Building a Better Epic Experience

By David Cha, MD, associate chief medical information officer

Premier Health has launched its Epic Physician Builder Program, creating a new opportunity for physicians to help improve the electronic health record (EHR) experience across the organization.

Epic designed the Physician Builder Program to give physicians advanced training in Epic workflows, configuration, and system design. By investing in this expertise, Premier Health can more quickly identify opportunities to improve workflows and tailor Epic to better support caregivers and patients.

The program's first physician builders are Ryan Hammock, MD, a hospitalist, and Pradeesh George, MD, a surgeon. Both physicians will complete advanced Epic training and certification, including coursework at Epic's headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin.

As physician builders, Hammock and George will work directly with Epic analysts and operational leaders to improve workflows, support system enhancements, and align Epic functionality with the needs of clinicians. They also will help identify optimization opportunities, gather feedback from frontline users, and communicate Epic updates and best practices within their specialty areas.

This program builds on Premier Health's previous experience with physician builders more than a decade ago. Those early efforts demonstrated the value physicians bring to EHR optimization and provided important lessons that helped shape the program's current structure. Today, Premier Health has the governance, infrastructure, and Epic maturity needed to take full advantage of the Physician Builder Program.

Over time, Premier Health plans to expand the program by adding physicians from additional clinical institutes and specialties. This growing network of physician leaders will help strengthen collaboration between clinical and information technology teams and support continuous improvement across the health system.

For more information about the Physician Builder Program, contact Walter Reiling, MD, at wareiling@premierhealth.com or David Cha, MD, at dcha@premierhealth.com.

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