December 15, 2025
The rural town of Kahuku, on the north shore of Hawaii’s O’ahu island, is known for its pristine white sand beaches, crystal-clear waters and sea turtle sightings. More importantly, it’s home to Kahuku Medical Center (KMC), a critical access hospital that serves as the only hospital and emergency care provider for more than 30 miles in either direction.
In addition to their 21-bed hospital, KMC operates two community clinics: the on-site Clinic at KMC and KMC Haleiwa, located a short drive down the northwest coast. Since the clinics’ OCHIN Epic go-live in 2024, they have used the platform to improve patient engagement and enhance care coordination, while the hospital looks forward to their own OCHIN Epic go-live in March 2026.
Increasing efficiency and clinical quality through partnership
When it came time to select a new electronic health record system to improve efficiency and clinical quality, the tight-knit community health organization—guided by the mantra of “friends and family taking care of friends and family”—knew they needed more than just new technology. They needed a partner who understood their unique needs.
That’s why they chose OCHIN, said Jason Ava, director of information systems at KMC.
“We’ve worked with others before where it didn’t seem like there was much care in how we were doing things and how we related to our community,” Ava said. “With OCHIN Epic coming in and sitting down at the table and trying to understand how our processes and workflows go, they were very sensitive to (our needs) … Right off the bat, it felt like family and friends.”
OCHIN, a national consultancy recognized by Epic for eight consecutive years, offers tailored knowledge solutions that have helped transform community health outcomes for over 25 years. Supporting members with training and optimization is one way the OCHIN network improves financial and operational wellness, enhances clinical quality and supports clinician well-being.
“It also gave us an opportunity to understand the new technology … and how we can become more efficient and provide more services,” Ava said. “It wasn’t always that way.”
Empowering and connecting the Kahuku family
One area where KMC was eager to innovate was in empowering community members, whom they consider family, to engage in their own care. Open communication between providers and patients is not only essential for clinical quality, but also deeply rooted in their culture.
“Here on the islands, it’s personal,” Ava said. “One of the things that I love about Kahuku Medical Center is that it’s not like anywhere else. This is a gathering place … it’s much more than just a place of physical healing. And it’s nice working with community members who have seen you as a little kid. It’s more meaningful.”
To communicate effectively, KMC needed a robust, interoperable system that was user-friendly for both providers and patients. OCHIN Epic’s MyChart patient portal enhances clinical quality and supports a high level of patient engagement by providing secure access to test results, messaging and other parts of the electronic health record. Patients at both clinics have expressed appreciation for the tool.
“Now that we have MyChart along with OCHIN Epic, people are just floored,” Ava said. “(They say,) ‘I just had a visit and did some bloodwork, and I can already see results …
“That’s the biggest thing that’s changed for us—communicating better to our community.”
Improving care coordination and specialty care access
Studies have found that people in rural communities are at higher risk for certain health issues, including chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Access to specialty care is critical for managing these conditions effectively.
Specialty care refers to services provided by clinicians with advanced training and expertise in a specific type of medicine, such as cardiology or internal medicine. These providers often have access to cutting-edge treatments not typically available through primary care. However, a nationwide shortage of specialists and rising demand have led to long wait times—a problem that is exacerbated in rural communities like Kahuku. An OCHIN network analysis in 2025 found that the average wait time to see a specialist has grown to 58 days, and significantly delayed referrals were only 40% likely to be completed.
Since transitioning to OCHIN Epic, KMC’s clinics have enhanced their referral process for specialty care, resulting in improved care coordination and specialty care access in their community. This includes seamless coordination with the high-demand specialists they previously integrated into their regular practice, including internal medicine, respiratory therapy, wound care, and podiatry.
“We have all of these different specialty doctors that we are able to easily coordinate with now that OCHIN Epic has allowed for us to build for them and provide services, whereas before we never had that,” Ava said. “We’ve evolved so much more now because we have the system in place to be able to provide those services.”
From the patient perspective, having improved care coordination is a welcome addition.
“Our community is starting to become more aware that they don’t have to go 45 minutes to an hour into town to get those services,” Ava said. “They can drive five minutes right up the block and we’ll be able to take care of them.”
Staying at the forefront of innovation
The interoperability and excellence of OCHIN Epic keeps KMC at the forefront of community care innovation and will help sustain their long-term operational and financial wellness, clinical quality, and provider well-being long into the future.
As for advice to other community health organizations, Ava’s guidance is simple:
“If you’re looking for an EMR system … that can help you be efficient so you can get out there and do what you love best—which is take care of our community, take care of our patients—then come to OCHIN Epic.”
Learn more about how OCHIN Epic helps expand access to care and improves health outcomes.
