Epic is the most popular electronic medical record software in the world. In fact, according to a May 2023 KLAS report, Epic maintains a 39% market share for acute care hospitals which is the largest share for an EMR/EHR service provider.
Clearly, Epic is popular and by far one of the most reliable medical record software out there.
But how did Epic come to this? And is it truly a valuable medical record system or an example of the bandwagon effect?
But before we get into it, let’s address the more important point first: is Epic and EMR or an EHR?
Epic is an EHR.
How does that differ from an EMR?
The main difference between an EMR and an EHR is that of scale. An EMR is a patient’s health record maintained by a single healthcare provider. An EHR, on the other hand, has extensive detail about a patient’s medical history maintained by multiple providers.
Now, let’s get into the crux of the blog:
What is Epic EMR/EHR in Healthcare?
Epic CRM Software is a private company that develops electronic health record software for hospitals and other large medical practices. Epic’s software is used in more than 70% of hospitals in the United States and about 3% across the globe.
Epic EHR/EMR come with all the necessary features of a medical record system including templates, patient history, reporting and analytics.
Epic allows healthcare providers to access and update patient information in real time, making way for efficient and seamless patient care. The system stores vital patient information such as demographics, medical history, diagnosis, lab results, treatment plans, and more.
Epic EHR accommodates a range of specialities including behavioral and mental health, cardiology, dental, dermatology, dialysis, ENT, fertility, radiology, rehabilitation, and more.
Depending on the speciality that a healthcare provider offers, Epic can be customized to suit their needs. Not to mention, Epic can also prove to be beneficial for patients as they can gain valuable insights into their own medical history.
The Rise of Epic
Now that we have understood what Epic EMR does, we can get into its popularity and dissect why it is one of the most used medical record systems in the world.
As of last year, Epic has generated $4.6 billion in revenue. Nevertheless, Epic’s success can’t be chalked down to market share alone. Most of the credit for the rise of Epic EHR goes to the EHR Incentive Program.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 aimed to increase the adoption of electronic health records in hospitals. Many proponents argue that before the act was put in place, EHR adoption might have taken years for EHR adoption to reach nationwide scale.
According to a report from the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Epic was one of the most preferred medical record systems for the EHR Incentive Program clinics. Top vendors for eligible hospitals with 2015 Edition Health IT Modules included with 22.7% of market share while top vendors for eligible clinicians included Epic at 27.2% market share.
Then came the coronavirus.
According to a KLAS report, Epic topped the EHR vendor expectations during the covid-19 calamity.
“Epic customers report a myriad of ways in which the vendor has supported them throughout the crisis. Repeatedly, customers say that when they were struggling, Epic emphasized meeting critical needs over cost and contracting. Many software upgrades were quickly released to meet a plethora of customer requests,” wrote KLAS.
Currently more than 190 million people have their medical records in Epic.
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Epic’s website reads that “In 2024, Epic is looking to build upon their recent innovation with more than 60 AI-related development projects in progress to enhance clinical efficiency, offer personalized patient experiences, increase operational efficiency and continue advancing medicine.”
So, all in all, there’s going to be more of Epic in the healthcare industry.
What Makes Epic so Good?
There are a number of powerful EHRs out there. Nevertheless, very few of them are as relevant and acclaimed as Epic. In fact, Epic recently secured the top spot for overall software suite for the sixth straight year in the Best in Klas: Software and Service Report.
So the question is: what makes Epic so good?
And the answer to that question is Epic’s functionalities and features. More importantly, Epic’s ability to stay relevant through the years and sustain through innovations in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
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Here are some of the advantages that Epic offers over its competitors:
Reliability
Since its establishment in 1979, Epic has been the go-to system for healthcare and other medical related needs of both doctors and the patients. Hospitals and large medical practitioners use Epic because of its reliability.
Epic provides a well-rounded, strong, solid, and structured system for rapid healthcare data collection and auto interconnected management. This helps build insightful reporting and efficient processes in patient care.
Integration
Epic is one of the few EHRs that boast fully-integrated solutions. Fully-integrated means, Epic comes with clinical information, registration, patient scheduling, billing, and much more. Epic can also be integrated with additional third-party apps to expand its functionality and deliver a complete healthcare practice platform.
Scalability
Epic is highly customizable and can be scaled up or down depending on the needs. Not to mention, Epic regularly provides software updates and patches to help keep the system running at its best. The updates also bring new functionalities and features to the system, helping healthcare providers be on the top of their game.
Security
Epic is one of the few EHR providers that offers in-depth and fully rounded privacy policy, helping keep patient data secure. Epic is HIPPA compliant which means Epic places all the security measures and physical network in place to ensure data security.
Epic also offers encryption, ensuring data doesn’t get compromised in the case of a security breach. Moreover, Epic also has ONC-ATCB certification which means the system is able to create and manage patient records and communicate and share the data to different apps or systems while preventing data theft.
Epic also comes with Audit Trails, helping keep track of every action taken with the customer information by recording the person who accessed the software, their location, access time, and what actions they took.
Lastly, Epic offers SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security), further securing patient data and preventing cyber threats.
Is Epic Worth it?
Epic is likely one of the most recognized and reliable names in the healthcare industry. Backed by years of expertise and professionalism, Epic has gained the reputation for seamless medical care for both the healthcare providers and the patients.
Being one of the few EHRs to offer interoperability, Epic presents a strong case for being one of the best EHRs out there. Not to mention, Epic has a solution for almost every speciality such as pediatrician, cardiology, cancer, and more, making it a favorable option for medical recording and patient care.
When you take all of this into account, Epic does come out as the top contender as an Electronic Health Record platform. However, the platform is not without its shortcomings.
Some of the most common shortcoming that users have to face with Epic is with its user interface. According to user reviews, Epic gives users a hard time finding what they need, editing the actions they have taken, and navigating through the platform. Most of the UI issues with Epic come down to the learning curve. Epic takes quite some time to get used to. To new users, the system proves to be difficult to get a hang of.
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Another major issue with Epic EHR, customers report, is the lack of proper support for the platform.
All in all, despite the steep learning curve and lapses in seamless support, Epic remains one of the best EHR platforms in the healthcare industry. It continues to offer a multitude of functionalities and features that aim to improve patient care as well as workflow efficiency.
Closing Notes
We hope this piece of content helped you understand Epic EHR and its popularity in the healthcare industry. Since 1979, Epic has established itself as the prominent player through its integration-ready system, powerful security, data-sharing initiatives, and robust implementation services.
Epic’s continued quest to improve infrastructure in patient-centric technology and its dedication to assisting some of the largest healthcare organizations has brought Epic to the forefront healthcare industry.
