Montefiore partnered with Rhythm to streamline remote cardiac monitoring, achieving 50% greater efficiency and co-developing Epic-integrated innovations that improve outcomes and reduce costs.
Montefiore Health System, headquartered in the Bronx, New York, is a premier academic health system and the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Comprising 11 hospitals, over 200 outpatient care sites, and more than 7,500 physicians, Montefiore serves a diverse population of over 3 million people across the New York metropolitan area. The system is renowned for its integrated care model, focusing on complex conditions like cardiovascular disease, with a strong emphasis on research, education, and community health. In 2019, Montefiore expanded by acquiring White Plains Hospital, a 292-bed facility in Westchester County known for advanced cardiology services, including electrophysiology (EP) and device management. Both entities share a unified Epic electronic health record (EHR) system, enabling seamless data sharing and coordinated care.
For over a decade, Montefiore has partnered with Rhythm Management Group to manage cardiac remote monitoring for more than 6,000 patients with implantable cardiac devices. As one of Rhythm's earliest and largest clients, Montefiore pioneered the integration of Rhythm Synergy with Epic in 2019—the first such deployment for Rhythm. Led by experts like Dr. Luigi DiBiase, a globally recognized electrophysiologist and Rhythm advisor, this collaboration has evolved into a model of innovation, with White Plains Hospital serving as an "innovation hub" for co-developing features before system-wide rollout.
Prior to deepening their partnership with Rhythm, Montefiore relied on fragmented systems like PaceArt for cardiac monitoring, which created inefficiencies in data handling, workflow silos, and integration challenges with their shared Epic EHR. Managing thousands of patients across multiple sites required robust tools for remote transmissions, in-clinic visits, device surveillance, and real-time alerts—without adding costs or complexity. Some locations preferred processing reports directly in Epic, necessitating a flexible platform that could act as a "pass-thru" system rather than a standalone tool.
The system needed to support bidirectional Epic integration for patient matching, encounter creation, and routing, while fostering innovation to address emerging needs like real-time data syncing from device programmers. Montefiore sought a long-term partner capable of rapid iteration based on clinical feedback, ensuring compliance, scalability, and a focus on patient outcomes in a high-volume, academic environment.
Montefiore selected Rhythm Synergy for its intuitive design, cost-effectiveness (no platform fees for service clients), and adaptability to their workflows. As Rhythm's first Epic-integrated client, Montefiore helped shape the platform's core features, including seamless handling of remote and in-clinic transmissions across their shared Epic instance.
Key capabilities that addressed Montefiore's needs include:
This solution aligns with Montefiore's mission of innovative, equitable care, providing a unified platform that replaced PaceArt entirely since the 2018 Epic launch.
The initial Epic integration in 2019 was a collaborative milestone, completed with minimal disruption through phased testing and clinician training. Rhythm provided customized onboarding, including hands-on sessions for over 6,000 patients' data migration and workflow optimization. Ongoing support includes access to a partner portal for resources and real-time feedback loops.
White Plains Hospital's role as an innovation hub has accelerated feature development: Ideas from Dr. DiBiase and his team are prototyped there, refined, and rolled out system-wide. For instance, the Boston Scientific/Biotronik sync was piloted at White Plains before broader adoption, ensuring seamless execution across Montefiore's network.