Epic Systems

Epic Systems is a major American privately held corporation specializing in healthcare information technology. Founded in 1979, the company develops, implements, and supports integrated electronic health record (EHR) systems used primarily by large academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks, and children's hospitals. Its comprehensive software suite is designed to manage clinical, access, and revenue cycle functions across inpatient and ambulatory care settings, with a significant market share in the United States.

History

The company was founded in 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin, by computer programmer Judith Faulkner with an initial investment of $70,000. Its first significant product was a clinical database for physicians, developed for a psychiatric hospital. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the company expanded its software capabilities, moving from a minicomputer-based system to a client-server architecture. A pivotal moment came in 2003 when the Cleveland Clinic selected its software, marking its entry into the large academic medical center market. The passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) in 2009, which provided incentives for EHR adoption, spurred rapid growth. The company relocated its headquarters to a sprawling, themed campus in Verona, Wisconsin, in 2005, which has been continually expanded.

Products and services

The core offering is its integrated EHR, a single database system that includes modules for inpatient care, ambulatory care, and emergency department management. Key applications encompass MyChart, a widely used patient portal for engagement, and Hyperspace, the clinician-facing user interface. The software suite also includes tools for revenue cycle management, health information exchange, telehealth, and population health analytics. Its Cosmos platform aggregates de-identified clinical data from participating organizations for research. Implementation and support services are provided directly by thousands of employed implementers and analysts, with training conducted extensively at its Wisconsin campus.

Corporate affairs

The company remains privately held, with the majority of ownership retained by founder and CEO Judith Faulkner. It is known for its distinctive corporate culture and campus, which features themed buildings, recreational spaces, and annual employee events. Operational and strategic decisions are centralized at its Verona, Wisconsin headquarters, with a policy against offshoring development work. The company has a reputation for selective hiring, often recruiting from top universities, and maintains a low public profile regarding financials. Its governance and long-term strategy are closely directed by its executive team, with Faulkner having signed a pledge to maintain the company's independence and private status.

Market position and impact

It holds a dominant position in the U.S. acute care hospital EHR market, especially among large, complex healthcare organizations. Major clients include the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, and the National Health Service in England and Wales. This widespread adoption has made its software a critical piece of infrastructure in modern American healthcare, influencing clinical workflows, patient safety initiatives, and billing processes. The company's market concentration has been the subject of analysis by researchers and scrutiny by policymakers, including the United States Senate. Its systems are also integral to national reporting programs for quality measures and public health.

Technology and interoperability

The software is built on a proprietary technology stack, utilizing MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System) as a foundational database language, with Caché and more recently InterSystems IRIS as its underlying database platforms. A major focus in recent years has been advancing interoperability through standards like Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). The company operates the Carequality interoperability framework and participates in the CommonWell Health Alliance. Its App Orchard program provides a FHIR-based application programming interface (API) for third-party developers to create integrated tools, supporting initiatives like the 21st Century Cures Act final rules on data blocking.

Category:Healthcare software companies Category:Companies based in Dane County, Wisconsin Category:Private companies based in Wisconsin