During the pandemic, we have seen the pivotal role digital communications play in streamlining interaction between our health care teams and patients. ...
It’s all about connecting – connecting with our patients and with one another. This is why UTHealth is preparing to move to an integrated electronic health record (EHR) and revenue cycle system designed to enhance the connection for patients with their health care teams.
For this transformational initiative, called UTHealthCONNECT, UTHealth is partnering with Epic Systems to implement a powerful tool for connecting patients to our health care providers who provide their care at UT Physicians clinics, UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center, and UT Health Services.
Registration, scheduling, clinical documentation, and billing will all be part of this single, integrated EHR, which goes live in May 8, 2021.
Executive Steering Committee
Electronic Health Record Governance Task Force
Revenue Cycle & Practice Management Task Force
HCPC Task Force
The Executive Steering Committee is shaping the vision of the UTHealthCONNECT initiative, defining and upholding the guiding principles, creating education paths and solutions, and promoting accountability.
×| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin J. Citardi, MD | Vice Dean for Clinical Technology; Professor and Chair, Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery | Martin.J.Citardi@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Kevin Dillon | Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | Kevin.Dillon@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristi Bradley | Vice President and Chief Revenue Cycle Officer | Kristi.L.Bradley@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Andrew Casas | Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | Andrew.Casas@uth.tmc.edu | UT Physicians |
| James Griffiths, MD, CHCIO | AVP Healthcare IT and UTHealthConnect Project Technical Executive Director | James.J.Griffiths@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Babatope Fatuyi, MD | Chief Medical Information Officer | Babatope.O.Fatuyi@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Tariq Khan, MBA | Executive Director. Epic Project and EHR Applications | Tariq.Khan@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Lois Pierson | Chief Financial Officer | Lois.K.Pierson@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Melissa Pifko | Vice President and Chief Legal Officer | Melissa.Pifko@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Amanda Spielman | Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Neurosciences | Amanda.B.Spielman@uth.tmc.edu | UTHealth Neurosciences |
| Michael Tramonte | Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Services and Chief Financial Officer | Michael.Tramonte@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Amar Yousif | Vice President and Chief Information Officer | Amar.Yousif@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Murphy, MD | Associate Dean for Applied Informatics and Associate Professor of Health Informatics | Robert.Murphy@uth.tmc.edu | School of Biomedical Informatics |
The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Governance Task Force approves, directs, and prioritizes EHR design and content decisions to ensure that the best possible patient care is achieved using the UTHealthCONNECT EHR as an effective documentation and communication tool while realizing both clinical and business needs. Task Force members will serve as project champions for their home departments. In this role, each member will represent the needs of his or her home department’s patients and their physicians and other caregivers.
×| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babatope Fatuyi, MD | Chief Medical Information Officer | Babatope.O.Fatuyi@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ore-Ofeoluwatomi O Adesina, MD | Associate Professor, Ophthalmology | Ore-Ofeoluwatomi.O.Adesina@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Olasunkanmi Adeyinka, MD | Clinical Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine | Olasunkanmi.W.Adeyinka@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Farah Akhtar, MD | Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine | Farah.Akhtar@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Faith Atai, MD | Associate Professor, Internal Medicine | Faith.D.Atai@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Kulvinder Bajwa, MD | Associate Professor, Surgery-Clinical | Kulvinder.S.Bajwa@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Pamela Berens, MD | Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences-Clinical | Pamela.D.Berens@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Julie Bortolotti, MD | Staff Physician, UT Physicians Family Practice-Bayshore | Julie.S.Bortolotti@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Olasimbo Chiadika, MD | Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine | Olasimbo.M.Chiadika@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Martin J. Citardi, MD | Vice Dean for Clinical Technology; Professor and Chair, Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery | Martin.J.Citardi@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Sheila Coogan, MD | Associate Professor, Vascular Surgery | Sheila.M.Coogan@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Kevin Coupe, MD | Assistant Professor, Orthopedic Surgery | Kevin.J.Coupe@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| James Griffiths, MD, CHCIO | AVP Healthcare IT and UTHealthConnect Project Technical Executive Director | James.J.Griffiths@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Brian Heaps, MD | Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences | Brian.R.Heaps@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Kevin Hwang, MD | Associate Professor, Internal Medicine | Kevin.O.Hwang@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Richard Jahan-Tigh, MD | Assistant Professor, Dermatology | Richard.R.JahanTigh@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Zi Yang Jiang, MD | Assistant Professor, Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery | Zi.Yang.Jiang@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School | Aisha Khattak, MD | Assistant Professor, Renal Diseases and Hypertension | Aisha.Khattak@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Linda Li, MD | Assistant Professor, Pediatric Surgery | Linda.T.Li@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| William R. Miller, MD | Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases | William.R.Miller@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Kim Monday, MD | Associate Professor, Neurology | Kimberly.Monday@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Phuc Nguyen, MD | Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine | Phuc.Nguyen@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Bobby Nix, MD | Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | Bobby.R.Nix@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Filemon Tan, MD | Professor, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics | Filemon.K.Tan@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Aparajitha K. Verma, MD, MBA | Clinical Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery | Aparajitha.K.Verma@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Robert Yetman, MD | Professor, Pediatrics | Robert.J.Yetman@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diarra Boye | Director for IT Finance | Diarra.Boye@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| M. Saeed Chaudhry | Vice President, Executive Director of Operations | M.Saeed.Chaudhry@uth.tmc.edu | UT Physicians |
| Sandra Jeffries | Assistant Director, Clinical Information Technology | Sandra.D.Jeffries@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Tariq Khan, MBA | Executive Director. Epic Project and EHR Applications | Tariq.Khan@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Angel Wolter | Coach Administrator | Angel.B.Wolter@uth.tmc.edu | UT Physicians |
| Sharay Zeitz | Director of Revenue Cycle Services | Sharay.Zeitz@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
The Revenue Cycle and Practice Management Task Force is responsible for a comprehensive review and optimization of all business practices, defining and tracking key performance indicators, aligning operations users for success, and standardizing ‘front to back’ revenue cycle processes.
×| Member Name | Title | School/Unit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristi Bradley | Vice President and Chief Revenue Cycle Officer | Kristi.L.Bradley@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Member Name | Title | Email Address | School/Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia Birkmeyer | Director, Management Operations, Surgery | Patricia.M.Birkmeyer@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Andrew Casas | Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | Andrew.Casas@uth.tmc.edu | UT Physicians |
| Anthony Garcia | Director, Management Operations, Pediatrics | Anthony.L.Garcia@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Rossana Gonzalez-Ayala | Director, Management Operations, Neurology | Rossana.GonzalezAyala@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Diane Harnden | Director, Management Operations, Pediatric Surgery | Diane.Harnden@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Chris Kubycheck | Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Orthopedic Surgery | Christopher.H.Kubycheck@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Mary Lopez | Director, Management Operations, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | Mary.Lopez@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Debra Lyon | Director, Revenue Cycle Operations, Change Healthcare | Debra.Lyon@changehealthcare.co | McGovern Medical School |
| Tom Murphy, MD | Assistant Professor, Family and Community Medicine | Thomas.J.Murphy@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Jay McVean | Director, Healthcare Billing Compliance | Jay.McVean@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Sarah Peirce | Director, Management Operations, Internal Medicine | Sarah.Peirce@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Lois Pierson | Chief Financial Officer | Lois.K.Pierson@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Demetria Qualls | Director, Revenue Cycle Systems and Training | Demetria.L.Qualls@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Dan Sherman | Associate Vice President and Chief Audit Officer | Daniel.Sherman@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Janet Sherry | Director, Management Operations, Emergency Medicine | Janet.L.Sherry@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Mike Tramonte | Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Services and Chief Financial Officer | Michael.Tramonte@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Don Venker | Director, Management Operations, Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery | Donald.P.Venker@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Rita Willis | Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences | Rita.S.Willis@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Amar Yousif | Vice President and Chief Information Officer | Amar.Yousif@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
With a focus on behavioral health patients, members of the UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center Task Force have the comprehensive responsibility for the EHR, practice management and revenue cycle for the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the country.
×| Member Name | Title | Email Address | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lois Pierson | Chief Financial Officer | Lois.K.Pierson@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Member Name | Title | Email Address | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Allen, DO | Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | Melissa.Allen@uth.tmc.edu | McGovern Medical School |
| Anayo Anene | Director, Pharmacy Services Acute Care | Anayo.Anene@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Carina Ayers | Assistant Director, Clinical Inpatient Epic Applications & HCPC MIS | Carina.K.Ayers@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Stuart Bernstein | Senior Compliance Specialist | Stuart.Bernstein@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
| Artrica Dozier | Director, Admissions Services | Artrica.J.Dozier@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Donna Hagdorn | Director, Financial Operations | Donna.Hagdorn@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Elizabeth Maree | Chief Nursing Officer | Elizabeth.Maree@uth.tmc.edu | Harris County Psychiatric Center |
| Christina Solis | Senior Legal Officer and Privacy Officer | Christina.F.Solis@uth.tmc.edu | Central Administration |
August 17, 2020 | Melissa McDonald, UT Physicians
During the pandemic, we have seen the pivotal role digital communications play in streamlining interaction between our health care teams and patients. ...
August 17, 2020 | Regina Clemente, UTHealth
Super Users (SU) are vital to our overall program success. Super Users are liaisons among users, department leaders, and the project team. The SU ...
August 17, 2020 | Regina Clemente, UTHealth
On Aug. 10, we commenced the Testing and Training phase of our implementation. Implementing our Epic EHR requires extensive testing, such as ...
We have launched this transformational initiative to empower our patients, caregivers, researchers, health care delivery partners, and business managers with contemporary tools and processes that deliver powerful reporting, improved outcomes, efficient billing, and prevention of medical errors.
Epic emphasizes care delivery and has been putting its patients at the center of the are experience for more than 40 years. After an extensive review of EHR systems, with input from stakeholders across UTHealth, we concluded that Epic would best fulfill the needs of patients and our university community and allow for improved integration with our teaching hospitals.
We have begun the pre-work phase and expect to “go live,” launching the system in our health care settings in May 2021.
Through an enhanced online portal, once the electronic health records system is live in May 2021, patients will be able to easily schedule appointments, see lab results, communicate with their provider through messaging and other tools, pay bills, and much more.
The UTHealthCONNECT initiative will connect our faculty and staff through the use of integrated electronic health record and revenue cycle system that is designed to optimize countless processes. It will focus on the needs of practicing physicians, as well as other care providers and staff, all of whom will participate in building a better system for our patients and one another.
To keep our employees informed, updates will be posted regularly on this website as well as the UTHealthCONNECT section on Inside UTHealth Secured Page . and UTP Connect Secured Page .
Throughout the implementation of the EHR system and during the launch in our clinics and psychiatric hospital, volunteers will be essential to our success. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities related to the UTHealthCONNECT initiative, please fill out the contact form below!. Thank you.