4 Key Takeaways from the Epic UGM

The EHR company put on its usually flashy show, and while groundbreaking announcements were minimal, there are signs that the industry is starting to look at the technology in a new light.

Epic’s annual User’s Group Meeting (UGM) last week was all that it promised to be: Flashy, upbeat and befitting of the nation’s biggest EHR company.

But for healthcare execs who are part of the Epic universe as well as those on the outside looking in, there wasn’t much that could be called newsworthy. The company and its powerhouse leader, Judy Faulkner, are notorious for playing things close to the vest.

That said, here are the four biggest takeaways:

1. The AI Hype Machine Rolls On. More than 100 AI-enabled tools are already in the Epic toolbox, according to Faulkner, and the company has an aggressive agenda to develop the technology for both providers and consumers. The announcement puts Epic smack in the middle of the AI race, alongside some of the tech titans with which it’s also collaborating. And with little more than a passing mention of working with others and developing open-source tools, it’s clear that the company is making AI its next big marketing feature. 
2. Playing With Payers? The Epic Payer Platform isn’t revolutionary, nor is it new. But it does address a consistent concern in healthcare: How to get providers and payers to sit at the same table to trade data and tackle key pain points in connecting care with compensation. Faulkner said roughly half of the Epic health system and medical group customers and seven of the nation’s largest payers are connected to the platform, with the goal of reducing denials and improving the prior authorization process. But will payers want to play in this sandbox? And what incentives could Epic offer to get them interested?
3. Looking to the Little Guys. Epic has long been focused on the biggest health systems and hospitals, to the point that some competitors have changed their approach to focus on smaller providers, from rural hospitals to medical practices, even FQHCs, Rural Health Clinics and specialty practices. Faulkner’s mention of the Washington State Health Care Authority, a collaboration between the state and Epic launched several years ago to support EHR adoption for smaller providers, may be an indication that the company has its sights set on expanding its reach.
4. Paying Attention to the Patient. From plans to make MyChart a more interactive tool for patients to the grand designs for Cosmos, it’s clear that Epic wants to get more involved with patient-centered care. Cynics will say they’re giving patients that same opportunity to experience the frustration with technology that doctors experienced a few decades back, but this strategy may be the most impactful of all to come out of the UGM. It recognizes that the EHR, for all its perceived faults, has evolved. If patients can draw as much value as clinicians from this platform, the opportunities for care collaboration and—yes, we’ll say it—value-based care are pretty good.