How to Implement EPIC EHR/EMR Integration with Your Health App System

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When the HITECH Act was signed into law in 2009, only a few people outside the healthcare industry understood the significance and impact this law would have on vendors offering EHR systems. It created financial incentives to promote and adopt health information technology. Back then, providers and patients were ecstatic at the prospect of healthcare finally emerging from the Middle Ages and into the modern era of record keeping. Besides, people’s minds were racing about how ditching paper for electronics would revolutionize medicine and open new doors to improve individual and population health. 

Cut to today’s time, where healthcare is something with these electronic records, a.k.a EHRs, and EMRs. And talking about EHRs and EMRs, the first name that pops up in the minds of stakeholders is Epic Systems. One would have never imagined implementing EHR systems could lead to progress and increased value. Besides that, the growing demand for EHRs would also lead to intense rivalry and competition between vendors like Epic, Cerner, and more. 

Since Epic in healthcare is a top-notch EHR vendor, users always aim to integrate it into their legacy systems. And that’s quite a hot discussion among healthcare providers and enthusiasts today. That’s why we’ll look into Epic integration, explore the different aspects of it, and understand how it helps healthcare providers. Now let’s dive into Epic integration. 

Epic’s journey began with a focus on database management, which ultimately evolved into creating extensive EHR/EMR solutions specifically built to satisfy the complex needs of healthcare companies. Epic’s EHR/EMR solutions have garnered praise for their interoperability, scalability, and user-friendly interfaces, as it allows them to be used in a wide range of healthcare settings, from large hospitals and academic medical centers to community health organizations and independent practices. 

Besides that, Epic’s EHR/EMR solutions use industry-leading standards such as Health Level Seven (HL7) and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) to enable smooth data transmission between various healthcare systems. Adopting such standards has propelled Epic to the forefront of the march toward healthcare interoperability, a critical component of modern healthcare delivery. 

Epic’s success also depended heavily on its commitment to security and compliance, with its software solutions meeting HITRUST requirements. Well, that means HIPAA’s rigorous rules always protect PHI. That’s why Epic Systems emerged as a market-leading healthcare management platform. Its influence is far-reaching, influencing how healthcare professionals maintain and exchange crucial patient information. 

Today, a wide spectrum of healthcare facilities uses Epic’s cloud-based Electronic Health Records software solutions, from tiny independent practices to multi-specialty hospital groups. Epic includes 45% of the US population’s EHRs. And not just that, the top 20 hospitals use Epic for EHR and EMR management. Since the popularity of Epic systems is quite evident, medical companies and providers are keen on adopting them. And the right way is Epic integration. 

Importance of Epic EMR Integration

 integration enhances patient data management by consolidating information across various systems in real-time, promoting interoperability and compliance with HIPAA regulations. This enables better diagnoses, treatment plans, and patient outcomes. Epic’s commitment to HITRUST standards ensures data security and compliance with HIPAA regulations. This integration also streamlines healthcare workflows by reducing manual data entry and administrative tasks, allowing healthcare providers to focus on patient care and enhancing patient satisfaction.

What is Epic USCDI API? 

USCDI API is a set of rules for EHR software vendors to comply with the USCDI format, a standard part of the Affordable Care Act. This API outlines the health data classes and constituents required for EHR exchange between health applications. Developers use APIs to extract, send, and manage data, ensuring compliance with the USCDI format and the legal basis for EHR and EMR exchange.

1. Data Compatibility

 One of the most complex challenges in EMR integration is data compatibility. Since data is stored in varied formats, seamless integration is almost impossible. The best way to overcome this challenge is by converting the available data into a widely known format that all systems can easily comprehend. 

2. Integration Cost 

The cost of the EPIC and EMR Integration process can vary depending on several factors, such as the cost of hardware, software, licensing, and overall services provided. Furthermore, the overall size of a healthcare clinic, the difficulties and complexities of already existing systems, and the level of customization required can also affect the integration cost, rendering the process even costlier. 

3. Data Migration and Integration 

Another challenge of successful EHR/EMR integration is transferring vast amounts of data from legacy systems to the EHR system. It can get quite complex and challenging as the data stored in the legacy system can be in different formats or may be incomplete and inaccurate, making it difficult to transfer it to the new EHR system. This also causes delays in the implementation process and data loss. 

4. Technical Infrastructure and Support

Successful EHR implementation requires a robust IT infrastructure to support the system’s demands and ensure reliable performance and operational efficiency. This includes sufficient hardware, network bandwidth, and data storage capacity. Moreover, it is crucial to have a reliable IT support team in place to address technical issues promptly and efficiently.

5. Interoperability and Information Exchange

EHR systems must be able to seamlessly exchange data with other healthcare systems, such as laboratories, pharmacies, and other hospitals. This facilitates a comprehensive view of the patient’s medical history. However, interoperability can sometimes become a challenge due to the use of different data standards and protocols.

Epic EHR integration is a critical gear in the healthcare information management machine. This integration uses Epic’s EHR/EMR solutions to integrate several healthcare systems and produce a consistent, coherent data flow. With successful Epic integration services, healthcare businesses can build a network of interconnected systems where data is easily accessible, secure, and quickly traded. 

Several important components supporting effective data management are central to Epic’s EHR/EMR solutions. Modules for patient registration and scheduling, clinical systems for doctors, nurses, and emergency staff, specialist applications for cardiologists, radiologists, and pharmacists, and systems for lab techs, surgeons, dietitians, and others are available. Each component is meant to work in tandem to ensure a smooth flow of information across all departments. 

Besides, technical components of Epic EHR integration include adherence to industry-leading standards such as HL7 and FHIR. HL7 provides the foundation and standards for electronic health information interchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval. FHIR, on the other hand, is a newer standard that uses modern web technologies to facilitate the transmission of healthcare information. The usage of these standards ensure that Epic integration solutions can connect efficiently with other healthcare systems of any make or model. 

In short, custom Epic integration is an important step toward a future in which data flows freely and securely across the healthcare continuum, increasing patient care and operational efficiency. Working with experienced developers can assist you in navigating this complex landscape and efficiently leveraging the potential of Epic’s EHR/EMR solutions. 

Well, Epic’s integration with different types of health systems caters to the varied needs of providers. Here are some use cases of Epic integration software solutions. 

1. Telehealth Software 

Integrating Epic EHR with telehealth solutions or remote patient monitoring systems enables healthcare providers to seamlessly integrate virtual medical services into their existing Epic EHR environment. This integration improves workflows and maintains up-to-date patient records by synchronizing patient data, scheduling virtual appointments, and conducting telehealth visits within Epic’s interface. 

2. Practice Management (appointment and scheduling software) 

By synchronizing patient data, appointment scheduling, and payment information between the two systems, practice management system integration with Epic EHR optimizes administrative and clinical operations. Within the Epic software systems, healthcare providers can view up-to-date patient records, organize appointments, and expedite billing and coding processes, resulting in increased efficiency, reduced errors, and greater care coordination across the company. 

3. Patient Portal 

Epic EMR integration with the patient portal enables patient data synchronization, such as medical records, test results, and appointments, giving patients real-time access to their health information. Patients can use their patient portal to connect with their healthcare professionals, seek prescription refills, examine test results, and schedule appointments. This integration encourages patient engagement and empowerment. Also, this integration improves communication between patients and healthcare providers, ultimately enhancing the patient experience and health outcomes. 

4. Lab Information System 

Because of the Epic integration with LIS, laboratory data such as blood tests, radiology reports, and other diagnostic results are automatically exchanged and updated in real time within the patient’s Epic EMR system. Since healthcare practitioners can get the most recent test findings straight from the patient’s EHR, this streamlined data flow improves the efficiency and accuracy of clinical decision-making. It also removes the need for manual data entry and lowers the possibility of error, resulting in better patient care and greater coordination between healthcare professionals and laboratories. 

5. Pharmacy Integration 

Epic EHR integration with a pharmacy system enables both systems to synchronize patient medication orders, medication history, and prescription details in real-time. Healthcare providers can use Epic EHR to deliver prescriptions to pharmacies electronically, receive drug warnings and interactions, and access extensive pharmaceutical information. This integration simplifies drug administration, decreases pharmaceutical errors, and improves patient safety and care coordination. 

Epic API integration is a crucial aspect of health data exchange, and the USCDI standard governs it as part of the Affordable Care Act. The US Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) establishes the minimum information EHR and EMR providers must provide via API for seamless communication between healthcare applications. In this context, an API can be considered a set of rules developers follow to extract and exchange data with a server. 

How Epic API Integration Promotes Interoperability? 

The Epic API is crucial in promoting interoperability within the healthcare system. Adhering to the United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) standard ensures smooth and secure health information exchange while eliminating information blocking. Through secure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), the Epic EHR/EMR system can make healthcare data accessible to all relevant parties, including patients, fostering better collaboration and data sharing among different healthcare providers and clinicians. Additionally, with support for FHIR, the Epic API facilitates seamless data exchange over the web, offering software providers and developers innovative opportunities to enhance the industry and integrate Epic with various applications, including those running on iOS devices. 

To integrate your health system or application with the Epic EHR/EMR system, follow these five steps for a seamless process. 

a. Check Epic Compatibility: Ensure the Epic EHR/EMR system supports the sites you want to pull data from. Verify compatibility with your account or integration manager. 

b. Register on USCDI.epic.com: Register on uscdi.epic.com to gain access to the API key, proving your identity for data protection. 

c. Assess Available Data: Confirm that your healthcare software can access all necessary data, including allergies, care plans, diagnosis reports, and more, by checking the available endpoints. 

d. Obtain the API Key and Test Endpoints: Obtain the API key from the website and test all endpoints to ensure proper functionality using REST clients. 

e. Implement Integration with Your App: Include API calls using the endpoints in your app’s code. After implementation and testing, enjoy the benefits of successful integration with Epic EHR/EMR. 

A. Benefits of Integrating Epic EMR/EHR 

Integrating with the Epic EMR/EHR system through the Epic USCDI API offers numerous healthcare software advantages, attracting medical professionals and patients alike. The benefits of Epic integration are- 

a. Quick Access to Medical Records: Millions of EHRs are exchanged every month, by healthcare providers which is essential for improving the quality of patient care. However, doctors are not always around their computers and sometimes need to access patient information quickly while working in remote areas. With epic integration, medical personnel can enjoy quick access to patient records, even in remote or rural areas, enabling them to make informed decisions about patient care on the go.

b. Cost-Effective: The cost-efficiency of the Epic API further adds to its appeal, as it allows healthcare providers to extract data from Epic EHR at no charge and offers easier integration compared to other standards like HL7 or CCDs, reducing development costs and efforts. When it comes to  HL7 or CCDs, a developer has to write a lot on his own, which has a great influence on the cost, effort, and time spent on the healthcare software development process.

c. Scalable: With Epic integration, you can conveniently change the size of your database. Particularly, it will benefit organizations such as intensive care units where patients are constantly monitored generating massive amounts of records. Epic’s scalability also accommodates healthcare organizations with large databases, making it ideal for intensive care units and other settings with high volumes of patient data.

d. Improved Clinical Decision-Making: The integrated and comprehensive patient information facilitated by Epic integration results in informed clinical decision-making. Epic integration allows the providers to access up-to-date, complete patient records, which facilitates research and evidence-based healthcare decisions regarding patient care. This results in better patient outcomes and reduced medical errors.

B. Emerging Trends in EHR/EMR

Here are some latest trends in EHR/EMR to look out for in 2024:

Cloud Computing– Most cloud-based EHR/EMR systems have an interoperable architecture that allows seamless integration with other healthcare platforms. This is crucial for sharing data within the medical sector and is particularly beneficial for organizations looking to grow. This trend has boosted the adoption of cloud computing, ensuring patient information remains secure in the event of cyber crimes. 

Robotic Process Automation – RPA is revolutionizing the healthcare industry to a great extent. Enhancing workflows and producing meticulous results fixes the flaws in the EHR without redesigning the entire system. It uses only digital labor to maintain effectiveness and eliminates the need for manual entry. Several RPA platforms facilitate smooth integration with existing EHR/EMR, offering a practical solution for healthcare providers to improve their operational functionality. 

AI and Voice Recognition – Nowadays, AI and voice recognition are being integrated into EHR software to improve healthcare outcomes. AI-powered voice recognition streamlines data entry and makes it easier to document patient encounters, allowing healthcare professionals to focus on patient care. Natural language processing (NLP) can also enhance physician efficiency and patient treatment. AI systems are also helping healthcare providers to create specific course plans and analyze patient databases, paying attention to critical cases with complex health issues.

C. Who Needs Epic Integration? 

Epic integration through the Epic API is essential for various stakeholders in the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers, including doctors, nurses, and specialists, benefit from quick access to patient records, enabling better-informed decisions and improved care delivery, especially in remote or rural settings. Healthcare software developers and vendors find value in Epic integration as it attracts more users to their applications and enhances their competitive edge by offering seamless connectivity with Epic EHR. Moreover, healthcare organizations, particularly those with intensive care units and large patient databases, find Epic’s scalability advantageous, ensuring efficient management of massive patient records.  

Epic is compatible with a wide range of data exchange technologies. If you’re uncertain about how to enable your healthcare application best to share or exchange data with the Epic EMR system, here’s a quick overview of all the different ways to work with Epic, the various types of data exchange technologies, and the processes for developing and testing your healthcare app. 

Before we shed light on the design of data exchange with Epic, it’s essential to understand what data exchange with Epic refers to. Epic seeks to provide the best possible care to patients through optimizing EHR and EMR systems, including integrations with other systems such as government institutions and third-party consumer applications. There are five major processes to prepare for and exchange data with Epic. And these phases are- designing, developing, testing, and connecting the healthcare app to Epic, and finally, exchanging data between the health system and Epic. 

Furthermore, there are numerous aspects to consider when deciding the optimal way to exchange data with Epic due to the huge spectrum of standards and sorts of integrations a developer may pursue. Here’s an illustration of key aspects to consider when designing data exchange with Epic. 

With Epic integration software, interoperability is a critical aspect that users look for. Interoperability for Epic users is quite good, considering the secure flow of patient data between Epic’s sites and systems capable of data exchanges with Epic. 

Here’s an illustration of the 3 ways Epic Interoperability works- 

Epic EHR implementation involves several key steps to ensure successful integration. 

• It is essential to verify that the sites you wish to pull data from are on a supported version of Epic, which can be confirmed through your account or integration manager. 
• Next, register for a free account on uscdi.epic.com and review the available endpoints and data to ensure all the necessary information is accessible. This crucial step ensures that your healthcare software can seamlessly access the required data from Epic EHR. 
• The same account created at uscdi.epic.com can also be used to register the Epic EHR API, facilitating a smooth integration process. 

A. Best Practices for Health App Integration with Epic

Integrating a health app with Epic demands meticulous analysis and planning, stakeholder engagement, and all-inclusive training. Some of the best practices for health app integration with Epic are mentioned below: 

1. Planning – Effective planning is foundational to successful integration. It involves defining the project scope, setting very clear goals, establishing timelines, and allocating the required resources.

2. Identifying Key Stakeholders – Engaging stakeholders such as clinicians, IT professionals, administrators, and end-users ensures that all the different perspectives are considered. It’s essential to involve stakeholders in the decision-making process to get positive or negative feedback. Their involvement also enhances support throughout the integration journey. 

3. Data Mapping – This helps to ensure that all necessary data elements are mapped, ensuring precise and accurate data across different systems. It also makes sure that the data is transformed correctly, without any medical errors. Determining data mapping requirements also helps to streamline the data mapping process by establishing clear guidelines.

4. Testing  – Thorough testing is very important to identify any issues or discrepancies before deployment. This includes functional testing, integrability testing, performance testing, and scalability. This enables the healthcare provider to ensure the reliability and usability of the integrated solution.
5. Training and Support – Providing comprehensive training and support services is of integral importance for maximizing user adoption. Customized training sessions should be available for different age groups to ensure proficiency in using the app, enhancing patient care outcomes and patient satisfaction.

B. What Data can be obtained from Epic? 

When integrating with Epic using FHIR, specific data sets are available for free, and others incur charges. Data available from Epic EHR using FHIR under the free data: 

1. Observation (Vitals): All vital signs of the patient 

2. Observation (Labs): Lab test results 

3. Diagnostic Report: Results of MRI scans in the form of radiologist reports (images not included) 

4. Document Reference (Clinical Notes): Notes by nurses, physicians, or other healthcare professionals 

5. Binary (Clinical Notes): Part of Document Reference 

6. Medication Request: Lists of prescribed medications 

7. Device: Describes information about implantable medical devices 

8. Allergy Intolerance: Information about the patient’s allergies or intolerances to specific substances 

9. Condition: Patient data from problem list records 

10. Procedure: Details of surgeries, endoscopies, biopsies, counseling, physiotherapy, etc 

11. Patient: Demographics, care providers, and other administrative information about a patient 

12. Immunization: Information about vaccines and vaccine administration details 

However, it’s important to note that the free tier only allows reading or downloading data from Epic. Search and Create functionalities come under chargeable options for accessing additional data beyond the USCDI-defined minimum. 

C. What’s Needed to build a healthcare app with Epic integration 

Several essential components are required to develop a healthcare app integrated with Epic EMR. 

1. Server with Health App: Set up a server hosting your health app, which can be AI-powered for diagnosis or an informative app showing health readings and educational resources. 

2. Integration via FHIR API: Connect with Epic through the FHIR API, a REST-formatted interface with OAuth 2 authentication, to securely access and pull data from Epic EHR for processing in your app. 

3. Register Your App with Epic: Obtain a developer account in Epic’s App Orchard, their app store for health apps, to fully leverage Epic EMR resources. Your app can operate independently through API integration or function within Hyperspace, Epic’s software for healthcare providers. 

Epic mobile app integration streamlines the seamless connection of third-party mobile applications with its EHR system. This enables healthcare providers to leverage the functionality of Epic’s EHR platform within their mobile applications to enhance patient care and improve clinical workflows. 

Configuring Haiku or Canto on Your Device

Haiku and Canto are Epics’s electronic health record secure apps that allow only authorized clinical personnel to access clinic schedules, patient records, hospital patient lists, health summaries, test results, lab reports, notes, and other confidential data on their mobile device.  These two applications can be easily downloaded on your mobile phone. You can choose the configuration you would like to set up according to your type of device. Both Haiku and Canto are applications that offer easy access to chart reviews, schedules, and messaging. Additionally, they allow users to update information, view reports on outpatient and inpatient encounters, review previous encounters, and respond to staff conveniently. 

Epic EMR integration cost can vary depending on factors such as the complexity of the software, the number of users needing training, and the level of support required. The cost of Epic EMR increases with higher levels of customization, features, and the size of the solution. Smaller facilities pay around $1,200, while larger hospitals pay around $500,000. The cost can also vary owing to what the software offers such as high-level features and integrations, HIPAA compliance, and interoperability and data interchange. Epic EMR pricing per month ranges from $200 to $35,000, and the average cost of Epic software training is $2000. Support and maintenance costs are additional expenses that need to be considered while integrating your software.

Epic integration is the powerful bridge that propels healthcare systems into efficiency and excellence. With its robust EHR/EMR solutions and seamless data exchange capabilities, Epic empowers healthcare providers to deliver top-notch care while fostering interoperability and streamlined workflows. The integration of Epic into health systems opens up endless possibilities for innovation and improved patient outcomes, marking a transformative journey from the paper-based past to a digitized future of healthcare. As the industry continues to embrace Epic’s potential, the journey towards a more connected, efficient, and patient-centric healthcare landscape takes a giant leap forward. 

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