(Grand Marais, MN – August 26, 2025) Sawtooth Mountain Clinic (SMC) is excited to announce that we’re transitioning to a new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, OCHIN Epic. This upgrade will enhance your healthcare experience, improve communication among your care team, and strengthen coordination with our partner health systems.
Starting in October 2025, SMC will use the same EHR used by Mayo Clinic, Essentia Health, and Aspirus St. Luke’s. This will greatly improve the coordination of care between SMC and these larger hospital systems and will enable your healthcare team to provide more coordinated, informed care.
Transition Timeline
Training – Starting August 2025: Our team will undergo extensive training to make sure we’re ready to use all the new system’s capabilities. While our providers will maintain their full schedules, our administrative staffing may be reduced during training hours.
Go Live – October 2025:
- Monday, October 13: The clinic will be closed for final preparations.
- The pharmacy will remain open with normal hours.
- Tuesday, October 14: The clinic will open with a limited appointment schedule for the first month on the new system.
- Same-day visits for acute needs will be available but routine appointments, such as annual physicals, may need to be scheduled later in the year.
- Check-ins and appointments could take longer as staff adjust to the new system.
- Keep in mind that our systems are changing and the scheduling and check-in process will have small changes.
We truly appreciate your patience during this learning period. These adjustments will help us serve you better in the long run.
New Patient Portal
With the new EHR comes a new patient portal. You’ll need to create a new account once it launches, and we’ll share clear instructions before the current portal is retired.
Our Commitment to You
While there may be brief disruptions during the first month, the benefits of this upgrade will be long-lasting for patients and our staff. The enhanced coordination between your clinic and hospital care and improved digital access will make managing your health more convenient and efficient.
This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to providing you with the highest-quality healthcare possible. If you have any questions of concern during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.
About Sawtooth Mountain Clinic
Sawtooth Mountain Clinic has been a community health center for 45 years. Our mission is to provide access to high-quality, patient-centered, primary and preventative healthcare for all persons throughout SMC’s service area of Cook County Minnesota and the Anishinaabe Nation of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, on whose ancestral tribal lands we stand.
