Epic vs. UpToDate

Epic is very good on the medical side and continues improving mental health and dental care. Having integrated telehealth via Zoom was a game-changer. During COVID, it was vital to have telehealth options and to ensure it was completely HIPAA Compliant and easy to document inside their health record.

Incentivized

• On patient rounds (working with the medical team and providing them updates on various therapies
• Answering drug information questions (MDs questions that may need further review and response)
• Updating lecture material (ensuring upToDate data)
• Patient education utility (ensuring appropriate and up to date patient information)
• Not useful for a comprehensive clinical review e.g. writing a paper, but it is not designed for that function

Incentivized

• There are doctors' notes templates with prepopulated fields in them. This saves a lot of time.
• Epic sends medication orders to pharmacies electronically so that we do not have to call. This saves a lot of time.
• Epic has a Secure Chat feature via which we can send HIPAA protected messages to any employee with the patient's name and record attached.
• It has a PDMP link. We can look up what controlled medications such as opiates patients have been prescribed and by whom.
• It links to MyChart, which is a platform via which patients can look up their own information without them having to call the doctors. This saves a lot of time.

Incentivized

• List relevant information on various diseases and conditions.
• Summarize pertinent information.
• Easy navigation across information and subjects.

Incentivized

• Visual Updates: While Epic is constantly improving the user experience, there are a few features that still need a design refresh. While this does not effect functionality, it does have an impact on user perception.
• Ordering: While placing an order for a physician is very easy, a few changes to the workflow could improve the experience for physicians.

Incentivized

• The app is sometimes a bit hard to use

Incentivized

It is beyond measure the best EHR on the market.

Incentivized

You should invest time into taking a training class before using Epic, but once you get the hang of it the usability features are endless! My favorite part about Epic is how it is automated and "trained" to catch user errors that would typically be missed in normal documentation/charting. This ensures accuracy and eliminates errors.

Incentivized

The initial training was good but would have been even better had I been more familiar with the system before taking it. I found learning how to deal with Epic while working in the field at the same time was a (pardon the pun) Epic learning curve. I really think there should be a scribe who does the data entry and others can focus on what they do best.

Incentivized

UpToDate provides evidence-based, currently relevant medical information in an easy and clear method. The software has directly helped me stay up to date in medical treatments and new information on etiology of diseases. This information has directly and positively improved my care and treatments for various musculoskeletal conditions and diseases.

Incentivized

Well-vetted lesson plans that teach you what you need to know for success.

Incentivized

While not as effective as in-person training, it is still adequate.

Incentivized

Epic has a regimented implementation process that ensures a successful go-live.

Incentivized

Epic gives extensive customization options in terms of utility and view. I have found this to be highly useful and efficient EHR as compared to other EHRs we use in our organization.

UpToDate offers a much more comprehensive tool when compared with Epocrates. Although both provide good drug references UpToDate goes far beyond the Epocrates tool in terms of clinical disease diagnostic data.

Incentivized

• Being able to track and document all of our services in the same place has made an exceptional improvement in continuity of patient care, both internally across departments (medical/dental/mental health) and externally with specialists and other healthcare organizations on a national scale.
• Continuous improvements in Data reporting and analytics make tracking and implementing quality improvement measures throughout the year easy.
• Massive improvements to the ELLA training platform, combined with detailed and interactive training materials for all system areas, make onboarding and staff training much easier!

Incentivized

• Improves patient care.
• Improves provider treatment plans.
• Updates clinical standards and treatment options.

Incentivized