Scott Webb (Host): At HealthFirst, we're making big strides to connect your healthcare journey from hospital to home and everything in between. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jayde George, Medical Director of Virtual Health,

Scott Webb: At Art Campus.

Scott Webb (Host): Epic analyst, about the Healthfirst transition to Epic and the launch of myChart. They break down what this means for you, how it streamlines care, improves communication, and gives you greater control of your health. This move is more than a system upgrade. It's a part of our commitment to investing in the future of healthcare for Brevard County.

 This is Putting Your HealthFirst, the podcast from HealthFirst. I'm Scott Webb. It's nice to have you both here today. We're going to talk about myChart and Epic and all this exciting stuff for patients, providers, you know, everybody involved. Before we get to that though, Dr. George, briefly introduce yourself, your role at HealthFirst and, you know, how you kind of fit into this Epic transition.

Dr. Jayde George: Yeah, sure. Hi Scott. My name is Jayde George. I'm a family medicine physician here at HealthFirst Medical Group in Melbourne, Florida. And I am one of our medical directors. I work mostly in Virtual Health. And during this transition in our computer system to Epic, I've been involved in multiple aspects with making sure that clinical content and patient experience matched what our goals were with making this transition.

Host: That's great. I'm sure that helps providers and patients. As I said, this is kind of for everybody today. I want to bring you in, Art, as well and just to give us a sense of who you are, what you do, and how you fit into this as well.

Art Kappes: Yeah. Well, thank you, Scott. My name's Art Kappes. I am the Patient Experience Analyst, and I've helped implement myChart, myChart Bedside, and the welcome applications to the HealthFirst organization.

Scott Webb: That's perfect. Dr. George, I know you're a provider, so some of these questions are directly for you. But Art, feel free to jump in along the way here. So, Doctor, why did HealthFirst choose to transition to Epic and roll out myChart?

Dr. Jayde George: This is a really important transition for us. In the past, historically, all of our medical records and different pieces of technology that we use to take care of our patients has been very fragmented. So even though we're all one organization, your medical group or outpatient doctor's appointments, the computer system that we use is different from that used in the emergency room and was different from that used in the hospital, different from that used for our billing and different from the things that the technology that we use for our health plan. So, all within one organization, our technology was very fragmented. So, we really wanted to pull that together so that way for, number one, our patients, but also for our providers and associates that all of the information we needed to take great care of our patients was all in one place and to create a more seamless experience for our patients.

Host: Yeah. And as a patient myself, of course, I know that we're all patients here on some level, right? But as a patient myself, that makes total sense to me to just have that continuity. And along those lines, Doctor, from your perspective, how does Epic improve the continuity of care?

Dr. Jayde George: Well, it really helps for us to understand what's going on with our patient holistically so that there aren't any pieces missing. Say a patient has to, you know, have a visit in the emergency department, we know exactly what happened from the time that they arrived to every single test that was completed to all of the consult notes and different pieces that touch that patient during that visit. So whenever they come to follow up with us in the outpatient world, we know exactly what happened with our patient and make sure that we aren't missing any pieces of that puzzle and make sure that we can put things together for people and help to continue that care on the outpatient side of things. So, that was incredibly important to us and really helps us to have a better relationship with our patients and communicate better because we can see the whole picture for them.

Host: Yeah. And you used the word relationship there, and that's where I wanted to go next and ask you about how myChart really enhances that patient-provider relationship.

Dr. Jayde George: Yeah, it's really great. MyChart, the application that we're using for our patients to access their medical record, also really creates a more open environment for our patients to connect with their provider. There are opportunities to connect, to ask questions, to visualize tests that have been completed, to see all of the notes that are taken during our office visits or hospital consults, just really creates a much more transparent environment for the patient and a lot closer access to the provider and the provider's practices.

Host: Yeah, I like that. I always wonder what my doctor is typing. Wondering, you know, we're sort of speaking in the theoretical here, but maybe you can give some specific examples of how the system helps patients to stay on top of their health between visits.

Dr. Jayde George: Right. There's so many tools within the myChart application so that patients can really take the reins in their own healthcare. I think in the past, without having as much visibility to your own record, there wasn't that opportunity to say, "Oh, you know what? It looks like I'm behind on this. Let me contact my provider so I can get caught up on it." So, there's a section in the myChart that has preventative health so you can see what you might be missing, that should be completed in order to make sure that we're preventing any issues down the road, things like mammogram, colonoscopy, immunizations, all of that is very visible in the myChart account.

In addition to, say you come into the office for a problem-related visit, and we want you to have some blood work and maybe an x-ray done, you can see all of that in your myChart as different tasks that need to be completed. In addition, there oftentimes depending on the study that's ordered are actionable things that you can do within myChart. So, you can click on a task that your provider has given for you to do and actually link to scheduling and a lot of those circumstances and things like that so you can really take those opportunities to take care of yourself into your own hands.

Host: So then, Doctor, how does this support your mission of population health and preventative care?

Dr. Jayde George: At Healthfirst, we really take pride and ownership of taking care of the community as a whole. We really appreciate that Brevard allows us to take care of them. And so, we really want to keep the population healthy. So, you know, it gives us the opportunity to see where we might be lacking in opportunities to catch up on preventative care for patients and maybe reach out to them, but also allow them to have that visibility to reach out to us if they're able to see that that might be missing. So, we really just want to make sure that we're spreading wellness across the community and taking care of those preventative opportunities for our patients. And this platform really makes that very visible.

Host: Right. Yeah, prevention is so key. I host a lot of these, and that seems to be common thread that runs through a lot of my conversations, is just the importance of prevention, early diagnosis, all that. And you see how all these things tie together with myChart and Epic. And along those lines, Art, what are some of the key features of Epic and myChart the patients will benefit, you know, from right away?

Art Kappes: First and foremost, patients have access to their health information at any given time, either through the myChart app on their mobile device, or via the web version. I mean, from the moment that patient logs into MyChart, MyChart, patients will find Epic did a phenomenal job with the ease of use and navigation of the platform. Some of the key features patients will benefit from is the ability to manage appointments with the capability to eCheck in and complete registration prior to arriving for their appointment. They can see test results as soon as they're available, can request prescriptions. They can message their care team and they have access to healthcare records for family members. So, these are just a few features. So, I encourage patients sign up for MyChart account and to see what it has to offer.

Host: Yeah. And, Art, maybe you can give folks a sense of, like, what's different about this platform compared to what HealthFirst was using before.

Art Kappes: With this platform, we have one integrated system, which allows for that better continuity of care throughout the inpatient and outpatient settings. And in return, a better patient experience. And as this compares to our previous platform, it was slightly disconnected from these areas, right? Which it made it more challenging for clinicians to see the full picture without searching through different applications.

Host: Yeah, I totally understand. Wondering if you can explain how the integration helps providers work more efficiently behind the scenes.

Art Kappes: Well, providers will have access to patient data at their fingertips in one place, right? With access to this information, providers can reduce delays, make safer clinical decisions and better patient outcomes.

Host: Yeah, I mean that sums it up. And, Doctor, maybe from your perspective as a provider, someone you know who's working behind the scenes, how do you find that it helps you?

Dr. Jayde George: Right. With having everything about that patient all in one place and knowing that everything that you need to know about them is complete, is incredibly helpful. In addition to just having everything in one place, the tools that are available in this platform really help to allow us to, like you said, work more efficiently, get orders placed more timely, get prescriptions sent to the pharmacies more timely, get our notes completed quickly. It's really like driving a sports car, it's pretty impressive.

Host: Yeah. Impressive for sure. And, Doctor, let's talk about how Epic helps you, you know, connect across different HealthFirst services, be that hospitals, outpatient clinics, pharmacies, right? Like, how do all those things tie together? And how does having, you know, Epic and MyChart at your fingertips help you to do those things?

Dr. Jayde George: It is so wonderful. It completely opens up the lines of communication for us between the outpatient clinics, the hospitals, the pharmacies, including other parts of the organization and our partners. Like I said, the open lines of communication is huge. As patients in the hospital and the clinician who's taking care of them needs to reach out to me, there's an open line of access to easily be able to do that to collaborate about their care.

Or if I send a prescription to the pharmacy, the pharmacy and myself, we're able to see prescriptions that may have been prescribed to that patient in a different clinic that's not associated with our organization, that information is readily available. And then, there are other organizations in the area such as Advent Health, who use the same platform. So, all of that information is also just readily at our fingertips and allow us for that open communication, even outside of the organization. So, it's really a wonderful opportunity to make sure that we've got every piece to taking care of that patient right where we need it.

Host: Yeah, it's almost as if they've thought of everything. Thank you, Epic. Thank you, myChart, right?

Dr. Jayde George: It's epic.

Host: Yeah, it is epic. That's well said, doctor. I love that. So, Art, let's talk about the transition, and how this transition reflects HealthFirst's broader investment in improving care for the community.

Art Kappes: One thing I can recall in the early days of the implementation at HealthFirst is the comment that this is more than upgrading technology, right? This is a decision to use technology to deliver better, safer care for the community. And as associate of HealthFirst, I'm also the patient as well as my family. And with this platform, I feel empowered to have a greater investment in my healthcare with the myChart app and just as much as my care team has access to my records in a single platform to provide efficient, effective care.

Host: Yeah. It does feel like-- Doctor mentioned the driving the sports car. You know, it feels like we're not a passenger in this journey anymore, that we're the ones behind the wheel, right, Art?

Art Kappes: Correct.

Host: It's been great to have you both here today and learn more about this. I'm sure patients, maybe even providers, have benefited from this. But, Doctor, I just want to give you a chance here, final tips for patients to get the most out of their myChart experience.

Dr. Jayde George: Well, I mean, step one definitely download it. I think once you get signed up, you'll be really impressed with what the capabilities are within the application, the myChart application and your experience with it. But get in there and start, you know, touching it and really trying to play with it a little bit, because I think you'll note that it's really patient-centric. You know, Epic's very first guiding principle is to make sure that what we're doing, that's the sole focus is on the patient. And I think you'll really see that and feel that within the myChart application experience. So step one, go ahead and get it downloaded and start playing with it.

Host: Yeah, doctor, we all make time for Instagram and Facebook and other things with that device in our hands. Make a little time for MyChart. Get in there, create your login. Play around a bit as you said. And, Art, just finish up with you here today. Let's help folks out. Where can they go to learn more or get help setting up their myChart account?

Art Kappes: Yeah, I'm going to tell patients go to hf.org, right click Learn more. It'll provide a short video, some FAQs and some really helpful links. And then, if you need any help or have any questions, you know, please call our myChart help desk at 321-434-7873. They're doing an amazing job helping everyone get signed up for myChart.

Scott Webb: That's great. Well, I'm going to steal Dr. George's line and just say that this was epic today. I really appreciate your time, your expertise. Hope this help folks, certainly patients, but maybe providers as well. So, thank you so much.

Dr. Jayde George: thank you so much for having us, Scott.

Art Kappes: Yeah. Thank you Scott.

Host: And for more information, go to hf.org/mychart. And if you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell a friend, share on social media, and check out our entire podcast library. We look forward to you joining us again.