Indian Health Service Launches New Electronic Health Record Solution at Lawton Service Unit

Indian Health Service Launches New Electronic Health Record Solution at Lawton Service Unit

The Indian Health Service has launched its new electronic health record (EHR) solution, PATH EHR, at the Lawton Service Unit in Lawton, Oklahoma, as part of the IHS Health Information Technology (IT) Modernization Program.

PATH EHR went live on September 26 at Lawton Indian Hospital, Anadarko Indian Health Center, and Carnegie Indian Health Center. The Lawton Service Unit is the first IHS site to transition to PATH EHR and will serve as the pilot implementation for the functionality, usability, and compatibility of PATH EHR in a real-world health care environment before it is rolled out on a larger scale.

"The launch of PATH EHR at the Lawton Service Unit is an important step toward building a more modern, connected health information environment at the IHS," said IHS Chief Information Officer Mitchell Thornbrugh. "The implementation at Lawton will help shape future deployments, strengthen implementation and support processes, and build an approach that can adapt to the needs of sites and communities across Indian Country."

The IHS provides at-the-elbow support throughout the go-live period, working closely with the Lawton team to address questions and resolve tickets. The IHS is also using feedback from staff to update job aids, guidance, and other resources to support the transition and help staff become more comfortable with new workflows and functionality.

All clinical services, including emergency room, ambulatory, surgical, and inpatient admissions have continued successfully during the transition. These early experiences are providing valuable insight into how PATH EHR supports clinical workflows in a real-world health care environment.

Early feedback from Lawton staff has highlighted several features that are supporting their day-to-day work. A pharmacist shared that "PATH EHR centralizes everything in one area and interconnects the workflows," while supervisors have observed staff becoming increasingly comfortable using the new system. A nurse noted that "PATH EHR's activity timeline helps me stay on track," and providers have highlighted the usefulness of system reminders. Clinical staff have successfully used tools such as the Clinical AI Agent and PowerChart Touch Camera Capture, with staff sharing positive feedback about how these capabilities support their workflows.

Patient engagement with PATH EHR is growing following the launch of the PATH Patient Portal. Patients are successfully registering, giving them a new way to access and interact with their health information. In the first week, more than 2,900 reminders were sent out to patients from the portal, and patients requested refills for more than 800 medications.

PATH EHR has successfully exchanged immunization information with the Oklahoma State Immunization Registry, including sending immunization reports to the registry and querying registry information. Tribal and private sector providers are also successfully sending electronic prescriptions to the Lawton Pharmacy. These connections demonstrate the ability of PATH EHR to support information exchange and care coordination across health care settings.

As the Lawton Service Unit continues through the go-live period, IHS will continue gathering feedback and identifying opportunities to improve workflows. The lessons learned at Lawton will help inform future PATH EHR deployments across the IHS.

The lead-up to the PATH EHR pilot has been an all-hands effort on the part of Lawton Service Unit staff, the IHS Oklahoma City Area Office, and numerous staff from IHS headquarters and the field. Key contractor partners include General Dynamics Information Technology (integration services), Oracle Health (EHR product suite), Kadiak (Program Management Office support), and Totem (Organizational Change Management support). These partners have been essential to the success of this milestone, and their commitment on behalf of the IHS and its service population is deeply appreciated.

For more information about the IHS Health IT Modernization Program and PATH EHR, visit ihs.gov/hit.

The Indian Health Service, an agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives who belong to 575 federally recognized tribes in 37 states. Follow the agency via social media on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.