An Epic upgrade is scheduled for Sept. 15. Here’s a quick FAQ list to tell you what you need to know.
Who is affected?
All Ballad Health Epic users.
What is expected?
On Wednesday, Sept. 15, beginning at 12:01 a.m., Epic users will experience a scheduled Epic downtime due to Ballad Health applying the May 2021 version of Epic. There will be a freeze on non-emergency changes in Epic Friday, Sept. 10, through Thursday, Sept. 16. The IT Clinical Informatics team will offer virtual training sessions and provide tip sheets prior to the upgrade, as applicable.
They will also perform facility rounding to ensure everyone is prepared for the upgrade and associated downtime. Clinical Informatics team members will round late Tuesday, Sept. 14, and resume normal rounding schedules on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Support and assistance are available via the IT Service Desk, which will have a command center in place to support the Epic upgrade. The command center can be reached by calling the IT Service Desk at 423-431-6290 and pressing option 5.
When will the upgrade take place?
The Epic upgrade will start to be applied around 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15. The Epic system will not be completely offline, but it will be placed in a Level 3 – Downtime “Read-Only” status for approximately three hours. IT will send a notice as soon as the upgrade is clear.
Why are we scheduling an Epic upgrade?
Ballad Health is working to increase our utilization of Epic so we can take full advantage of what the system has to offer, focusing on the elements the system users – our frontline providers – need most. To accomplish this, it’s important to ensure our Epic software is current with the latest functionality and requirements.
How should I prepare for the downtime?
All team members should review the following checklist before Wednesday, Sept. 15:
- All team members need to make sure their Epic login is working before Monday, Sept. 13. If you have any issues with your login, contact the IT Service Desk immediately.
- Clinicians should review their facility’s downtime procedures and log in to their unit’s downtime BCA device. It is vital that team members log in to their unit’s BCA devices prior to downtime so the BCA will recognize their login credentials.
- All departments should ensure they have their appropriate, up-to-date clinical downtime forms.
- Users should review Epic upgrade training information for revisions located under the Epic Upgrade button for revisions.
- On or before Wednesday, Sept. 15, frontline team members need to confirm that patient information flowing into BCA downtime devices is current. If the information is not current, you should open an IT ticket immediately.
Practicing in the Epic Playground
- Epic users can see what is changing and practice before it goes live by visiting the Epic Playground.
- Log into the Playground with logins provided here on the Epic site of the Ballad Health intranet.
- Find assistance for locating the Playground here on the Ballad Health intranet.
Next upgrade
- The next scheduled Epic upgrade (August 2021 version of Epic) is Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
