Ballad Health will undergo an Epic upgrade on Nov. 15 that will include a scheduled downtime as we apply the “Feb/May 2023” version of Epic.
Here’s what you need to know as we approach the upgrade:
- The scheduled downtime will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 12:01 a.m., and will last approximately two hours.
- Epic will not be completely offline but will be placed in a Level 3 – Downtime “Read Only” status. Information can’t be entered into Epic during this downtime period.
- IT will notify users when the downtime period has ended through an IT All Clear notification.
- IT analysts will place a build freeze on non-emergency changes in Epic beginning Wednesday, Nov. 8, through Thursday, Nov. 16.
Epic upgrades ensure our electronic medical record is current with Epic’s latest version, which brings new features and functionality. Ballad Health is working to increase our utilization of Epic so we can take full advantage of what the system has to offer.
We always focus on the elements our users – our frontline clinical teams and medical staff – need most. To accomplish this, it’s vital that our Epic software is current with the latest functionality and requirements. Applying the Epic upgrade will provide a host of new functionality, modules, screen designs, reports and fixes to issues from previous versions.
How should you prepare for the downtime?
All team members who use Epic should review the following checklist before Wednesday, Nov. 15:
- All team members need to make sure their Epic login is working on or before Monday, Nov. 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 into their unit’s downtime BCA device prior to downtime. This is important so the BCA technology will recognize their login credentials.
- All departments should ensure they have their appropriate, up-to-date clinical downtime forms.
- From the Ballad Health intranet home page, users should review Epic upgrade training information located under the Epic Upgrade tile.
- On or before Wednesday, Nov. 15, frontline team members need to confirm that current patient information is flowing into the BCA downtime devices. If the information is not current, contact the IT Service Desk immediately.
Practicing in the Epic Playground
Epic users can view updated material and gain an understanding of what changes are occurring with the next upgrade by visiting the Epic Playground to practice new functionality before the upgrade on Nov. 15.
- Click here to access Playground logins specific to your department’s Epic module.
- You can also access the Epic Playground logins by clicking the Epic link from the Ballad Home Page and scrolling to the Epic PLY logins tile.
For questions or more resources
- Visit the project’s ShareIT page on the Ballad Health intranet, located at the intranet main page > Departments (at the top) > Information Technology > Epic Upgrade Info (scroll down to find it)
- Visit the Epic page on the Ballad Health intranet, located along the top of the intranet main page by clicking on “Epic.”
