Advancing Precision Oncology, Ochsner Health First to Fully Integrate with Tempus and Epic’s Genomics Module

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Ochsner Health, through its Precision Medicine Program, is the first in the nation to incorporate Epic’s Orders and Results Anywhere integration with its Genomics module. Through Epic’s partnership with Tempus, which analyzes cancer cells to understand a patient’s disease at the molecular level, Ochsner physicians can now seamlessly order tests and access discrete biomarkers within the patient’s electronic health record (EHR) to offer highly personalized cancer treatment options.

“This integration greatly enriches the precision care we provide to patients with cancer,” said Marc Matrana, MD, MSc, FACP, Medical Director of Precision Medicine at Ochsner Health. “Through efficient, streamlined access to discrete genomics data, we can determine a patient’s unique cancer and tailor treatment for the best possible outcome.”

With the click of a button, Ochsner physicians can order a genomic test to identify a patient’s actionable genomic variants and therapeutic options, including matched clinical trials. This information flows directly into Epic, providing a single view of the patient’s genomic and clinical information.

The new integration will significantly reduce the amount of time clinicians spend ordering such tests and reviewing results, enabling them to make near real-time, data-driven decisions.

“We’ve found that these EHR integrations significantly reduce the amount of time physicians spend ordering and reviewing our clinical tests and reports, and as a result spend more time with their patients, equipped with the data needed to make informed treatment decisions,” said James L. Chen, MD, Senior Vice President of Cancer Informatics at Tempus. “We are thrilled to work with the forward-thinking team at Ochsner to apply this innovative approach in improving outcomes for their patients.”

Epic is the most widely used comprehensive health record, and Ochsner relies on it to support a single integrated system across its 47 hospitals and hundreds of clinics across the Gulf South. Clinicians at any hospital on the Epic system can view or access other EHRs, which improves clinician communication and patient care.

"Labs have traditionally sent genetic testing results to providers in PDFs that look nice but don’t power precision medicine at the point of care,” said Alan Hutchison, Vice President at Epic. “The discrete genomic results that Tempus sends back to Ochsner flow directly to patients’ charts where they’re actionable, not trapped in a PDF report.”

For more than 70 years, Ochsner has been dedicated to cancer research and new cancer treatment development, bringing innovations to the fight against cancer with more clinical trials than anywhere else in the region. With a holistic, patient centric approach, Ochsner provides comprehensive care to patients from diagnosis through recovery, including for the most complex and difficult to treat cancers.

“Using discrete actionable data to create patient insights is one of Ochsner Information Services’ guiding principles and this technology will allow us to bring results to our providers in an actionable format to quickly make an impact on patient care. This is another example of how we prioritize ‘patients first’ initiatives,” said Amy Trainor, VP of Clinical Systems, Ochsner Health.

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About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years in 2022, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 36,000 employees and over 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 47 hospitals and more than 300 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.