Epiphany Healthcare Blog

Epiphany is proud to announce that GE CASE stress has been added to our compatibility list for modality worklists. With modality worklists, patient demographics and order information from the EMR can be securely transferred between Cardio Server and devices. The use of modality worklists improves workflow through the elimination of manual data entry, increasing efficiency and accuracy. Hospital staff saves time with demographic information and order lists automatically populating into their GE CASE stress device. 

Automate the Transfer of Information

Are you facing clerical errors as a result of manual data entry? Eliminate manual data entry, reduce the chance of clerical errors, and ensure data integrity. Using modality worklists improves your workflow and allows you to give more attention to your patients. 

Save Time & Spend More Time with Patients

Is your staff spending valuable time entering demographic and order information into your devices? With Cardio Server you can query for a worklist and select the patient directly from the device. Modality worklists help your staff by allowing them to populate demographics with one click. It can also filter the patient orders specific to the department you are working in. 

GE CASE Stress Modality Worklist Process

1. Physician places an order for a stress test in the EMR
2. The EMR sends an HL7 order message to Cardio Server
3. The device queries Cardio Server for the worklist
4. Epiphany takes the HL7 order information and presents it to the stress device

If your hospital has been losing valuable time entering data into your GE CASE stress devices or facing clerical errors from the manual data entry, modality worklists may be worth learning more about. Contact us to discuss a workflow improvement plan with modality worklists.

As I write this memorandum, Epiphany Healthcare is the only vendor in our market niche with a cyber-security certification.  We are excited to be able to demonstrate our commitment to our own security and our customer’s security with this certification.

When selecting a security certification body, we evaluated three alternatives for cyber and physical security certifications:

ISO 27001; HITRUST; and SOC 2.  All three are remarkably similar. 

“Each certification has similar controls and requirements, with SOC and ISO being remarkably equal, and HITRUST intensifying the “How” [in how] requirements are met.”  https://apgarandassoc.com/certification-readiness/

Medical device companies, with a Class II or Class III FDA-registered devices, utilize ISO 13485 certification to meet Quality Management System (QMS) requirements.  Having familiarity with the ISO QMS certification process led us to select ISO 27001 for cyber and physical security certification.

 In adopting the ISO 27001 standard, a company must consider risk assessment and treatment options.  Epiphany chose to establish a low-risk tolerance, which was the most demanding standard.  We implemented all recommended controls in ISO 27001, including those for cloud, creating a total of more than 121 controls.  We also chose to apply these controls to all aspects of our business and products, including Epiphany Cloud Services.  The investment in this certification, including man-hours, staff training, and registrar expenses exceeded $300,000.  Over 1,000 pages of documentation were either modified or created to meet the certification requirements.

These controls include establishing clear guidelines for responding to security events and incidents, employee onboarding/off boarding, work-from-home evaluations, mobile device management, office security, penetration testing, secure software development, adding new security technologies to our enterprise, business continuity plans to recover from unplanned events (such as a hurricane, ice storm, loss of power, etc.), ransomware and malware strategies, and even what is required on our visitor sign-in sheets.

All of the clauses, controls, and a summary of the implementation of Epiphany Healthcare’s Information Security Management System (ISMS) framework is available upon request.

Russ DeRemer

CEO

Epiphany Healthcare

This February, in observance of American Heart Month, Epiphany Healthcare wants to encourage you to “defend your heart.” We want you to personally join the fight against heart disease by maintaining an active awareness of cardiovascular health and following the path to a heart-healthy life. So, how can you “defend your heart?” Here are some tips:

Start Arming Yourself with the Facts

Obtaining and maintaining awareness about heart disease helps keep you conscious of the importance of cardiovascular health. The heart disease facts below from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should get you thinking about just how serious the topic is.

• In America, heart disease, is the number one cause of death for both men and women.
• One out of every four deaths in America is from heart disease.. This comes out to about one death every 37 seconds. 
• Nearly half of all Americans have some form of heart disease.

Protect Yourself by Learning Your Heart’s Risks

Understanding the magnitude of the issue is important, but understanding alone it is not enough. Identifying the risks that apply to you personally is a crucial step towards achieving optimal cardiovascular well-being. There are three types of risk factors: major risk factors, modifiable risk factors, and contributing risk factors. Check the following list. According to the American Heart Association, if any of the following applies to you, are at increased risk for heart disease.

Major Risk Factors

Major risk factors significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. These factors include age, gender, and heredity. People who are 65 and older make up the majority that die of coronary heart disease and men have a greater risk. People with parents who have or had heart disease are also more likely to develop the disease. According to the American Heart Association, races with an increased risk are African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans. Again, the three major risk factors are:

• Increasing Age
• Male Gender
• Heredity (including race)

Modifiable Risk Factors

Modifiable risk factors can be controlled through medication and/or lifestyle change. For example, people with diabetes and that are overweight can make the lifestyle change of eating better and getting regular exercise to reduce their risk. Modifiable risk factors include:       

• Tobacco smoke
• High blood cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Diabetes

Contributing Risk Factors

Contributing risk factors are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease but the significance of their effect is undetermined. Contributing risk factors that are currently known are:

• Stress
• Alcohol
• Diet and nutrition 

Shield Yourself from the Modifiable and Contributing Risks

Understanding the scope of heart disease and knowing the risk factors that pertain to you are two essential steps towards cardiovascular health, but they are useless if they don’t lead you to action. Taking appropriate action against the modifiable and contributing risk factors above can reduce your risk of heart disease and potentially even reverse damage to the heart.

Epiphany Healthcare is an advocate for heart health; it’s our business. Take this knowledge and become heart healthy by making lifestyle changes that prevent heart disease. Share this blog with friends and family on how to prevent heart disease, and possible become a lifesaver.

Epiphany Healthcare announces that it has become the only vendor in the niche market of ECG management software with a cyber-security certification. Epiphany is officially ISO 27001 certified for all of its products and locations. To be ISO 27001 compliant means Epiphany meets the security standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).  

The goal of being ISO 27001 compliant is for companies to provide IT security management standards that ensure the protection of data. Risk management is a key component of ISO 27001, which holds companies accountable for their strengths and weaknesses.

Considering risk assessment and treatment options, Epiphany chose to establish a low-risk tolerance, which was the most demanding standard. Epiphany implemented all recommended controls in ISO 27001, including those for Epiphany Cloud Services, creating a total of more than 121 controls. Epiphany then applied these controls to all aspects of its business and products.

"This certification reinforces our commitment to protect our customers’ vital information and data,” says Epiphany Healthcare’s Product Manager of New Ventures, Eddie Hernandez.

Becoming ISO 27001 certified brings information security under management control with clear guidelines being met. Some of the guidelines established to increase IT security are for responding to security events, employee on-boarding/off boarding, mobile device management, office security, secure software development, ransomware and malware strategies, and more.

The investment in this certification, including man-hours, staff training, and registrar expenses exceeded $300,000. Over 1,000 pages of documentation were either modified or created to meet the certification requirements. The outcome was a new IT management system ensuring that Epiphany Healthcare focuses on protecting the confidentiality and integrity of its data.

Epiphany Healthcare has focused on becoming ISO 27001 compliant to reduce the risks associated with increasing security threats. By applying standards and best practices of information security, Epiphany has strengthened its processes to enable better safeguards. Being ISO 27001 compliant enables Epiphany Healthcare to be better prepared in preventing any potential security incidents.

About Cardio Server:

Epiphany’s Cardio Server is a cost-effective, web-based management system that receives, manages, and exports diagnostic test results to the electronic medical records. Cardio Server is vendor-neutral and communicates with over 260 devices from over 80 vendors. Cardio Server provides easier integration since it accepts data from 23 different modality types such as ECG, PFT, stress, Holter, patient monitoring, and more.

About Epiphany Healthcare:

With over 950 hospital customers worldwide, Epiphany Healthcare is committed to serving its customers’ needs through product innovation, the delivery of exceptional service, and an unwavering dedication to improving clinical workflow. Discover why Epiphany is the preferred provider when managing multi-vendor, multi-modality diagnostic test data. For more information, please visit http://www.epiphanyhealthdata.com, follow Epiphany on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EpiphanyHealthcare/) Twitter (@epiphhealth), or Linkedin (http://www.linkedin.com/company/epiphany-healthcare).

We are thankful for our customers every day, especially during this Thanksgiving Season. As employees of Epiphany Healthcare sit around their tables this holiday season, we want you to know that at the top of our thankful list is you, our customers. Here are a few reasons why.

1. For Your Gifts To The World

The work you do to make the world a healthier place is life altering and lifesaving. You are the healthcare heroes, we are simply allowed to contribute to the tool belt that assists you in providing the best patient care.

We have the utmost respect for all of our customers and the caliber of healthcare professionals that you all are. Over 900 hospitals around the world have put their trust in us and we are very appreciative and thankful for every one of you.

2.Without You We Couldn't Give Our Gift To The World

To be able to assist you in the delivery of the healthcare you provide is why we, at Epiphany, come to work each day. Recently our employees were asked why they are thankful to work for Epiphany Healthcare. There was an overwhelming response of, “because of our amazing customers and how we are able to help them help others.” Here are a couple of direct responses.

Barbara Cotton, Implementation Specialist, “What we do makes a difference. I have seen this in my personal life since my family has a history of heart disease. And I love that we are like family.”

Brandon Baker, Project Manager, “The impact our product has on the clinicians and doctors and patients. Hearing the doctors come back and say ‘this is a great product’ gives a purpose to what I do, how I invest my day. The world is a better place because of what we delivered!”

We are thankful that we can assist our customers in any way to provide the outstanding customer care they deliver each day.

3. You Help Us Build Better Software

You help us improve our technology. You speak up about things that can be improved and we listen. We value your feedback. It is your suggestions that drive what goes into our future software updates. This supports our mission of assisting you in providing the best patient care. It’s our goal that you will always have access to the best quality product and services that we can provide for ECG workflow management.

This year has been a big one for Epiphany Healthcare with the many new products and upgrades that have released. We are looking forward to another outstanding year serving your workflow needs. We wouldn’t be here without you and we are so thankful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving from Epiphany Healthcare!

3 Reasons Why GE MUSE Users Should Consider Epiphany Healthcare’s Cardio Server

Since 2013 Epiphany Healthcare has migrated 115 GE MUSE customers to Cardio Server. Why has Epiphany Healthcare become the fastest growing company in the hospital ECG Management market?

1. Improved Workflow

3. Exceptional Support

Epiphany Healthcare offers a customer advocacy team member for each client to ensure success with its products. A live Epiphany representative is available for any support needs 24/7, 365 days a year. Here are some things that have been said recently about the outstanding support from Epiphany employees:

“Sherry Levine consistently provides great service and customer support! I appreciate the extra effort Sherry makes to help resolve our issues. She is unrelenting when it comes to finding solutions to the problems presented! Thank you, Sherry!”

“Ria did an excellent job of understanding the issue we were having. I was unable to accept the change at the time, due to having accepted another patch in our test environment. She continued to follow up with me to see when a good time was. Once we gave her the go-ahead, she was quick to load the changes in Test and later in Prod. She has an excellent work ethic and was a pleasure to work with. Thank you, Ria!”

Epiphany’s Cardio Server has also repetitively outscored ECG management competitors including GE Healthcare’s MUSE and Philips’ TraceMaster Vue in KLAS reports. These reports were compiled using direct feedback from hundreds of healthcare provider organizations and ranked vendors based on product scope, functionality, and benefits associated.

Wally Pruitt, Implementations Manager at Epiphany Healthcare says, “As we continue product development and serving our customers, it is rewarding for the Epiphany team to receive such positive feedback, which validates our commitment to excellence."

Epiphany Healthcare is passionate about our customers. We are committed to simplifying their workflow, enhancing productivity, and providing exceptional service. Sign up for a free demonstration or request a complimentary workflow analysis for more information.

One of our customers relayed this success story about Epiphany Healthcare’s Cardio Server.

While in church on a Sunday, an Epiphany Healthcare customer, a Supervisor of Cardiovascular Services, received a call from one of her reading cardiologists stating that an ECG he had confirmed would not come out of the list. Logging into the hospital’s Cardio Server from her iPhone, she found that the ECG was not properly linked to its order. She re-linked the ECG to its order, verified its promotion to the unconfirmed queue, and then called the cardiologist to let him know he could proceed with his interpretation and confirmation. She solved the problem and satisfied the physician’s request without having to leave church and go back to the hospital. All actions were performed in a matter of minutes.

Epiphany’s Cardio Server is a pure-web, browser-based application, meaning no special software is required to view ECGs or perform administrative functions. With proper security permissions from the Information Technology Department, physicians can use iPhones and other smart devices to visualize acute ECGs as they are notified of them. Beyond this important clinical use, having the power of the iPhone and Epiphany’s Cardio Server creates an easy way of performing system administration from any location that has cell service.

Aside from its constant healthcare technology innovations, what sets Epiphany apart is customer service. According to CEO, Russ DeRemer, “Each department at Epiphany has a hand in ensuring customer satisfaction.”

In fact, when Epiphany Healthcare employees were asked: What do you like most about working at Epiphany? There were a mixture of answers with people listing off many different adjectives. However, one phrase that echoed with employees from the support team to the IT team and all those in between was, “I love that we are customer centric. I love serving our customers.”

These answers were captured on a video that was being produced at Epiphany’s recent company meeting. Check out the video and you can hear the similarity in the answers from employees.

It’s not only employees that all agree that Epiphany Healthcare focuses on customer satisfaction, the customers do too. To give you an example, here are a couple of testimonials about Epiphany’s service.

"I have been very happy with the project management component while working on this migration. I’d give them an A+ in project management and implementation services.” 

Kevin Groskreutz, Division CIO
Hospital Sisters Health System
Illinois & Wisconsin 

"…Your crew was able to make me comfortable that the data we stored was secure and protected. This was not easy given that my SMC staff was as nervous as a cat on a tin roof with someone other than us messing with our data.

You have a great group of folks and should be proud of your team. I have truly enjoyed watching your company grow over the years. I was fearful of moving away from GE and took a chance on you guys back in the day and I am happy to say that I made the right decision." 

Martin "Bubby" Fischer
President/CEO
Southern Medical Corporation

Through technology, product innovation, and exceptional service, Epiphany Healthcare is dedicated to improving clinical workflow and is currently the fastest growing ECG management company in the country. Along with being passionate about the products and services they provide, Epiphany is a company that is full of enthusiastic individuals who are committed to serving their customers’ unique challenges.

“[I love] watching the customers get excited about how we’ve helped them make their workflow and their jobs better for them to better care for the patients.” – Christine Cooper, Epiphany Senior Technician

Epiphany Healthcare is a proud partner of U.S. National Health IT Week, this September 23-27.  U.S. National Health IT Week is a nationwide action week focused on supporting healthy communities across the U.S. through the application of information and technology.

Comprehensive healthcare reform is not possible without system-wide adoption of health information technology, which improves the quality of healthcare delivery, increases patient safety, decreases medical errors, and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.

Initiated in 2006 by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), U.S. National Health IT Week has emerged as a landmark occasion for using health IT as part of the overall solution to improve America’s healthcare as a bipartisan, federally led, market-driven initiative.

The Week consists of events across the country, including U.S. National Health IT Week participants — market suppliers, provider organizations, payers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, government agencies, industry/professional associations, research foundations, and consumer protection groups — all working together to elevate national attention to the advantages of advancing health IT.

View our full list of partners and updates on the Week’s events. Working together with our growing coalition of stakeholders, Epiphany Healthcare is helping to transform healthcare for all.

Sometimes we find that Emergency Department physicians prefer to view diagnostic test results directly from within their Epic EMR. Epiphany Healthcare supports this workflow to allow physicians to perform their duties the way they see fit.

Why do Physicians Want This Workflow?

• Physicians already have the EMR open in the Emergency Department.
• Physicians do not want to be logged into multiple systems.
• Physicians want their interpretations charted into Epic without delay.

The hospitals that utilize this Reverse HL7 workflow usually only use it in the Emergency Department. Physicians in ambulatory environments (clinics, outpatient centers, etc.), however, often read their ECGs one at a time, similar to the Emergency Department. Reverse HL7 appeals to physicians in these environments as well.

Many hospital systems have a dual workflow with both this Reverse HL7 setup and a traditional setup (reading and managing studies from within Cardio Server) at the same facility.

How Does It Work?

• An order is created in Epic.
• The study is performed and transmitted to Cardio Server either with the order or with demographics from the patient’s wristband.
• Cardio Server sends a preliminary study to Epic for physician reading within the Emergency Department.
• The physician interprets and electronically signs the study and Epic sends a Reverse HL7 result to Cardio Server with the changes included.
• Updated results and waveforms are sent back to Epic so that the confirmed study is available from within the patient’s chart.
  
  

At this time, our Reverse HL7 workflow is only available with Epic, but Epiphany is open to developing this interface with other EMR companies. Please introduce us to your EMR vendor to discuss implementation of this Reverse HL7 workflow. If they are amenable, we will work with them.

Epiphany is committed to helping you deliver the best patient care—your way. Using the Reverse HL7 workflow allows physicians to not skip a beat when treating patients.