Vanderbilt Bedford County Hospital (VBCH) in Shelbyville, Tennessee, recently transitioned its clinical and information technology (IT) systems to fully align with Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The successful transition was due to the efforts from multiple teams across VUMC.
The process began on Saturday, Sept. 25, when the former systems in VBCH were disabled and VUMC systems went live. Both on-site and remote team members carefully monitored any ticketed issues and provided immediate support to resolve them as quickly as possible. Support team members and contracted resources, with expertise in Epic and hospital technology, also provided assistance.
The transition took place despite uncertainty brought on by the recent spike in COVID hospitalizations. Moreover, the teams adapted and learned from previous IT transitions at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital and Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital. As a result of these experiences and insights, they delivered a successful transition with little disruption to existing workflows in record time.
VBCH employees will now deliver care with a number of new systems and tools, including:
- eStar, VUMC’s Epic-based electronic health record.
- Laboratory and imaging systems.
- Pharmacy systems, including new medication dispensing cabinets.
- Applications for ordering, administering and monitoring blood products and testing.
- Application for supporting specialty clinical care, including labor and delivery and surgical procedures.
- New clinical equipment, such as blood glucose monitors.
- New computers, printers and scanners.
- Faster and more reliable wireless networks.
VBCH President Bill Rich said the new systems will enhance care.
“We’re bringing in best-in-class technology that will allow us to coordinate care for patients at all Vanderbilt Health locations,” said Rich. “This significant investment of resources is evidence of our commitment to this community.”
