Insight
Your Complete Guide to MEDITECH Expanse
Get to know MEDITECH Expanse, healthcare's comprehensive solution.
What Exactly Is MEDITECH Expanse?
Meet MEDITECH Expanse, a modern electronic health record (EHR) system created for today’s evolving healthcare landscape. Expanse is more than just an EHR; it’s a comprehensive platform that integrates patient data, streamlines clinical workflows, and enhances communication between healthcare professionals with mobile-ready features designed with clinicians and patients in mind. Let’s explore the capabilities and innovations that make Expanse unique.
Expanse revolutionizes the game with its seamless, fluid architecture, compelling you to reimagine your workflows and reevaluate your partnerships.
— JEFF WEBBERManaging Director, Enterprise Systems, Tegria
Why Do We Need EHR Systems Like Expanse?
The era of the EHR as a digital filing cabinet for patient records is long over. Today’s healthcare organizations need nimble, flexible, innovative solutions, STAT. MEDITECH designed Expanse to be more mobile-friendly and user-centric to align with the realities of modern care, from physicians on the go to patients who prefer to text with their providers. To leverage the power and potential of cloud computing, Expanse is a web-enabled system offering scalability, real-time data access, and enhanced security features. By combining advanced capabilities with future-forward applications, EHR systems like Expanse are propelling healthcare forward.
What Can You Expect From This Article?
Are you wondering if MEDITECH Expanse is the right fit for your healthcare setting? Perhaps you’d like to know how to get the most out of this advanced healthcare hub. Either way, you’re in the right place. This article will guide you through Expanse’s features and benefits with examples, advice, and potential pitfalls. By the end, you’ll be equipped for success with this superpowered platform.
MEDITECH Expanse by the Numbers
MEDITECH’s Evolution: From MAGIC to Expanse
MEDITECH has been a pioneer in the EHR landscape for decades. The MEDITECH MAGIC platform rolled out in 1979 as a DOS-based proprietary language and operating system that provided hospitals with a stable, cost-effective EHR. As Expanse replaces MAGIC, you might be curious about how they compare.
How does Expanse compare to MAGIC?
User Interface
Interoperability
Mobility
Customization
Patient Engagement
Security and Cloud Integration
Are you planning a move from MAGIC to Expanse?
MEDITECH Expanse, up Close
Expanse is a web-enabled, fully integrated EHR system that embraces modern digital tools for patients, clinicians, and care teams. As MEDITECH’s newest EHR platform, Expanse offers a web-based EHR with an intuitive user experience, omnichannel capabilities, advanced analytics, and enhanced interoperability, making it flexible, friendly, and future-focused.
What do users like about Expanse?
Advanced Mobile Capabilities
Expanse is known for intuitive, modern mobile applications for clinicians and patients. Mobile applications like Expanse Now allow doctors to move seamlessly between work environments. A robust patient portal, Health Records on iPhone®, and web-based messaging help keep patients engaged.
Support for Diverse Clinical Roles
Surgeons and nurses have different toolkits and need different EHR functionalities. Expanse understands that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in healthcare and offers tailored tools for various professionals, from physicians and nurses to therapists, social workers, and administrative staff.
Predictable Cost Control
As an integrated, mobile-ready system, Expanse can reduce the need for additional hardware and “bolt-on” third-party solutions. Cloud-native applications and a web-based interface can reduce the need for on-premises hardware, which can reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) over time.
Fully Integrated Platform
Expanse offers a fully integrated platform across acute and ambulatory care, creating a seamless patient journey and a unique user experience. Robust applications and customized dashboards help sync workflows and operations across your system.
Creating Wins for MEDITECH Clients
Key Expanse Features and Solutions
Care Delivery
Every patient has a story. MEDITECH Expanse provides the tools to make each one a success.
Expanse Now App: Real-time mobile data for clinicians.
Expanse Genomics: Personalized care, down to patients’ DNA.
Telehealth Home Connect: Remote patient monitoring solution.
Virtual Care: Fully integrated tools to keep patients and care teams in sync.
MEDITECH's virtual care tools accelerated virtual care for Val Verde Medical Center.
Patient Engagement
MEDITECH Expanse helps patients participate actively in their health journey.
Patient and Consumer Health Portal: A welcoming digital front door for patients.
MHealth App: Expanse’s user-friendly mobile patient portal.
Health Records on iPhone®: Connects patients to their medical records on the go.
Expanse Patient Connect: Two-way cloud-based messaging.
Specialty Care
From surgical suites to maternity wards, MEDITECH Expanse has a toolkit for every specialist.
MEDITECH ED: Helps doctors quickly prioritize and manage care.
Expanse Oncology: Seamlessly connects scheduling and infusion workflows.
Expanse Labor and Delivery: Integrated care that keeps mom and baby together.
Expanse Patient Care: Coordination tools for therapists.
RML Specialty Hospital used Expanse's integrated tools to improve care for medically complex conditions.
Interoperability and Population Health
Expanse supports safe data exchange for improved care coordination and case management.
MEDITECH Traverse: A cloud-based interoperability solution.
Care Compass Registries: Care coordination dashboard for care managers.
Case Management Solution: Eases transitions from one care stage to the next.
Community Care Transitions Portal: Connects case managers with post-acute facilities.
Analytics and Business Office
Expanse helps staff visualize business impacts, analyze data, and monitor performance.
Business and Clinical Analytics: Clarifies data with precise, actionable insights.
Surveillance: Identifies high-risk patients to boost quality and safety.
Expanse Revenue Cycle: Automates collections and maximizes reimbursements.
Quality Vantage: A magnifying glass for healthcare performance metrics.
Intuitive revenue cycle tools helped Harlan County Health System transform their A/R.
Security and Disaster Recovery
Expanse’s strict access controls and web-based data recovery help minimize risk and downtime.
High Availability Snapshot: Immediate web-based access to patient data.
Role-Based and Device-Based Access Matrix: Only the right eyes on your data.
Facility-Based Access Control: Shields data from external users.
Innovation and Future Focus
Expanse users can expect modern, flexible, cloud-native tools that keep getting better.
Expanse Virtual Assistant: Touchless voice search for hands-free healthcare.
Google Workspace for Healthcare: Connecting care teams and simplifying care.
Expanse Cloud Platform: Elevating care, all the way to the cloud.
Images: MEDITECH
The Expanse Dilemma: Licensed Implementation or MaaS
Moving to Expanse gives you two options: Licensed Implementation, a traditional EHR with a lifetime license, or Meditech as a Service (MaaS), a web-based subscription model. Choosing between the two? Let’s look closer at the options for this important decision.
Licensed Implementation
Cost and Time: Upfront costs may seem higher, but don’t forget to consider total cost of ownership over time. Licensed offers control over fixed and variable costs, as well as a customized implementation timeline.
Hosting and Security: Licensed Implementation gives you options: private, hybrid, and on-prem hosting with customized security solutions.
Scalability and Support: The sky’s the limit—with the right support and a well-defined growth strategy.
MaaS
Cost and Time: MaaS offers a recurring fee model instead of a one-time licensing fee and can be quicker to roll out.
Hosting and Security: MaaS is hosted in the public cloud and offers MEDITECH’s advanced security and disaster recovery features.
Scalability and Support: MaaS is built to grow, with support that scales alongside your strategy.
The (Multi) Million-Dollar Question: Which One’s for You?
Are you a sprawling healthcare system with intricate workflows? Or a cozy community hospital in need of hassle-free tech? When you choose between Licensed Implementation and MaaS, consider upfront and long-term costs, your desired level of customization, and your plans for growth.
Free Security Resources
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a government agency that will do a free security assessment and evaluation. For smaller hospitals, an EHR implementation is an opportunity to invite CISA in to assess their security posture and make improvements.
— CHAD SKIDMORETegria VP, MS Technical Services
Success Strategies for Every Project Stage
From the earliest planning stages through launch day and beyond, executing a smooth implementation requires expert advice. We rounded up a few Expanse experts to uncover the secrets to success.
Laying the Groundwork: Planning and Assessment
Do: Start with a magnifying glass
Examine your current operations, spot the gaps, and map out your goals. “Define what success looks like. Why are you making this investment? Understand the why, define it, and then measure it,” said Rob Hoehne, Tegria Managing Director, Enterprise Systems.
Don’t: Shortchange planning
Ever tried baking without reading the recipe? That’s what rushing the assessment feels like. Taking the time for a thorough assessment and planning phase yields a better result with less waste.
Lead-up to Launch: Implementation and Go Live
Do: Stay nimble
Craft a solid plan, train your team, but be prepared to flex. “Implementation is a long process. The plan is going to change,” said Chad Skidmore, Tegria VP, MS Technical Services.
Don’t: Get caught off-guard
Avoid budget drama by applying the golden rule of home renovation: Reserve at least 10% of the budget for unanticipated costs.
Momentum Magnified: Training and Change Management
Do: Prioritize education
Good user training amplifies your success; poor training derails it. “Poor user training raises the stress level across the organization, even when the system is doing exactly what it was supposed to do,” said Jeff Webber, Tegria Managing Director, Enterprise Systems.
Don’t: Exclude key departments
Welcoming input from across the organization increases end-user success. Involve physician leaders and your training and education department to keep everyone aligned.
The Safety Net: Hosting, Security, and Disaster Recovery
Do: Understand what you’re buying
Clarify scope with hosting vendors. “Look at everything that’s in scope for hosting. Within the MEDITECH space, different hosting providers take different approaches to what’s included,” Skidmore said.
Don’t: Forget about details
Small details, like failing to scrub network access credentials after a data transfer, can lead to big security breaches. Well before going live, clean up the environment and tighten access to servers.
The Helping Hand: Managed Services and Application Support
Do: Budget for success
Ensure you appropriately budget for upfront and ongoing staffing costs so that you can take advantage of Expanse’s advanced features and ongoing updates.
Don’t: Fall back to old strategies
You wouldn’t put old shingles on a newly constructed roof. Why employ old strategies to support your new system? Align support with your new system and your big-picture strategy.
Where To Go From Here
The biggest “don’t” of them all: Don’t assume that implementing Expanse will be simple, even when moving from another MEDITECH platform. But if you’re pursuing digital transformation, Expanse can get you there. With the right strategy, MEDITECH Expanse isn’t just software; it’s a catalyst for change, driving healthcare into the future. Whichever path you choose, prepare for an expansive, rewarding ride. If you need help implementing, optimizing, or supporting Expanse, get in touch.