California-based Adventist Health has completed a transition to Epic across all 27 hospitals and more than 440 clinics across California, Oregon, and Hawaii and is already making extensive use of the EHR’s AI tools. 

In a LinkedIn post, Jennifer Stemmler, senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at Adventist Health, said the systemwide Epic go-live was a milestone in the organization’s history that started as a vision three years ago. It “was more than an Epic implementation. It was one of the most significant technology transformations in our organization's history,” she wrote. “Together with our partners at Epic, Apple, and Microsoft, we launched a powerful new digital foundation that includes the largest deployment of AI-enabled tools ever introduced in a single Epic go-live across our health system.”

The health system went live with Epic on August 30, marking what Adventist Health describes as a significant step in coordinating care across its more than 100 communities. The health system had previously been a Cerner customer. 

Adventist said the implementation includes an extensive deployment of Epic’s artificial intelligence capabilities. The health system said it is using more of the platform’s AI-powered tools at launch than any U.S. health system before it.

Unifying patient records on one platform will have benefits in terms of patient safety, coordination, and continuity of care, the organization said. Their information can follow them from clinic to hospital to home, allowing members of their care team to access the same health record. Adventist Health serves more than 100 communities and manages more than 5 million patient encounters and 3 million clinic visits each year.

“This is, at its heart, about people and technology in service of them,” said Kerry L. Heinrich, president and CEO of Adventist Health, in a statement. “When a patient’s full story lives in one place, we can care for them more safely and with deeper compassion. And when the technology handles the busywork, we give our clinicians and staff back what matters most, time to be fully present with the people they serve.”

Patients can also connect with their care teams through a single MyChart account.

Adventist Health marked the transition with a live-streamed service of dedication on August 28 for its more than 38,000 employees, providers, and volunteers.