Paramus, N.J.-based Bergen New Bridge Medical Center expects a return on its new Epic EHR — its “largest strategic investment” — in two to three years, the hospital’s chief executive told Becker’s.
The 1,070-bed, county-owned safety-net hospital plans to go live with Epic in early 2027 after starting the implementation in August. Hospital President and CEO Deborah Visconi said the move will pay dividends through increased efficiencies, reduced administrative burden and improved revenue capture.
“This is certainly the largest strategic investment we’ve made at the medical center,” Ms. Visconi said. “So it is substantial, and it truly reflects our board and our leadership team’s commitment to advancing technology infrastructure. We view this as an investment in our future at Bergen New Bridge, and more importantly, the health and wellness of our community.”
Bergen New Bridge’s CIO and chief compliance officer are the executive leaders of the project, which encompasses hundreds of staffers across IT, clinical, administrative and business functions. The next year-plus will involve data migration, workflow redesign and extensive staff training.
“Honestly the entire medical center is involved because we’re looking at Epic as not just IT but truly clinical transformation,” Ms. Visconi said.
Bergen New Bridge had to go through a public bidding process for the project, with county and state approvals required for the funding. Bergen County doesn’t subsidize the medical center but helps it secure bonds for investments like the new EHR.
While declining to get into specifics, Ms. Visconi called the new platform a “tremendous investment,” particularly for a safety-net hospital (of which Bergen New Bridge is the largest in the state). But she expects it to pay off in short order.
“We’ll see volume. We’ll see more productive staff, because there’ll be fewer administrative requirements of them,” she said. “The revenue cycle component of Epic is going to allow us to bill faster, bill cleaner, fewer rejections, so we’ll be able to get paid more timely for the work that we do.”
Ms. Visconi also expects improved data-sharing with partner organizations, as well as enhanced patient access to medical records, online scheduling and clinician communications through MyChart. She anticipates better data analytics to support clinical decisions and population health initiatives, boosting quality and safety.
“My doctors are over the moon. You have to continue to energize your workforce, right? And part of that is being able to bring them tools to make their lives better, easier, faster, more efficient, and give them the opportunity to do what they love to do, which is care for our patients. So the whole place is abuzz with excitement,” Ms. Visconi said. “It’s very exciting to be in a position to bring this to the most vulnerable communities in the state of New Jersey.”
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