Premise Health’s Maria Romano Re-Elected to Epic Advisory Board on Social Drivers of Health

Maria Romano, MBA, MSN, NP-C, vice president of health equity and medical informatics at Premise Health, was recently re-elected as a member of the Epic Specialty Steering Board for Social Drivers of Health (SDOH). Romano was first appointed to the advisory board for SDOH in 2022, serving as co-chair for its Key Performance Indicators Subcommittee. 

Epic, one of the largest providers of health information technology, powers the systems designed to manage electronic health records for Premise and many leading healthcare organizations nationally. The Epic platform is fully integrated across types of care, allowing Premise providers to work as a single coordinated care team, in-person and virtually.  

Epic Specialty Steering Boards are comprised of 8-15 elected representatives, voted on by Epic community members, to address key focus areas. Board members serve two-year terms, offering their expertise as clinicians and Epic users to gather community feedback, provide recommendations on improving workflow and content configuration, and share best practices with the community for effective end-user experiences. 

“Our first term was dedicated to researching and understanding SDOH and where Epic’s platform could be better optimized for tracking and reporting in the exam room,” said Romano. “Over the next two years, I’m excited to have the opportunity to take all that I’ve learned with my fellow board members and continue driving innovation in addressing SDOH, something that I’m proud to say is already standard practice here at Premise.” 

Since 2022, Romano has served as vice-president of health equity and medical informatics at Premise. With more than 19 years of experience as a board-certified family nurse practitioner, Romano leads her team in supporting value-based care initiatives and addressing SDOH.  

In 2021, Romano helped the organization launch its community care initiative, Find Help with Premise, and integrate it into Epic’s electronic health record. The platform connects members to community assistance programs that can help with food, transportation, healthcare, and more. Premise providers can utilize the platform to view local community resources during appointments for seamless referrals.  

“High-quality primary care is relational, as strong relationships between our primary care providers and the members they serve opens them up to becoming experts on the communities where they practice,” said Jon Leizman, chief medical officer, Premise. “That’s why the work of Maria and the Epic community is so valuable for providers nationwide. We know that culturally competent care, a hallmark of advanced primary care, leads to better health, happier people and lower costs.”