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EPIC EHR OVERVIEW
Epic is one of the most well-known, long standing solutions in the healthcare market. They invest 50% of operating expenses back into R&D making innovation and technology a primary focus. This has made them a powerhouse in the health technology space.
Some EHRs have bought their way into technology through acquisitions. Not Epic. The pride themselves in having their software built in house as opposed to acquiring other software companies.
In addition to offering EpicCare, they also offer a variety of other services and solutions such as population health, practice management, and patient engagement. Read Epic Reviews.
What is Epic in Healthcare?
IS EPIC ONLY FOR HOSPITALS?
Epic may be known more as the EHR solution of choice for large provider systems. They rightfully brag that “the majority of U.S. News and World Report’s top-ranked hospitals and medical schools use Epic”.
Nevertheless… Epic can also be a great fit for small to mid-sized physician practices. Actually, they claim that “more Epic physicians have attested to Meaningful Use Stage 2 than users of any other system.”
If you are a small to mid-sized medical practice, they should definitely be on your short list to consider. View our Epic pros and cons list.
How has Epic improved interoperability ?
Epic Systems has played a significant role in shaping interoperability in the healthcare industry such as:
- Health Information Exchanges (HIEs): Epic connects with Health Information Exchanges, letting data be shared.
- Collaboration with Competitors: They worked with other EHR vendors on data sharing projects, showing they’re open to cooperation for patient and healthcare benefit.
- Interoperability Standards: Epic actively took part in creating standards like HL7 and FHIR. These help different EHR systems communicate smoothly.
- Epic’s App Orchard & Connection Hub: Epic built App Orchard letting third-party developers create apps to work with their solution. This encouraged making tools that improve data sharing. They also launched Connection Hub that is “an online directory for vendors to share their ability to interoperate with Epic software.”
- Patient-Centered Data Sharing: Epic’s Share Everywhere lets patients securely share medical info.
Overall, Epic Systems aims to make data sharing easier, follows interoperability standards, and supports projects for smooth sharing of patient data. This has a big impact on improving healthcare data exchange.
EPIC FEATURES
The EpicCare Ambulatory EHR Suite is a central solution that delivers features that would benefit any small to mid-size medical practice including:
- Care Everywhere – Offers interoperability with other EHRs
- Easy online scheduling
- Full access to the Epic Community
- Telemedicine opportunities including its newest addition to Epic MyChart telehealth partnership with American Well.
- Mobile friendly EHR with key apps
- Patient engagement
- MyChart allows “patients in the hospital can use a tablet to stay in touch with their care team, review their schedule, access personalized patient education materials, and request help.”
DOES EPIC OFFER PRACTICE MANAGEMENT?
Yes. Epic software offers a plethora of solutions beyond its EpicCare EHR to help small to mid-sized medical practices including:
- Medical billing services
- Revenue cycle management
- Care management through Tapestry
- Population health through Healthy Planet
CAN A SPECIALTY PRACTICE USE EPIC MEDICAL SOFTWARE?
Of course. They have a variety of modules for different specialties. And the modules all have clever names too such as Bones (for Ortho), Stork (for Obstetrics) and Cupid (for Cardiology).
Lastly, Epic EMR system leverages a community of contributing experts in the specialty field and provides pre-built content.
HOW DOES INTEROPERABILITY WORK WITH EPIC SHARE EVERYWHERE?
Long before Meaningful Use required it, Epic had already implemented Care everywhere interoperability. They were a frontrunner in providing the technology to communicate with other EHR solutions, government organizations and national networks.
Although, this does not solve the interoperability issue for physicians who do not have an EHR. But now, with Share Everywhere a physician without an EHR can still access patient date, with just an internet connection.
WHAT MAKES EPIC SO POPULAR?
Simply put, the technology used for Epic is FAST, scalable, open and stable.
They promote that they are “rated by healthcare providers as the best acute and best ambulatory EMR for physician productivity and effectiveness.”
And the awards and accolades Epic has earned are abundant. One of their strongest claims is that as of 2019, 94% of Stage 7 physicians use Epic.
If you select Epic healthcare software, the icing on the cake is the immense generosity of its founder Judy Faulkner. It speaks volumes about the culture she has built in the company. In 2015, Faulkner signed on to “The Giving Pledge, the initiative launched by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to encourage entrepreneurs to donate more than half of their wealth to charity.”
Now that is what we call a feel-good story. View the Corporate Responsibility efforts from other top EHR companies.
How much does Epic cost? READ EPIC REVIEWS
CHECK OUT OTHER TOP EHR SOFTWARE
Info from www.epic.com.
