Pilot Program Includes Patient Photos in EPIC

Premier Health is committed to providing patients with the best possible care. Patient safety and patient engagement are essential elements of that commitment, and a new program is being initiated that will allow patients to take an active role in enhancing their safety whenever care is provided.  

Middletown Cardiology Associates, a Premier Physician Network (PPN) practice, will pilot the program, and on Monday, March 20, began taking patients’ photos at registration and adding them to electronic health records (EHR) in Epic. Having patient photos in the EHR will help ensure positive patient identification, and can be referenced throughout a patient’s course of care. The photos will be used for identification purposes, not clinical use. 

Where Will the Photos Appear? 

EPIC users may begin seeing these identification photos in the patient record, particularly for patients in the southern region and at Atrium Medical Center. Since the photos will only be provided by one physician practice to start, they will not be present in all patient charts right away.  

If the patient agrees to the photo, it will appear in the following Epic screens: Patient Select; Patient Station; Interactive Face Sheet (IFS); Patient Appointment Desk; Bed Planning; Transporter View; and InBasket Messaging.

If the patient declines or defers having a photo taken, a generic patient image will indicate his or her decision to decline.

Watch for more information on this new patient safety and engagement program. If you have any questions, contact Julie Parker, IT director, Epic ambulatory systems, at (937) 499-8835(937) 499-8835

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Source: Premier Health Nursing