Peer Spotlight: Dr. Kunig Simplifies Epic Workflows for NICU Team

When the NICU team at St. Mary's Regional Hospital worked to align its documentation with Intermountain Health standards, Annette Kunig, MD, pictured, stepped up well beyond her regular responsibilities. She rebuilt templates, personally trained the unit's neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs), and optimized their Epic settings, making the transition smoother for providers and patients alike.

Monica Ramos, MD, St. Mary’s NICU medical director, shares her thanks below.

I would like to formally recognize the extraordinary efforts and dedication that Annette Kunig, MD, has demonstrated in support of our team. Last month, Dr. Kunig partnered with me to help reconstruct older problem list-based templates we had both used. Her strong technical expertise and understanding of Epic workflows were invaluable throughout this process. As our team worked to harmonize documentation practices with Intermountain Health standards, we encountered challenges due to limited education and the unintended use of multiple templates across patient records. This created inefficiencies and inconsistencies that placed our providers and patients at a disadvantage.

Over the past week, Dr. Kunig has gone above and beyond to address these issues. She invested significant time and effort in developing templates that align with the Intermountain Health model while maintaining an efficient workflow for our providers. In addition, she personally educated our NNPs, helped optimize their Epic settings, and ensured a smooth transition to the new documentation process. Her work has streamlined workflows, reduced complexity, and improved efficiency, which will ultimately benefit both providers and patient care.

Dr. Kunig also spent time walking me through the changes she implemented, explaining how to set the templates on my own if necessary. She has remained readily available to answer questions, provide guidance, and make ongoing improvements as needed.

I am incredibly grateful to have Dr. Kunig as part of the Intermountain Health family. Her commitment to improving workflow, supporting her colleagues, and enhancing patient care is truly exceptional. Much of the time she devoted to this project, including one-on-one education and Epic optimization for team members, was above and beyond her regular responsibilities and often unrecognized. Her willingness to share her expertise and invest in the success of others exemplifies the collaborative culture we strive to foster.

I am honored to work alongside Dr. Kunig and to be part of such a dedicated and collaborative team. Her efforts have made a meaningful difference for our providers and, most importantly, for the patients we serve.