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Interwell Health Adds 8 Practices to Nephrology-Focused Epic EHR System

The Epic EHR configuration aims to foster collaboration between nephrology practices, hospitals, and dialysis centers for value-based care.

Hannah Nelson
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Published: 09 Jan 2024

Interwell Health, a kidney care management company, has added eight practices to its nephrology-focused Epic EHR system in the past year.

The Acumen Epic Connect EHR is an Epic configuration that aims to help nephrology practices drive the quality of care provided to individuals while also assessing the impact of value-based initiatives across patient populations.

The software offers features to boost collaboration between nephrology practices, hospitals, and dialysis centers. The platform also includes decades of longitudinal information to help practices understand how they are performing compared to their peers.

"Acumen Epic Connect is key to fulfilling our mission of reimagining kidney care and helping people with chronic kidney disease live healthier lives," Robert Sepucha, CEO of Interwell Health, said in a public statement.

"It is a powerful tool that helps independent nephrology practices improve patient care and succeed in new value-based care agreements," Sephucha added. "We are thrilled that so many leading nephrology practices nationwide have made Acumen their EHR of choice."

The new practices implementing Acumen include:

  • Dallas Nephrology Associates
  • Kidney Care of Oregon
  • Knoxville Kidney Center in Tennessee
  • Lafayette Kidney Care in Louisiana
  • Metrolina Nephrology Associates in North Carolina
  • Nevada Kidney Disease and Hypertension Center
  • Northwest Renal Clinic in Oregon

"Acumen Epic Connect is the digital front door for us to provide care in this transformation toward value-based care, which is helping us improve the lives of all our patients," said Charles Zachem, DO, FASN, managing partner of Kidney Care of Oregon.

"Acumen provides the analytics and interoperability that we need to provide high-quality population health," Zachem continued. "It has added immediately available actionable data that allows us success as we transition to value-based care while also performing in the fee-for-service world. We would not be able to bridge these two worlds without Acumen."

Mercy Plans Southeast Epic EHR Integration for Fall 2024

After receiving all necessary third-party regulatory approvals, Missouri-based SoutheastHEALTH has joined Mercy Health System and will transition to an Epic EHR in the fall of 2024.

The two healthcare systems signed a definitive agreement in August for SoutheastHEALTH to become a member of the Mercy system to strengthen care delivery across southeast Missouri.

Epic EHR deployment across all Mercy Southeast facilities will provide one medical record across the healthcare system to drive care coordination.

Patients will also have access to a patient portal to schedule appointments, access health records, contact their physicians, and pay bills.

"It's important to the entire region that this transition goes smoothly. We are committed to continuing to provide outstanding care to our patients and to ensuring our co-workers are in the best position possible to make that happen," Kenneth Bateman, Mercy Southeast CEO, said in a press release. "I am excited to play a part in it all."

Healthcare System Streamlines Coding with eCW EHR Tool

Michigan-based McKenzie Health System has reported streamlined operations with eClinicalWorks EHR version V12 and clinical rules engine (CRE).

Serving 9,000 patients across six primary care clinics, three specialty clinics, and an after-hours clinic, McKenzie Health System staff experienced administrative burdens from repetitive coding.

With the eClinicalWorks CRE, the practice automates codes with data captured within care visits. The feature also sends reminders and alerts to help coding staff and physicians submit the correct billing information.

"In a typical patient visit, there are several codes for staff to remember to input," said Angela Stratton, clinical IT quality specialist at McKenzie Health System. "It's time-consuming for staff to remember every code, and it impacts our billing process when codes are missed."

"With the eClinicalWorks Clinical Rules Engine, we see a significant improvement in our coding process," Stratton said. "The Clinical Rules Engine automatically drops the appropriate codes based on documentation. Our staff spend less time coding and can focus their attention on direct patient care. This is an amazing tool within eClinicalWorks, and I recommend it to all eClinicalWorks users."

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