The Health Care District of Palm Beach County has launched a premier Epic electronic health record (EHR) system that now links thousands of primary care clinic and rural hospital patients to a single, shared platform for quality, integrated care. The new “Connect PBC” patient portal ensures patients within the Health Care District’s safety net system, many who are underserved, have convenient and secure digital access to their health information.

“Our new Epic-based integrated platform provides best-in-class technology to meet the needs of our patients, many of whom have complex conditions and find it challenging to navigate the healthcare delivery system,” said Belma Andrić, M.D., MPH, the Health Care District’s Chief Medical Officer. “With Epic, our providers now have a more complete picture of their patients’ health across the continuum of care right at their fingertips.”

Janet D. Moreland, ARNP, MSN, LHRM, Assoc. VP, Administrator of Lakeside Medical Center and Jade DeDios, RN, on July 1, 2021, the day the Epic Electronic Health Record System ‘Connect PBC’ went live.

After going live on July 1st, 2021, the new software now serves the more than 50,000 unique C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics’ patients at nine locations in communities of need, as well as over 27,000 patients a year at Lakeside Medical Center, the Health Care District’s rural, acute-care teaching hospital in Belle Glade. The Epic system provides medical staff with immediate access to test results, the ability to place orders remotely and seamlessly communicate with other providers and Health Care District departments. The EHR system also helps to promote population health by identifying health trends, which can lead to initiatives that improve the overall health of the community.

“A consolidated patient medical record across clinical areas allows informed decisions to be made more quickly and efficiently,” said Karen A. Harris, the Health Care District’s VP of Field Operations. “Epic is a scalable system that allows us to effectively manage our volume of patient care across our programs, provide continuity of care, reduce duplication, and improve patient outcomes for years to come.”

Hollywood-based Memorial Healthcare System extended its clinical, professional and technical integration to the Health Care District through its strategic Epic Connect program, which extends Epic EHR software with community physicians and other hospitals. The year-long implementation process in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic was a monumental achievement. The Epic Community Connect project team worked virtually to design and build applications, conduct testing and training, and roll out the technology on schedule.

“Memorial Healthcare System and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County are committed to maintaining the health and well-being of our communities by empowering physicians and patients with all the resources required to proactively address medical issues in the context of population health through an optimal infrastructure that helps elevate the delivery of care,” said Jeff Sturman, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Memorial Healthcare System. “A partnership through Epic Connect, which Memorial offers, brings all healthcare providers – hospitals, community physicians and other points of care – into a single, comprehensive longitudinal patient record that stimulates joint collaboration, significantly benefiting the hosting organization, community physicians who are part of the extended network, and especially the patients they serve.”



To continue bringing consistent care to patients in the hospital, Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale has introduced an OB/GYN hospitalist program, the only hospital in Broward County to have a certified Ob Hospitalist team, partnering with Ob Hospitalist Group, the industry’s largest dedicated OB/GYN hospitalist provider.

As part of the program, board certified OB/GYN physicians are immediately available on-site 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to focus on providing consistent care, as well as emergent care to those arriving in labor and delivery. The mission is to elevate the standard of care by ensuring expectant mothers are evaluated and treated by a physician regardless of time of day, complication or circumstance.

The OB-GYN hospitalist program is staffed with an experienced team of board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists on-site at Holy Cross Health 24 hours a day, 7-days a week. The patient’s physician will make sure that the OB/GYN hospitalist on-site has all patient medical records.

In the event the patient’s physician is unavailable, an OB/GYN hospitalist has access to the patient’s medical records and will be there to care for her, address any evolving issues and provide the mother and baby with a safe delivery. The hospitalist team at Holy Cross is highly skilled in a variety of different delivery techniques and are required to maintain high levels of clinical performance and professional standards. They have additional training in neonatal resuscitation, advanced cardiac life support and OB emergency care and are also available for consultations in the hospital and for emergency care in the Emergency Department.



Broward Health Medical Center, home to the Broward Health Graduate Medical Education Simulation Lab in Fort. Lauderdale, FL, has become the first United States medical institution to receive the VirtaMed LaparoS™ surgical training simulator. This mixed reality laparoscopic simulator provides resident doctors with a simulated environment to prepare for clinical practice safely and efficiently.

Broward Health will use the LaparoS for general surgery training with an emphasis on patient safety.

First installed in June 2021, the LaparoS has left an impression on residents and professors alike.

“We chose the LaparoS because if offers our residents a more realistic simulation of what they will encounter in the operating room,” said Dr. Ivan Puente, General Surgery Program Director at Broward Health Medical Center.“We feel very strongly that this will not only enhance their skill development and also contribute to patient safety”

The LaparoS training simulator is from VirtaMed, the world leader in medical simulation training. In contrast to other forms of medical training with simulators, LaparoS training modules capture the whole procedural preparation, including positioning of the patient and placement of tools. The simulator offers real-time learning in the form of haptic feedback, complication training and guided procedures.

“Simulation is a great way to enhance medical skills,” says Kimberly Mazili, Business Development Manager for VirtaMed. “After years of with success with our orthopaedics simulator the next logical step was for Broward to be the first to get our new LaparoS so they could exetend the capacity of their simulation center and their residency programs.”

Broward Health has a long history of using simulation to train its next generation of surgeons. Medical students at Broward Health Medical Center have access to a medical skills simulation lab with a variety of simulators, including the VirtaMed ArthroS™ simulator for arthroscopic skills training. The addition of the LaparoS expands the resources available for skills development in a risk-free training environment.



West Boca Medical Center recently unveiled its new Boca Center for Women’s Care. The center has a new name, but is still delivering the same quality care expectant moms can count on when getting ready to deliver their new bundle of joy. The hospital also has a new laborist program, which offers in-house physicians, who are specialized obstetricians and gynecologists. They are available 24/7 to care for all maternity, labor and delivery needs. The hospital also has aromatherapy, a celebration breakfast, postpartum snack pack and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.



Joseph J. Ricotta, M.D., MS, DFSVS, FACS, National Medical Director for Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy for Tenet Healthcare recently completed his 200th Transcarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR) stroke prevention procedure at Delray Medical Center. Dr. Joseph Ricotta was first in the State of Florida to perform the TCAR procedure in 2018. For patients diagnosed with carotid artery disease, the TCAR procedure is a minimally invasive approach compared with traditional surgical procedures such as carotid endarterectomy. The TCAR procedure is suited for patients who are at a higher risk of surgical complications due to age, medical co-morbidities, or anatomical issues.