Powering Memorial Hospital’s seamless transition to Epic in the Cloud

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Cloud flexibility overcomes pandemic hardware shortages

Enterprise Solutions

Memorial Hospital and Health Care System, a trusted healthcare provider in Jasper, Indiana serves seven counties with 250 physicians and advanced practice providers across 30 specialties. When Memorial sought to transition its electronic health record (EHR) system to Epic, they faced the complexities of provisioning, configuring, and managing Epic infrastructure and challenging hardware delays.

Vervint leveraged its deep Epic expertise, including the first-ever Epic on Azure DR implementation, to deliver a flexible, cloud-based solution that kept the project on track and ensured uninterrupted patient care.

Primary goals for Memorial Hospital

Execute a seamless Epic transition

Build and configure a scalable Epic infrastructure to support Memorial’s EHR needs, despite external disruptions

Minimize costs with cloud solutions

Utilize Microsoft Azure to reduce infrastructure expenses compared to traditional on-premises setups

Ensure resilience and compliance

Implement and test a robust disaster recovery (DR) solution to meet Epic’s rigorous standards and maintain patient care continuity

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Navigating a complex Epic transition

Provisioning and managing Epic infrastructure is inherently complex, particularly for disaster recovery (DR). Vervint was brought on board to build and configure both an on-premises Epic production environment and a cloud-based DR solution on Microsoft Azure, leveraging cost-saving, on-demand cloud capabilities.

Overcoming pandemic disruptions

The global pandemic disrupted hardware deliveries, threatening Memorial’s project timeline. Vervint swiftly pivoted, shifting all Epic environments - production, development, testing, and DR - to the cloud using its proprietary Azure architecture. Memorial stayed on schedule while maintaining flexibility to migrate back to physical infrastructure once hardware arrived.

Rigorous testing for reliability

Epic requires stringent DR failover testing to ensure system resilience. Vervint conducted multiple tests, including a successful initial DR cutover to Azure and a “pilot light” DR test, where critical services were kept active and fully scaled within 35 minutes, well within Epic’s one-hour requirement. Memorial even operated on the DR environment for a week without issues, proving the solution’s robustness.

Results delivered: On-time delivery + cost reductions + zero patient disruption

Successful Epic Implementation: Vervint’s cloud-based solution enabled Memorial to launch Epic on time, navigating hardware delays without disrupting patient care.

Cost Savings with Azure: By leveraging Azure’s on-demand capabilities, Memorial reduced infrastructure costs by approximately 65% compared to traditional on-premises DR setups.

Ongoing Managed Services: Vervint provides continuous IT support, including Epic-certified administrators, ensuring Memorial maintains Epic partnership levels, fills talent gaps, and avoids service interruptions.

Vervint’s deep Epic expertise and agile cloud solutions empowered Memorial Hospital to achieve a seamless, cost-effective transition to Epic, even in the face of pandemic challenges. With ongoing managed services, Memorial is well-equipped to maintain a resilient, patient-focused EHR system, ensuring exceptional care for the Jasper community and beyond.