Saint Francis Healthcare System received recognition at the Epic Systems Corporation 2022 User Group Meeting (UGM) for initiatives to decrease the downtime related to routinely scheduled Epic software upgrades. The rating recognizes our commitment to providing patient-focused care with minimal interruptions.
Saint Francis, along with numerous healthcare systems across the nation, uses the software Epic for electronic health records, patient communication and workflow. According to the Epic System Corporation, the average downtime for an Epic software upgrade is 1.5 hours. Saint Francis has been able to complete this upgrade in an average of 17 minutes. Saint Francis was one of seven facilities across the nation recognized for this accomplishment.
Each Epic upgrade requires the system to have downtime in the production environment. This means downtime procedures must be followed during that period. To lessen the length of a downtime, the IT department continuously exercises downtime procedures in alternative environments which allows them to proactively work through issues and improve processes. Through these preparations, they are enabling Saint Francis to have a quick downtime and the systems to come back online to ensure less interruptions to patient care and operations. We are extremely proud of our IT department and their dedication. Because of their efforts, Saint Francis ranks in the top five percent of all Epic organizations for the shortest downtimes during an upgrade.
