Stanford Health Care is implementing a new technology platform to address patient transport delays that can stretch up to eight hours, integrating transportation management directly into its electronic medical records system.
The Epic-integrated platform, developed with transportation company Onward, aims to reduce response times to under two hours. The new system also has the potential for an estimated return on investment of over $18 million, expected through efficiency savings and reduced patient length of stay.
“This integration aims to significantly speed up transport times, improve communication and coordination, and make the process more transparent for everyone involved,” said Alan Zhong, Senior Solution Architect with Stanford Medicine Technology & Digital Solutions, which worked with Epic to configure the launching buttons and integration.
Currently, staff at Stanford Health Care and SHC Tri-Valley coordinate patient transports through a combination of a web portal, text messages, and emails — a fragmented approach that has contributed to lengthy delays and administrative burden.
The new system will allow hospital staff to request transportation directly within Epic, rather than switching between multiple applications. The integration is designed to provide real-time updates on ambulance locations and estimated arrival times within a five-minute window.
Patient transport coordination has emerged as a significant operational challenge as patient volumes increase. The current process is labor-intensive, lacks standardized performance metrics, and often results in inefficient deployment of limited ambulance resources, Zhong said.
These delays affect patient care access, reduce bed availability, increase staff workload and drive up operating costs — issues the new platform aims to address through streamlined coordination and improved data accuracy.
