Download our case study: Wooster Community Hospital Health System Frees Up Nurses' Charting Time by Almost 1,600 Hours Annually in Expanse   

About

Located in northeastern Ohio, Wooster Community Hospital Health System is the largest nonprofit healthcare system in Wayne County. It comprises a 173-bed acute care hospital and several clinics offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. WCH is independent and locally governed.  

Challenge

After implementing MEDITECH’s Expanse EHR in 2021, Wooster Community Hospital Health System dedicated time and resources to optimizing its new platform for physicians. Results from a KLAS Arch Collaborative survey given to WCH clinicians in December 2023 indicated that the investment had paid off: Providers gave Expanse high marks. Next, WCH leaders turned their focus to nurses. The leaders inferred from survey results that nursing engagement in software governance initiatives had declined since the pandemic, contributing to documentation challenges. 

Execution

Chief Information Officer Eric Gasser, RN, assembled a multidisciplinary team of clinical analysts, IT staff, and nurse representatives to reengage nurses by soliciting their feedback on nursing workflows. The Free Up Nurses’ Time, or FUN Time, initiative enabled nurses to submit suggestions for nursing workflow improvements, leveraging the Expanse EHR’s flexibility to solve documentation and charting challenges. MEDITECH senior analysts collaborated with WCH’s IT team and KLAS representatives to review WCH’s nursing survey data and provide feedback on documentation burden and user personalization. 

Results

WCH improved satisfaction and met staff needs by personalizing Expanse for its nurses, increasing their Net EHR Experience Score by 20.1%. In addition, the initiative helped nursing governance regain momentum post-pandemic through routine engagement and meetings. Gasser notes that giving nurses a voice has made a significant difference.

Total Estimated Nursing Time Saved

• Estimated documentation time saved per year: 1,555.55 hours 
• Fields/choices removed or no longer required to be documented: 96
• Estimated clicks reduced per year: 2,759,805

Quote

“As an independent healthcare system, maintaining our autonomy is incredibly important, and having full control over our EHR is a key part of that. The flexibility of MEDITECH Expanse allows us to make meaningful changes that align with our goals, support our clinical teams, and improve overall usability.”

Eric Gasser, RN
Chief Information Officer
Wooster Community Hospital Health System