NOTE: This message was emailed to Ballad Health team members on Friday, Nov. 13, from John Peterson, Ballad Health’s interim chief information security officer: Dear Colleagues, As Microsoft continues to work through the current outage across the U.S., please be aware that cybercriminals often take advantage of situations like this by sending phishing emails designed to create urgency and confusion. Please use extra caution with any email, text or message that: Before you click, think twice. If you’re unsure whether a message is legitimate, do not respond, click links or enter your credentials. If you receive a suspicious message: Thank you for helping protect Ballad Health’s systems, data and patients by staying vigilant. John Peterson, CISSP, CCSP Interim Chief Information Security Officer

Due to a new requirement implemented by Epic to ensure electronic medical record downtime readiness, Ballad Health must complete an annual device check on every BCA downtime device in the organization by Aug. 30. These BCA (business continuity access) devices serve as a backup during Epic outages, allowing teams to continue to provide patient care. BCA device validation is required to ensure compliance with Ballad Health, Epic workflow and patient safety standards. For managers/team members who are responsible for checking BCA devices, a tip sheet is available on how to perform the test on the BCA device(s) in their area and to document the results in Epic. To find the tip sheet, follow this path: Intranet home page > Quick Links > BCA Epic Downtime > Downtime Forms & Resources > BCA Downtime Device Check and Validation Tip Sheet (at the top of the list on the right side) After this initial test, each area must…

Article summary Read the full article Ballad Health will do an upgrade to our Epic electronic health record (EHR) on Wednesday, May 13, starting at 1:30 a.m. Epic users will experience a scheduled Epic downtime of up to two hours as the new November 2025 version of Epic is applied. Leading up to the event, Epic users will experience limitations with various Epic features beginning Friday, May 8, at 5 p.m. Click here for more information on the system freeze. About the downtime Epic will not be completely offline during the downtime window, but will be placed in a “read only” status, so information can’t be entered into Epic during this downtime period. Ballad Health IT will notify users when the downtime period has ended through an IT “All Clear” notification. NOTE: A system build freeze for non-emergency Epic changes will go into effect starting Wednesday, May 6, at noon, lasting until Wednesday, May 13, at…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health’s Clinical Informatics team is hosting a conference on Thursday, April 30, entitled “Clinical Informatics: Bridging Care and Technology.” It will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Johnson City Medical Center in Auditoriums 1 and 2. Participation can be in-person or via Microsoft Teams. The conference is free and no registration is required. Participants can earn CME and CEU credits. Click here to attend via Microsoft Teams. The event is presented by Clinical Informatics and the Epic education team. Clinical informatics is the essential bridge between clinicians and Epic, our electronic health record. Informatics provides the foundation for patient care by turning data into meaningful insights that guide clinical decisions. The symposium will look at how clinical informatics impacts clinicians as well as patients. For more information, email wynn.clement@balladhealth.org. CEU and CME credit Ballad Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to…

Are you using MyChart? We encourage all team members to take advantage of this tool for their own health, and to help others do the same. MyChart makes it easier to take an active role in managing your care. With MyChart, you can manage many aspects of your health in one place. It securely connects you with your care team and provides convenient, confidential access to your health information and services — anytime, anywhere, from your smartphone, tablet or computer. What can you do in MyChart? For patients, this means no more waiting for phone calls with test results, or playing phone tag to schedule appointments. Parents or caretakers can also manage their child’s health record, prescriptions and appointments, or serve as a proxy for an aging parent. How to access MyChart Use the QR code at the bottom of this article to set up an account. You can also access MyChart through the Ballad…

Article summary Read the full article Across Ballad Health, many of us do extensive work on projects that require organization and regular collaboration. To do the job right, we need the right tools – which is why we’re introducing our Microsoft Teams Channels and Microsoft 365 Groups. Within the Microsoft Teams application, a Team is where you and your coworkers collaborate — post messages, share files and meet. When you are added to a Team, you automatically gain access to its conversations, files, calendar and connected apps like Planner and OneNote. A Team is developed by having a Microsoft 365 Group. A Channel is a shared space inside a Team for a specific topic or purpose. Everyone in the Team (or in that Channel) can see the posts and files there. This keeps updates organized and easy to find. In simple terms: These new features make it easier for team members to communicate, collaborate and…

Article summary Ballad Health will upgrade its Epic electronic health record system beginning at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11. Epic will be in “read-only” mode for up to two hours, preventing data entry, and users will be notified when full access is restored. Leading up to the upgrade, some Epic features will be limited starting at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6. A build freeze for non-emergency changes will run from noon Sunday, Feb. 8, through 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11. Epic users should prepare by confirming login access, reviewing downtime procedures, ensuring patient data is flowing to downtime devices and verifying departments have updated downtime forms. Read the full article Ballad Health will do an upgrade to our Epic electronic health record (EHR) on Wednesday, Feb. 11, starting at 1:30 a.m. Epic users will experience a scheduled Epic downtime of up to two hours as the new August 2025 version of Epic is applied. Leading…

Ballad Health will do an upgrade to our Epic electronic health record (EHR) on Wednesday, Nov. 19, starting at 1:30 a.m. Epic users will experience a scheduled Epic downtime of up to two hours as the new May 2025 version of Epic is applied. Leading up to the event, Epic users will experience limitations with various Epic features beginning Friday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. Click here for more information on the system freeze. About the downtime Epic will not be completely offline during the downtime window, but will be placed in a “read only” status, so information can’t be entered into Epic during this downtime period. Ballad Health IT will notify users when the downtime period has ended through an IT “All Clear” notification. NOTE: A system build freeze for non-emergency Epic changes will go into effect starting Wednesday, Nov. 12, at noon, lasting until Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. About the upgrade Epic…

Throughout October, which is recognized as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re looking at artificial intelligence (AI) and how it fits into healthcare. The simple answer – it can be a great benefit, but there are also potential drawbacks. Here’s a quick look at how AI has found its way into healthcare and become a crucial part of what we do. And check out our previous messages about AI this month: Oct. 3 – For Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, we focus on artificial intelligence, or AI Oct. 10 – For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we look at the pros and cons of using AI in healthcare Oct. 16 – Cybersecurity Awareness Month: The rise of AI in healthcare

Throughout October, which is recognized as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re looking at artificial intelligence and how it fits into healthcare. The simple answer – it can be a great benefit, but there are also potential drawbacks. Here’s a quick look at how AI has found its way into healthcare and become a crucial part of what we do. And check out our previous messages about AI this month: Oct. 3 – For Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, we focus on artificial intelligence, or AI Oct. 10 – For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we look at the pros and cons of using AI in healthcare

Throughout October, which is recognized as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re looking at artificial intelligence and how it fits into healthcare. The simple answer – it can be a great benefit, but there are also potential drawbacks. Pros of AI in healthcare AI-enhanced healthcare applications offer numerous advantages, including: Enhanced diagnostic accuracy to identify conditions earlier and more precisely. Advanced data management to ensure medical professionals have quick access to relevant information that enables informed clinical decisions. Personalized treatment plans that take genetic, clinical and lifestyle factors into account for more effective and individualized care. Accelerated drug discovery to identify potential drug candidates and speed up time to market. Enhanced predictive analytics to identify trends, predict disease outbreaks and enable early interventions. Reduced costs and improved administrative efficiency for appointment scheduling, billing, claims processing and automated workflows. Better accessibility for patients regardless of location via wearables and sensors. Improved patient engagement through applications that offer personalized…

With October serving as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, our IT security team will be sharing tips to promote a strong and resilient security culture across Ballad Health. The theme for this year is artificial intelligence, or AI. Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform complex tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings – in other words, to do things that normally require human reasoning and decision-making. Most of us routinely use AI when we do online searches, and AI finds information for us and summarizes it, and it is used in places like Spotify to recommend songs we might enjoy, or through Google Maps to provide faster routes for our trips, to name just a few examples. As it becomes a greater part of our lives, it’s important to learn both the benefits and the risks of using artificial intelligence. It can make things easier for us, so it’s worth embracing – but it can…