Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS) has signed an agreement with Mercy Technology Services (MTS) to install, host and support Epic electronic health records (EHR).
OSU-CHS, consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top osteopathic teaching institutions, educates and trains physicians, research scientists and other health care professionals, with an emphasis on providing health care for rural and underserved Oklahomans. The College of Medicine partners closely with the OSU Medical Center, the largest osteopathic teaching center in the United States, training 151 resident physicians in primary and sub-specialty care each year. Mercy began managing the OSU Medical Center in May.
“Mercy understands providers’ needs and has demonstrated success getting Epic up and performing,” said Heidi Holmes, OSU chief information officer. “Their system is proven and will place OSU-CHS among the nation’s leaders in using electronic health records to improve rural health care. Implementing a mature software system will save OSU-CHS time and money, and patients will see the benefits quickly.”
Mercy Technology Services provides EHR services for roughly 40 hospitals, 700 clinics and outpatient facilities, and thousands of physicians, including both Mercy and commercial customers. MTS makes clients’ health records more accessible through easy-to-use interfaces and linking users to clinical data. This allows high-level analysis that is critical in this time of outcome-based reimbursement.
“Our system allows users to identify and collect data that they then can use to improve patient care and determine best practices,” said Gil Hoffman, Mercy chief information officer. “This EHR allows clients to truly understand what is happening in their practices, clinics, hospitals and networks, and take in data from wherever it originates. Our approach helps clients grow over the long term in a pay-for-performance health care environment.”
Dr. Kayse Shrum, President and Provost of OSU-CHS summed up the impact of the agreement: “With innovative EHR services like Mercy’s, we’re able to provide medical students and residents with one of the best clinical tools available, which will strengthen our training program as we train the next generation of Oklahoma’s physicians and shape the future of health care.”
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences provides graduate medical education and trains osteopathic physicians, research scientists and other health care professionals with emphasis on serving rural and underserved Oklahoma. The academic health center is home to the College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Forensic Sciences and School of Health Care Administration.
Mercy is the fifth largest Catholic health care system in the U.S. and serves millions annually. Mercy includes 35 acute care hospitals, four heart hospitals, two children’s hospitals, three rehab hospitals and two orthopedic hospitals, nearly 700 clinic and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. For specific information about Mercy’s technology services, visit mercytechnology.net
