Hiring an Epic Team? Start with a plan.
The decision to purchase an Epic Systems electronic medical record (EMR) is typically one of the largest strategic investments a hospital or health system will make. With Epic at the center of your patient care strategy, you will want to hire the best and brightest Epic-skilled talent you can find. But here's the problem: so does every other hospital in the country with an Epic EMR.
A large-scale implementation may require hundreds of highly-skilled IT professionals and you will need these individuals years after launch to maintain, upgrade and optimize your system. But where do you find them? How much should you pay them? And how do you retain the best Epic talent for the long haul?
We answer these questions and more in our new e-book, Building an Epic Team: An Insider’s Guide to Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Epic-Skilled IT Professionals.
When we wrote the first edition of this guide in 2015, the labor market looked dramatically different than the one we navigate today.
Following a pandemic, The Great Resignation, and the expansion of Work from Home, the current hiring climate calls for organizations to think creatively and innovate how they attract candidates and retain hires.
"The world has changed,” says Cynthia St. Cyr, an RCM executive at NYC Health + Hospitals. “We’ve had to evolve with it to understand the environment that employees want.”
Epic Hiring Advice
Our extensive report is based on our own experience as one of the nation's leading health IT consulting and staffing firms and interviews with senior healthcare executives who have built their own high-performing Epic teams at some of the nation’s top hospitals.
Our e-book presents a step-by-step guide for Epic recruiting and expert tips for hiring success. Here are 8 key themes from the report:
Start with a resource plan and senior buy-in
Whether implementing a new system or optimizing an existing install, you still need a hiring plan. Build support with stakeholders from senior management, IT, HR, and execs in other departments that rely on Epic.
Create your ideal Epic org chart
Determine all of the roles required for your Epic team and put them onto an org chart. Group the roles by function and highlight priority hires needed to achieve critical milestones on your Epic roadmap.
Hire from inside and out
Look inside your organization to promote and train individuals for your Epic team. But recruiting outside talent—who may have deeper experience or knowledge of newer modules—is equally important.
Utilize consultants
Most Epic teams and large projects rely, to some extent, on consultants. For short-term needs or hard-to-fill skillsets, an hourly contractor may offer more speed and flexibility than a permanent hire.
Embrace flexible, remote work
Today’s candidates demand flexible work arrangements. Be clear about onsite expectations while embracing the pivot to remote, work-from-home realities.
Don’t skimp on pay and benefits
Now more than ever, competitive salaries are critical for attracting talent. Benchmark pay at other Epic hospitals and use bonuses or other incentives as added sweeteners.
Interviewing must be efficient and virtual
Efficient pre-screening and interviewing via Zoom or other video conferencing platforms are the new normal. Make decisive hiring decisions, so top talent doesn’t slip away.
Have a retention plan or lose your top talent
Hiring without a strategy to keep your employees engaged for the long haul is shortsighted. Keep employees loyal with a multi-pronged retention plan that addresses financial needs, lifestyle, and career goals.
Although this may be the most competitive hiring market we’ve seen to date, the good news is that the talent is out there. You just have to find it and attract it. We hope our guide proves valuable for you in your own Epic hiring journey.
