There is so much change and growth in healthcare. Tegria has strong change management skills and specific experience in the areas we’re getting into. As we’re stubbing our toes a little bit, we need to know what to do to be in better shape next time. To have that expertise available to us through Tegria is a great strategy.

Soren Schoultz, VP Information Technology, UC Health

Background and Challenge

University of Colorado Health (UCHealth), a multi-region Epic enterprise health system, serves patients in the Rocky Mountain region. Since 2015, UCHealth has expanded through M&A, joint venture, Community Connect, and organic internal growth.

These assertive growth goals align with UCHealth’s ambitious vision for excellence in patient care. So, it’s no surprise that one question became a common refrain: How do we move 5x faster by growing our own best and brightest?

UCHealth’s IT leadership brought together an experienced and successful Epic project team, highly skilled in extending their IT platform. The team, who already had a perfect track record of meeting milestones and exceeding expectations, accepted the challenge to “do more with less” and set out to ensure systems weren’t a rate-limiting factor in UCHealth’s rapid organizational growth. Their first step was to choose a partner with deep Epic experience and a shared commitment to their goal.

Solution

The processes and team structure that had worked well for UCHealth now needed to scale. They knew Epic but needed to do more of what they do best—and quickly. In true partnership approach, we were able to help them find new ways to:

• Manage projects to oversee concurrent implementation waves
• Use standard documentation and tools
• Provide a consistent end-user experience
• Quickly manage risks and escalations

Focus on Process and People

Stepping in alongside UCHealth, we helped create a dynamic and agile expansion program to accommodate a growing and evolving patient population. We worked shoulder-to-shoulder with UCHealth to streamline and shore up two key growth components: process and people.

We started by listening and watching the team in action. During this time, we noticed what worked well and identified key opportunity areas. Then, we slowed things down to organize, refine, and codevelop the game plan. The game plan organized the projects into manageable phases with actionable deliverables.

The project scope included creating and onboarding an entirely new Epic PMO team to manage all types of new Epic implementations. We collaborated with IT and operational teams to create executive-level implementation tools, including rollout planning, operational readiness programs, team structure, and governance structure.

There’s a sense of understanding that we’re in it together and you’re going to help me think things through. We’ll figure it out together. Tegria’s culture is one of willingness. They’re analytical, likable and engaging. Most of all, I trust them.

Epic PMO Manager, UC Health

Lead from Behind

From day one, we focused on UCHealth’s long-term success by providing the needed support and mentorship to grow their own experts. We made sure UCHealth was the face of all internal changes; we led from behind, facilitating team work sessions and mentoring UCHealth team members to take on increasingly complex project work. As the expanding PMO added team members to manage new upgrade releases, specialty projects, and clinical optimization, our standard processes and documentation resulted in smooth and speedy ramp-ups. We worked side-by-side with mentors to get new hires up and running as effective project managers within three months.

Results

With the UCHealth Epic PMO coming into its own, the success of this homegrown team was quickly noticed. With UCHealth’s team managing the work on their own, they still consider us their go-to “phone a friend” as they look to their future growth and expansion strategy. We provide suggestions, help facilitate work sessions for continued growth, and incorporate lessons learned into processes that will continue to be used in the future.

• 57 departments live in 6 months
• Monthly outpatient go-lives
• Expanded implementations to include inpatient facilities
• Developed a strong, homegrown team