Recently, Epic EMR Software and IT vendor Foundation Medicine have collaborated to help oncology practices and hospitals by having easy access to genomic information to facilitate streamlined clinical decision support. The EHR integration aims to enhance precision medicine which can make way for targeted treatment for cancer patients.
Why is this partnership valuable for clinicians?
The partnership supports oncology practices and health systems by decreasing manual data entry and providing valuable insights for proactive treatment plans. The integration will support providers who use the latest version of Epic to electronically order Foundation Medicine tests in the Electronic Health Records (EHR) software system. By having easy access to genomic information in the software system clinical decision support can be streamlined. Genomic insights can help oncologists to offer the most effective and customized treatment path for every cancer patient which can ultimately improve patient outcome levels.
The care team members can easily view and receive test results straight within their workflows which can give an opportunity to assess patient situations rapidly and act more responsibly for unsurpassed care. When clinical and genomic data is available easily it leads to a boost in clinical decision support necessary to improve cancer care for patients. Many healthcare providers have complained that they cannot access the evidence when they need it at the point of care. With Epic EHR integration oncologists can be relieved to have quick access to genomic information at their fingertips.
The importance of precision medicine
Precision medicine can change cancer care for the better by offering customized patient care to meet patient needs like never before. By providing treatment choices and targeted therapies cancer diagnosis and care can enhance.
To attain precision medicine every stakeholder in the healthcare sector needs to improve and consider health data, EHR Software integration options, and policy development as revealed by a recently published blog post from ONC, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Moving Ahead
The integration will be available in 2020 providing an opportunity for practitioners to enhance clinical decision support. Foundation Medicine also revealed that it is joining hands with other organizations as well to meet oncology needs and support oncology practices by focusing on genomics for precision oncology.
