From costly implementations to new contracts to an inside look at life on campus, headlines about Verona, Wis.-based Epic have continued to grab the attention of those in the healthcare industry.
Here are seven of the biggest stories about Epic this past year from Becker’s Hospital Review.
1. Epic decoded: An inside look at life and corporate culture at the center of the health IT world
In March, we explored some of the inner workings and culture at Epic. Judy Faulkner, Epic’s founder and CEO, spoke to Becker’s to offer her insight and what she hopes employees take away from their time with the company. Two former employees also shared their thoughts and experiences working with Epic. Read more
2. Execs fired as cost of Epic EHR rollout grows at NYC Health and Hospitals
Four executives of New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., (newly re-branded to NYC Health + Hospitals) were fired over a six-month period, including the hospital’s CIO and CTO. The hospital is in the middle of implementing an Epic EHR, with a total implementation and maintenance cost totaling $764 million over six years. The Inspector General’s Office has been investigating allegations of improper billing related to the implementation since August 2014, but the hospital told Becker’s the firings were not related to the Epic implementation. Read more
3. Banner scraps UA’s $115M Epic system for Cerner
Readers were interested in Phoenix-based Banner Health’s decision to transition two newly acquired hospitals to Cerner’s EHR. The two Tucson hospitals — Banner-University Medical Center Tucson and Banner-University Medical Center South — used Epic’s EHR while part of the former University of Arizona Health Network, which Banner acquired March 1. Banner uses Cerner’s EHR and decided to switch the Tucson hospitals to Cerner to be on board with the rest of the system’s hospitals. Read more
4. Epic’s Judy Faulkner pledges 99% of her wealth to charity
In June, Ms. Faulkner joined the Giving Pledge, an initiative launched by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates where some of the world’s wealthiest individuals pledge to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. “Many years ago I asked my young children what two things they needed from their parents,” Ms. Faulkner wrote in her pledge letter. “They said, ‘food and money.’ I told them, ‘roots and wings.’ My goal in pledging 99 percent of my assets to philanthropy is to help others with roots — food, warmth, shelter, healthcare, education — so they too can have wings.” Read more
5. Walgreens selects Epic EHR for healthcare clinics
Retail healthcare giant Walgreens plans to transition its healthcare clinics across the country to Epic’s EHR platform. More than 400 clinics will switch from the company’s proprietary EHR to the Epic platform. Read more
6. Mayo chooses Epic EHR, RCM platform
Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic selected Epic’s EHR and revenue cycle management platform this year. The switch means the health system will drop its Cerner and GE contracts for certain service lines. The implementation is scheduled to begin in 2017. Read more
7. Epic one of two vendors to not lose clients in 2014
A September KLAS report found just two vendors reported losing zero clients in 2014: Epic and Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth. Additionally, Epic, athenahealth and Cerner were the only three vendors who posted a gain in market share in 2014, according to the report.
