Optimizing healthcare operations: The power of ERP and EHR integrations

In an ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the pursuit of operational excellence is extremely important. Achieving optimal efficiency, cost-effectiveness and high-quality patient care has become an ongoing challenge for healthcare organizations. As technology continually advances, electronic health record (EHR) systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools play a crucial role in overseeing data and processes with healthcare institutions. An increasing number of healthcare providers are embracing cloud-based solutions, emphasizing the importance of seamless collaboration between EHR and ERP systems.

Baker Tilly principal and Oracle practice leader Kayla Flint recently joined Ed Ricks, Baker Tilly managing director and Jitendra Barmecha, CIO of St. Barnabas Health System at Oracle CloudWorld 2023 conference for a Q&A discussion about St. Barnabas Health System’s move to a new EHR and Oracle Cloud.

Flint: What foundational challenges and issues in healthcare have you been most focused on solving?

Barmecha: The challenges we have been focused on solving can be put in two buckets. The first bucket is from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) which is the “Triple Aim”. Triple Aim improves the care quality of the individual, the quality of care of populations and reduces the per capita cost of healthcare. The fourth one we added was focusing on our employee happiness. The second one focuses on how healthcare is trending. First virtually, in terms of technology uses, the newer technology such as generative AI (artificial intelligence) and how we are going to use it in healthcare. Second, value-based care and how that is changing. A combination of these two buckets are the challenges that we want our transformation to help us solve.

Flint: How have your ERP and EHR transformations helped you start to overcome those challenges?

Barmecha: I'm a firm believer of people, processes and technologies. We are paying very close attention to application burnout and how our people respond as we are implementing newer tools. We are looking at staffing challenges and at the associated processes because when you have legacy systems there are so many workarounds. Having good people in place with the appropriate processes and technologies will enable us to overcome these challenges.

Flint: Why did SBH choose to implement a new ERP and EHR at the same time?