Earlier this month (November), we had the privilege of welcoming our colleague from Beacon Hospital in Ireland to Emanate Health here in Southern California. This visit gave us space to reflect – not only on our MEDITECH Expanse journey, but also on the unique perspectives that emerge when two healthcare systems, shaped by very different countries, come together.
Ireland and the United States operate within distinct healthcare landscapes. Different regulations, cultures, patient expectations, and funding models all influence how systems are designed and how technology gets implemented. Before the visit, I found myself wondering how relevant our experiences would be to their environment, and equally curious about what lessons we could take from theirs.
But what became clear, very quickly, was that despite the differences, we share a common purpose: delivering safer, smarter, more connected care. Whether on the west coast of the U.S. or in Dublin, the challenges of modern healthcare – complex workflows, evolving technology, clinician burden, patient access – cross every border.
We went over a prepared list of questions and demonstrated some of the work we’ve been doing with MEDITECH Expanse within our health system. The main purpose of the meeting was to provide the Beacon Hospital team with some insights on what to expect with their upcoming MEDITECH Expanse implementation. Anyone who has lived through an implementation knows the sheer amount of coordination and persistence it requires. It’s true heavy lifting across clinical, operational, financial and technical domains. The visit gave us a chance to show how far our teams have come and how much thoughtful effort has gone into building a system ready to support the future of care at Emanate Health. Our implementation project demanded long hours, deep collaboration, and an unwavering commitment from teams across the organization. Engaging with Beacon – and hearing their insightful questions – helped us appreciate just how much effort was made for our project of years ago. It reminded us that sometimes you don’t see the full scope of your own accomplishments until someone else is about to embark on a similar journey.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Robert Bruton (Director of IT) of Beacon Hospital for traveling so far and for bringing curiosity, openness, and genuine partnership to the conversations. His perspective enriched the dialogue and highlighted how much we all stand to gain by sharing knowledge, even across different systems and countries.
And to our own teams at Emanate Health, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday: Thank You. Every analyst, clinician, project manager, and staff member who has contributed to our Expanse effort has helped build something meaningful. Your hard work was visible throughout the visit, and it’s something to be proud of.
As we continue forward, it’s reassuring to know that while the work is complex and the contexts differ, the mission is universal – and that is what truly connects us.
— Tito Perez, Emanate Health