[nfbcs] EPIC system

[Chris Nestrud]

Not sure about development or system administration, but it looks like
there may be some issues from the end users' perspective.

	National Federation of the Blind Supports Blind Healthcare
Worker's Discrimination Claim
Mon, 03/13/2017 - 12:45

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: Monday, March 13, 2017Category: NationalChris
DanielsenDirector of Public RelationsNational Federation of the
Blind(410) 659-9314, extension 2330(410) 262-1281
(Cell)cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Supports Blind Healthcare Worker's
Discrimination Claim

Blind Man Unable to Perform his Job Due to Inaccessible Software

Boston (March 13, 2017): With the assistance of the National Federation
of the Blind, the nation's leading advocate for the civil rights of
blind people, Manuel G. Morse has brought suit in Suffolk County
Superior Court (Docket No. 1784CV00773) against his employer, Brigham
and Women's Hospital, Inc. (BWH); its corporate parent, Partners
Healthcare Systems, Inc.; and Epic Systems Corporation, a maker of
software used at BWH and throughout the healthcare industry. Mr. Morse's
lawsuit alleges that he is unable to do his job as a hospital dispatcher
because Epic's software is not compatible with the text-to-speech screen
reading technology that he uses on his workplace computer, and that his
employer and Epic are aware of the problem but have refused to take all
appropriate steps to remedy it. Mr. Morse has been on indefinite paid
leave since May of 2015 because of this issue. His lawsuit alleges
violations of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151B, § 4, and the Massachusetts Equal
Rights Act (MERA).

Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
said: "While improvements to workplace technology can benefit all
workers, including the blind, if they are properly designed and
implemented, inaccessible technology can and does threaten the ability
of blind people to obtain and maintain employment. The problem is
universal but is particularly vexing in the healthcare sector, where one
of the defendants in this lawsuit is a leading provider of software
being used in healthcare facilities. The National Federation of the
Blind is willing to work with any technology vendor or employer who
wishes to ensure that its technology can be used by everyone. At the
same time, we cannot and will not tolerate unnecessarily sidelining a
skilled healthcare worker who is unable to do his job because of a
problem he did not create and was completely avoidable. We will fight
for Mr. Morse and for other blind people who find themselves in this
untenable situation."

Mr. Morse said: "Until May 27, 2015, I was a loyal, dependable, and
productive employee of Brigham and Women's Hospital who loved my job. I
felt that I was helping the hospital staff and patients and contributing
to society at large. Now I sit at home and wonder if I will be able to
work again. I am being compensated, but money is not the issue. I feel
abandoned by my employer and as if I have no purpose or value. Since my
own efforts to persuade my employers and Epic to act have failed, I must
rely on the laws and courts of Massachusetts to help me get back to
work."

Mr. Morse is represented, with the support of the National Federation of
the Blind, by Christine M. Netski of the Boston firm Sugarman, Rogers,
Barshak & Cohen, P.C., and by Daniel F. Goldstein, Joseph B. Espo, and
Albert Elia of the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein & Levy LLP. 

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 02:30:41PM -0400, Tracy Carcione via nfbcs wrote:
> Is anyone working with EPIC, which is a system used by hospitals?  I am
> inquiring from a programmer perspective, not as an end user.
> My employer will be switching to EPIC over the next few years.  I am told
> the first step is to travel to Wisconsin for training, and then pass a
> test.  Has anyone here done this?  How accessible was the experience?
> Is anyone working with EPIC now?  It's SQL, so should be straightforward,
> but one never knows.
> 
> It's been many years since I've had training outside my workplace, so I'm
> a bit anxious.
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
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