EpicCare

EpicCare
Name	EpicCare
Developer	Epic Systems
Released	1979
Latest release version	proprietary
Operating system	Unix, Linux, Microsoft Windows
Genre	Electronic health record
License	Proprietary

EpicCare is a clinical electronic health record product developed by Epic Systems used primarily in hospitals and ambulatory clinics across the United States and internationally. It provides clinician-facing functionality for inpatient, outpatient, and specialty workflows and is part of a suite adopted by major health systems, academic medical centers, and integrated delivery networks. EpicCare competes and interoperates with products from Cerner Corporation, MEDITECH, and Allscripts while participating in national efforts involving Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and standards bodies such as Health Level Seven International.

Overview

EpicCare is a component of Epic Systems' software portfolio, designed to support clinician documentation, computerized provider order entry, clinical decision support, and revenue cycle workflows for organizations such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital. The platform integrates modules addressing specialties represented in institutions like Stanford Health Care, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, UCSF Medical Center, and Mount Sinai Health System. Vendors and purchasers often evaluate EpicCare alongside offerings from GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, and enterprise IT providers like IBM and Oracle Corporation.

History

The product lineage traces to Epic Systems' founding by Judy Faulkner and expansion during the 1980s and 1990s with implementations at clients such as Lutheran Hospital and regional health systems. EpicCare's growth occurred amid regulatory shifts driven by Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act incentives and meaningful use programs administered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Major milestones include large-scale deployments at Geisinger Health System, Intermountain Healthcare, and international implementations at entities like NHS England pilot sites and academic centers affiliated with University of Oxford and University of Toronto. Competitive dynamics involved consolidation events including acquisitions by Cerner Corporation rivals and policy debates in forums such as Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearings.

Product and Features

EpicCare offers modules for inpatient and ambulatory care, specialty-specific templates used by departments such as Department of Cardiology at centers like Cleveland Clinic and oncology workflows used by institutions including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Core functions include electronic prescribing interoperating with networks like Surescripts, image integration compatible with PACS systems from Philips Healthcare and GE Healthcare, and analytics leveraging data warehouses similar to platforms by SAS Institute or Oracle Corporation. Decision support incorporates clinical knowledge sources such as UpToDate and guideline repositories used by organizations like American Medical Association and American Heart Association. Patient-facing capabilities interface with patient portals and mobile apps analogous to solutions from Apple Inc. and consumer platforms like MyChart.

Adoption and Market Share

EpicCare's market presence is substantial in large academic and integrated systems, with deployments at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, NYU Langone Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and regional systems like Sutter Health. Market analyses by firms such as Kaufman Hall and KLAS Research contrast EpicCare adoption with Cerner Millennium and MEDITECH Expanse across metrics used by purchasers including Becker's Hospital Review and Modern Healthcare. International customers include health networks in Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia, interacting with national regulators like NHS Digital and provincial ministries such as Ontario Ministry of Health.

Integration and Interoperability

Interoperability efforts align EpicCare with standards and networks including Health Level Seven International FHIR profiles, DICOM for imaging, and national exchanges such as CommonWell Health Alliance and Carequality. Integration projects have connected EpicCare to laboratory vendors like Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, pharmacy chains such as Walgreens and CVS Health prescription systems, and devices from manufacturers including Medtronic and Boston Scientific. Cross-organizational data sharing involves health information exchanges like Indiana Health Information Exchange and state-level programs in California and New York State Department of Health initiatives.

Privacy, Security, and Compliance

Security and compliance concerns reference standards and laws including Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, guidance from Office for Civil Rights (United States Department of Health and Human Services), and auditing expectations set by The Joint Commission. EpicCare deployments implement encryption, role-based access, and logging consistent with recommendations from agencies such as National Institute of Standards and Technology and incident response coordination with entities like Federal Bureau of Investigation when necessary. Health systems running EpicCare address compliance with payer rules from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and reporting programs tied to organizations like National Quality Forum.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques of EpicCare have been raised in media outlets such as The New York Times and trade publications like Modern Healthcare regarding implementation costs at institutions including Boston Medical Center and project timelines compared to rivals like Cerner Corporation. Legal and competitive disputes involved procurement controversies in procurements examined by state oversight bodies and lawmakers in contexts like Congressional Budget Office scrutiny. Clinician satisfaction and usability studies comparing EpicCare interfaces against alternatives have been published in journals read by members of American Medical Informatics Association and debated at conferences such as HIMSS Conference & Exhibition.

Category:Electronic health records