From teaming up with Microsoft on OpenAI integrations to joining a new health information exchange network, here is a look at where EHR giant Epic is extending its partnerships in 2023:
Epic and Microsoft
Epic is partnering with Microsoft to develop and integrate generative AI into its EHR software, with health systems beginning to pilot the new integrations.
The two are training Microsoft's Azure OpenAI on a large collection of information so it can asynchronously draft responses to patient messages for providers.
Azure OpenAI will provide draft messages to providers, who can then review the message and make any modifications before it is sent to a patient.
The aim of the integration is to reduce the documentation burden on providers that significantly grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tool is being piloted at UC San Diego Health; Madison, Wis.-based UW Health; and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health Care.
Genetics
Epic partnered with medical genetics company Invitae to make genetic test results available through Aura, Epic's specialty diagnostics suite.
Through the partnership, Invitae will make test result information available in Epic's provider organizations' usual workflows.
Patient experience
Epic Systems partnered with consumer experience company Press Ganey to integrate patient experience data into MyChart.
Under the agreement, Press Ganey's data and insights will be integrated into Epic's MyChart patient portal and Cheers CRM with additional integrations coming to Epic applications in the future.
Interoperability
Epic Systems was approved for onboarding to join the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, a new health information exchange framework.
TEFCA, a part of the 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016 and aims to establish a nationwide EHR exchange.
Matt Doyle, interoperability software development lead at Epic, said the move would "expand information sharing and create a single on-ramp toward universal interoperability."