On Nov. 1, Vanderbilt Health will begin sharing its electronic health record (EHR) system with Heritage Medical Associates through Epic Community Connect, creating seamless care coordination for thousands of patients who receive treatment at both organizations.
The partnership connects Vanderbilt University Medical Center with Heritage, which serves more than 620,000 patient visits annually across 13 locations in Middle Tennessee with approximately 200 providers and 900 staff members. Heritage offers comprehensive ambulatory services spanning 17 specialties, from primary care and pediatrics to gastroenterology and neurology, plus on-site imaging, laboratory services, and an ambulatory surgery center.
“Community Connect is about raising the floor for quality and safety across our region,” said Dara Mize, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer at VUMC. “When everyone is working from the same source of truth, we remove friction for clinicians and create a more seamless, personal experience for patients.”
Epic is the leading medical record software company in the U.S. Through Epic Community Connect, VUMC serves as the host organization, extending its Epic EHR system to Heritage. This arrangement allows Heritage to transition from its current EHR to Epic with reduced cost and complexity compared to independently implementing Epic software. Heritage pays a fee to Vanderbilt for this service, enabling them to access VUMC’s established Epic infrastructure and ongoing technical support.
“Vanderbilt has a valued relationship with Heritage Medical Associates dedicated to improving and advancing care for the many patients we share. The establishment of a shared electronic medical record for those shared patients will only enhance our ability to create a seamless care experience of the highest quality,” said David Posch, MS, Executive Vice President for Organizational Transformation and Chief Strategic Business Development Officer for VUMC.
“This represents an investment in our community. We’ll continue leveraging Community Connect to partner with organizations that align with our mission and values, improving care coordination and health outcomes across Middle Tennessee.”
Dara Mize, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer at VUMC
The connection creates a single, unified patient record that updates in real time across both organizations. When Heritage physicians document patient encounters, order tests or prescribe medications, VUMC clinicians can immediately access that information through eStar, and vice versa. This bidirectional visibility enhances communication to improve safety and minimize delays in care and reduces common frustrations like faxing records, repeating medical histories, and duplicate patient testing.
“Heritage Medical Associates is excited to partner with Vanderbilt to improve care for our all our patients,” said Paul Gentuso, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Heritage. “This technology integration means our patients will experience truly coordinated care, with their complete medical information instantly available to their care teams at both organizations. It’s a significant step forward in removing barriers, thus ensuring improved health care delivery across our region.”
While clinical data flows seamlessly between the organizations, the system architecture keeps sensitive business and financial information separate, ensuring each organization maintains appropriate confidentiality for proprietary data.
The Nov. 1 go live represents nearly two years of planning among clinical, operational and technical teams from both institutions: Teams partnered to design and build workflows, test systems, train users and prepare Heritage for launch.
“This represents an investment in our community,” Mize said. “We’ll continue leveraging Community Connect to partner with organizations that align with our mission and values, improving care coordination and health outcomes across Middle Tennessee.”
