The healthcare industry has gone a long way from being a technologically rigid field to evolving as a tech-savvy landscape. Technology advancements in healthcare have contributed to the imperative of interoperability. The latter facilitates information sharing between healthcare systems and promotes better patient outcomes.
Connecting your healthcare app with Epic EHR/EMR is the best way to make sure that your patients have easy access to their health data. It also gives care teams a better understanding of a patient’s profile, which means less time spent on manual work and more time being proactive about managing patient outcomes. Plus, it’s just plain easier than using other systems—you don’t have to worry about setting up connections between different systems or building custom integrations from scratch.
So, let’s see what Epic is and how you can integrate your healthcare ecosystem with Epic.
What is Epic?
Epic is a healthcare software company that provides electronic health records (EHR) and other applications to healthcare organizations.
The systems cater to 430,000 hospital beds, with a net beds gain of 19,000 compared with 2020. At the same time, over 253 million U.S. patients store their data in Epic digital records. The company also offers a variety of other software applications for things like patient scheduling, billing, and clinical decision support.
Epic is one of the largest healthcare software companies in the world and is a major player in the EHR market. The company has a strong reputation for quality and customer satisfaction and is also known for being a leader in innovative healthcare technology.
The importance of Epic integration
The Epic EHR system is one of the most popular in the healthcare industry, and for a good reason. It’s a comprehensive system that can streamline workflows and improve patient care. That’s why more and more healthcare organizations are making the switch to Epic integration.
If your organization is considering Epic, you may be wondering what the benefits of integration are. Here are a few reasons why it’s important to link your system with Epic.
Simplified workflow
With Epic EHR/EMR integration, you can do more with less. Your staff can spend more time doing what they do best — taking care of patients — and less time on administrative tasks like logging into multiple systems and uploading patient data.
Increased efficiency
You’ll be able to use Epic EHR/EMR integration to streamline your workflow and improve efficiencies across the board, from billing to charting to scheduling appointments. This will help you provide better care for your patients while reducing costs at the same time.
Enhanced patient experience
With this integration, your patients will get the highest-quality treatment they deserve while enjoying a seamless experience at every stage of their care cycle — from admissions through discharge.
Reduced costs
Epic EHR/EMR functionality also helps reduce costs because it reduces paper use by transferring information from paper forms into electronic records. Every form that is filled out can be sent from paper to electronic format so that it is not lost or misplaced once it has been entered into the system. This means less wasted paper and less time spent manually entering information into an electronic record.
Moreover, the integration helps you better comply with government regulations by tracking patients’ responses to treatment as well as providing them with relevant information about their condition based on that feedback.
Interoperability of patient data
The integration between Epic and an EMR will allow your team to get more accurate and timely information about their patients via one system, instead of having to rely on multiple systems or manually inputting data into separate systems.
Overall, this type of integration can help you improve patient care, streamline workflow, and make better use of your data. It can also help you save resources spent on providing care.
When do you need Epic integration?
Although it may seem that this integration is an ultimate digital asset for all healthcare systems, the Epic USCDI API is not suitable for all use cases. It is best suited for applications that focus on remote patient treatment such as telemedicine.
The tracking and monitoring of treatment plans for patients using the Epic EHR/EMR connection are also appropriate. The app gets baseline and current clinical data (drug status and test results) and tracks change when a patient’s medical history is examined.
What are the main steps of integration?
There are many steps involved in linking your health app with Epic EHR/EMR. These steps can be time-consuming and require a lot of work, but it’s worth it if you want to achieve the benefits that come from having an integrated system.
If you’re looking to integrate your EHR with Epic, there are a few things you’ll need to do. First, you’ll need to make sure that your EHR system is compatible with Epic. Once you’ve confirmed that, you’ll need to work with your IT team to set up the integration.
Your team should sign up to the official Epic website to access the API key. When the developer confirms their identity, the integration is ready to begin.
It is significant to note that Epic adheres to the FHIR set of standards, formats, and data elements for the exchange of medical records. It implies that every clinic or healthcare provider that supports FHIR can link to one another and exchange data.
You might discover that Epic doesn’t have all the features you require. Therefore, you might wish to incorporate extra capabilities for a more complete healthcare management system to make up for the lacking features.
The Bottom Line
It’s important to note that Epic is not the only company with a quality EHR or EMR. However, they have a large and growing ecosystem of partner apps that work well with their platform. If you’re looking for an advanced platform designed specifically for healthcare providers and patients, then Epic may be your best option.
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