Industry
Not-For-Profit Hospital
Challenge
A large, private non-for-profit health system in North Carolina faced a significant financial hurdle during the expansion of its Epic EHR to two newly acquired hospitals. The initial staffing plan for at-the-elbow go-live support was projected at 160% of the allocated budget. The organization needed a strategic way to reduce costs without compromising the support quality required for clinical operational readiness and physician satisfaction.
Results
By involving Epic clinical experts and an on-site staffing coordinator, the health system successfully redesigned its support model. The final implementation was executed using a plan that was 60% less than initial projections, bringing the project back within budget while maintaining 24/7 coverage and high levels of specialist support.
Services Provided
Epic, Staff Augmentation, EHR Optimization
About the Provider
This private non-for-profit organization is a leading eight-hospital regional health system based in North Carolina. With over 1,000 beds and serving more than one million inpatients and outpatients annually, the system is a recognized leader in clinical performance and workplace excellence. Its medical staff includes 1,300 physicians and a total workforce of 7,400 employees.Redesigning the Support Solution
A well-staffed Epic go-live is critical to system acceptance, but excessive costs can jeopardize the project’s ROI. When the client's initial plan exceeded the budget by 60%, CereCore’s Epic services team stepped in to redesign the staffing model.
The new approach focused on strategic redeployment. By placing a staffing coordinator on-site for the duration of the go-live, the team was able to flex resources in real-time. Instead of static assignments, staff were moved dynamically to areas with higher provider demand or more complex clinical requests. This agility allowed the system to provide 24/7 support across both hospitals without the need for the excessive headcount originally proposed.
Expert Coordination and Operational Readiness
The success of the project relied on deep Epic knowledge and hospital operations experience. CereCore's staffing coordinator, bringing over 30 years of healthcare experience, managed the command center personnel and support staff to ensure no specialty area—from Beaker and Willow to Ambulatory and ClinDoc—was left without coverage.
Crucially, the plan incorporated a calculated taper for support over the two-week go-live period. This allowed the organization to reduce overstaffing as users became more comfortable with the system, further protecting the budget while ensuring that outpatient departments and high-acuity specialty areas remained supported during the most critical hours.
Long-Term Resource Partnership
Beyond the immediate go-live, this partnership has evolved into a long-term resource strategy. The health system has continued to work with CereCore to find dozens of qualified Epic resources to backfill positions and support ongoing initiatives in modules like MyChart, Claims, and Beaker. This ongoing collaboration ensures the system remains optimized and staffed with experts who understand their unique North Carolina clinical environment.
Key Outcomes:
Massive Cost Savings: Reduced the initial projected go-live support cost by 60%, successfully aligning the project with the organization's financial constraints.
On-Site Agility: Utilized an on-site staffing coordinator to redeploy staff to areas where providers requested the most assistance, ensuring efficient resource use.
Clinical Readiness: Validated EHR requirements and policies against clinical operational needs to ensure a smooth transition for the 1,300-person medical staff.
Specialty Coverage: Guaranteed that high-complexity areas and outpatient departments received specialized support tailored to their unique workflows.
Reduced Attrition Impact: Advisory services proactively addressed turnover on the internal project team, keeping the implementation timeline on track despite staffing shifts.
Result
The health system achieved a successful Epic expansion into its newly acquired hospitals, delivering exemplary support within a customized, budget-friendly staffing plan.
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