New EPIC Electronic Heath Record to Launch June 14

The Veterans Memorial Hospital staff has been in the process of converting the entire electronic medical record system to the EPIC system for the past year.  This will be a great advantage for both patients, their families as well as the hospital and clinics.  

This transition will happen on June 14, 2025.  The hospital and clinics would like to forewarn their patients that the process for check-in will change somewhat and they may see delays the first few weeks of this transition.

“Following June 14, when our patients check into the Waukon or Postville Clinic, they may see some delays as we must add them into our new system.  We will also need to see everyone’s insurance card so we ask that you please have that ready at check-in,” states Laura Baxter, Veterans Memorial Hospital Waukon and Postville Clinic Director.  “We apologize in advance for any delays that may occur, but we need to be sure we are entering all of the information into the system accurately.  The advantages of this new system are many and we thank you in advance for your patience!”

With this conversion, the hospital and clinics medical records will be able to ‘talk’ to the records in the larger systems which will prove highly beneficial for all involved in the patient’s care. For example, when a patient is cared for by their local family practice provider in the hospital’s Waukon or Postville Clinic, then is referred for specialty care in a larger system, such as Gundersen or Mayo, the record of their local care will easily be seen by their specialist.  And the same is also true for anyone returning to the Waukon or Postville Clinic once again for local care. Their records from the larger facility will now be accessible for the first time. 

Other advantages include the following:

• Improved care thanks to more informed decisions and better coordination of patient care.
• Increased patient safety by minimizing the risk of errors with all records visible by the entire care team.
• Cleaner records whenever a patient needs to transfer from one facility to another making the process more efficient.
• Increased patient engagement through the MyChart patient portal. 
• Quicker test results visible through the MyChart system.
• Patient ability to request an appointment and even ask your provider questions through the use of the MyChart patient portal.
• Automatic tracking of your health maintenance and what is due and when, such as vaccines, cancer screenings and more.
• Enhanced processes for a smother and more precise billing experience.
• Patient ability to pay bills on-line through the MyChart portal.
• Local recruitment of medical professionals made easier since most are trained on this system at other facilities and during their schooling and wish to continue using it professionally.

Veterans Memorial Hospital and Clinics will have materials and staff available to help patients get signed up to the MyChart portal and help them link their current account that they may have with this new local system.

Trish Shelton, RN, Informatics Coordinator at Veterans Memorial Hospital, has been leading this huge endeavor. She states, “Our entire staff has worked hard to ensure our EPIC build follows standardized planning and integrated workflows to optimize safety and function.  We have a great team here at VMH, all working together with a shared goal to benefit YOU….our patients and community.  We thank you for your patience as we roll out this new program and are excited for all of the benefits it has to offer all of us!”