieson.

“This project is for clinical benefit,” he said. “It’s about making care better for our patients, their families and our care teams. This project will be big and bold and hard to do, and we all need to work together. There are exciting things on the horizon and it’s time to get to work.”

This project is expected to last 18-24 months, with a tentative go-live date in late 2024 or early 2025. Learn more about the project and our work with Epic Systems.

By: Anna Wasserman