Tales From the Epic Go-Live Archives!

As an Epic-only staffing firm, we are fortunate enough to be able to work with all types of Epic analysts with diverse backgrounds, which gives us the ability to learn a thing or two from them. Being an Epic analyst can mean many things, but usually, at some point in your career, you will be apart of a new implementation. We sat down with seasoned Epic Consultant, Douglas Hopper, who has experienced multiple go-lives throughout his career. Take a look at what he had to say about some of those experiences!

Q: What are the different “types” of go-lives you have been a part of and how do they vary?

A: I've only experienced 'big-bang' go-lives in which an organization brings up Epic across all applications (clinical, scheduling, billing, patient portal, etc). The organizations I've worked with have had all their hospitals and all their outpatient clinics' go-live all at once. One major benefit of having a big-bang go-live is that an organization doesn't have to juggle extra interfaces to pass patient information back and forth between the different EMRs they're juggling. For example, if the scheduling system remained on the legacy/previous system, but the clinical applications were brought onto Epic, then we'd need to have a temporary build in place to send the appointments from the legacy system into Epic. A big bang go-live is more of a major change than an incremental rollout, but any major post-go-live issues are resolved timely. 

Q: Most Epic professionals prefer new implementations projects vs. post live support roles. What is it that is so exciting about a go-live?

A: I think there's something to say for both types of roles. A new implementation can be extremely exciting in that there is so much change and so much to learn. It can be like jumping off the deep end of a pool for the first time. There is always a lot to do because there are usually a lot of unforeseen problems with design or functionality that weren't able to be anticipated. Some enjoy the fast-paced nature of a new implementation. It is certainly a more fast-paced environment than an organization supporting post-live initiatives. However, I do find post-live initiatives to be enjoyable in the sense that you finally get to improve and optimize the system for all the users. Once organizations are more comfortable with go-live issues, they're able to focus on more abstract wants and needs, and it's during that time that they're able to really satisfy everyone's needs. It's also a time that organizations will consider implementing Epic's more cutting-edge features and functionality. 

Q: What are the things you and your teams have done to prepare for a go-live?

A: Stick to the plan! Each go-live follows an elaborate project plan typically designed years (sometimes months) in advance of the go-live. Having a strong plan that outlines clear and realistic deadlines is a recipe for success. Teams can sometimes find themselves juggling multiple priorities towards the end of the go-live, and having an outline to follow is key. As the go-live date looms sooner and closer, it's very natural to feel stress regarding all the outstanding tasks that might not be complete. In order to burn some of that stress, I've had teams organize a group dinner in order to reflect on all the achievements accomplished. Having an informal setting like that helps to make everyone feel a little more relaxed, and it naturally inspires some team-building collaboration that will certainly be needed when the go-live day comes.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge during or before a go-live? How did you overcome it?

A: The biggest challenge in recent memory had to have been testing all the printers. My team realized we were falling behind on our quota for testing all the hardware machines that were going to switch to printing out of Epic. A coworker and I had to drive around to all the satellite offices we had in Rhode Island and ask to test each of their printers to make sure they were hooked up correctly. We created a plan for testing the printers at the remaining clinics, organized them by geography, and hit the road. We would try to knock out around 10 departments per day, and we eventually checked them all off the list! We'd let the department managers know we were coming in advance, and towards the end, we were able to breeze our way through all the testing. 

 Q: What do you think is the most important factor for a successful go-live?

A: Inter-team collaboration. For months, applications will spend most of their time working together amongst their own team. Going through a go-live highlights how important it is for teams to understand other applications in order to help solve issues or to help brainstorm ideas for solutions. Establishing a strong inter-team communication pathway is vital.. that can be through email, Instant Message, text, etc. This is also why having flexible management is important. Managers can help escalate any cross-application issues and pull in the appropriate resources to help solve the issue. 

 Q: Explain the culture and team energy shifts for a go-live.

A: The energy and culture during a go-live is very different from an average day in the life of an IS employee. While it can be stressful and fast-paced, it is an environment when being reliable becomes a major asset. There have been countless times that I've seen coworkers work 20-24 hour shifts in order to assist another coworker with an issue they experienced or to help solve a major issue. That kind of commitment is naturally created from the go-live culture and energy. There's certainly more of an 'I-have-your-back' environment that is fun to participate in. Teams can sometimes get competitive as well - in a good way! I've seen applications compete to see who can solve the most tickets, who can prevent the most tickets from getting logged, etc. 

Q: What advice would you give to an analyst that is about to experience their first go-live?

A: Enjoy it! For a typical analyst, they'll only see one go-live in their career. I've been fortunate to join a handful as a consultant, but I can recall my first. I remember our CMIO giving a congratulatory speech right before we were going live. He mentioned that analysts will typically experience a big-bang go-live like this once in their careers. It was a really memorable day in my career! When we eventually started to transition out of the go-live phase and were heading into the optimization phase, I remember being reflective that the excitement was starting to die down and found myself missing the chaos!

The bottom line is this, every go-live is different and you are guaranteed to learn something from each one! If you have been lucky enough to have been a part of one, share some of your most memorable moments in the comments below!