Peer Networks Drive Software Decisions By Hospital CIOs

University Health System—a 617-bed health system based in San Antonio—recently kicked off a systemwide electronic health record installation, scrapping its current Allscripts EHR in favor of one from Epic Systems Corp. It’s a high-priced project: between expenses such as purchasing the EHR, training personnel and retiring outdated systems, University Health is putting $170 million toward the transition. 

The breadth of Epic’s client base played a central role in its decision, particularly as the academic health system’s primary partner, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has used Epic for several years. The majority of other public health systems in Texas are also live on an Epic EHR, which University Health hopes will improve local interoperability.