How UK ITS teams collaborated to move the electronic health record to the cloud The first major project completed by University of Kentucky Information Technology Services (UK ITS) marks transformative step in digital care delivery 

After several years of planning and months of work that stretched into late nights, weekends and across teams, UK ITS has successfully completed migration of UK HealthCare’s electronic health record to the cloud.

Epic, UK HealthCare’s electronic health record system, now runs from Microsoft Azure — Microsoft’s cloud computing platform.

The completion of this project will not only transform the way the electronic health record (EHR) is managed — it is also a testament to the power of collaboration across UK ITS teams — since university and health care IT transitioned to a shared services model in 2024.

Maintaining a robust electronic health record

Executive Director of Enterprise Architecture and Strategy Darin Poynter said moving Epic from an onsite data center to Azure, with data centers located throughout the U.S., allows for the EHR to host more applications with sophisticated, modern technologies.

"Having robust connectivity between us and Microsoft’s data center allows us to rely on their management, daily care, maintenance, procurement and the availability of modern technologies," Poynter said. "This lets us be less concerned about the onsite data center management part and be more focused on how we provide high quality, state-of-the-art modern services within our Epic system."

The EHR is a critical component of modern health care. As the EHR for UK Health Care, applications within Epic manage everything from medical appointments, test results and prescriptions, while also allowing patients to communicate with health care providers.

As a result of the Epic on Azure move, UK ITS has laid the groundwork for the future success of the EHR through scalability — ensuring the digital health care tool can support growth and provide more robust and reliable service for patients.

UK ITS team collaboration

Within UK ITS, UK ITS - HealthCare, Enterprise Systems, Enterprise Applications and Outreach, Enterprise Cybersecurity and Enterprise Networking and Infrastructure teams used their shared expertise to manage workflows making the system compatible for the unique needs of university’s electronic health record.

For example, the Enterprise Cybersecurity team partnered with project teams across UK ITS to identify gaps in firewall policies that could have delayed the migration process.

"I want to express sincere appreciation for the incredible work that brought us to this point," said Director of Cybersecurity John Lewis. "Our team — and many others across the organization — have done an outstanding job."

To handle the scale and complexity of the project's firewall policies and maintenance windows, the Enterprise Networking & Infrastructure team adjusted staff schedules and hired additional full-time staff. The networking team was also responsible for designing the secure connection that allows UK’s systems to communicate with Azure.

Before UK ITS transitioned to a shared service model, many of the tasks and cross collaboration work required for this transition would have been divided among campus and health care IT.

"This project helped us break down some of those silos, especially as it relates to work that was considered exclusively to one ITS department in the past," Poynter said. "This project helped facilitate one cohesive team working together as it took expertise from all teams to complete the work."

Benefits of Epic on Azure

Poynter said one of the benefits of the project is that it gives UK ITS access to technology that would be too expensive to purchase and maintain.

"We have a professionally managed, resilient data center with modern technology," Poynter said.

The transition also strengthens the Enterprise Cybersecurity team’s posture by leveraging Microsoft's security tools to limit risks, control access and better protect patient data with built-in threat detection and encryption. 

Additionally, Microsoft awarded UK ITS a grant that covered the cost of migrating Epic to Azure. Over time, the move will also result in cost savings for the university. 

Overall, the project’s success is attributed to teamwork throughout UK ITS. 

"We moved things over in a few weeks rather than moving everything all at once, and that was thanks to staff generated, grassroots ideas,” Poynter said. “The implementation went well on the go-live date — and I think that’s something worth saying — the voices of our staff matter."