Epic Systems CEO and co-founder Judy Faulkner reflected on the company's growth as well as her influence as a programmer during her keynote speech at the company's User Group annual meeting Aug. 27, according to The Cap Times.
"People often think I was a hippie, but I have no idea what marijuana smells like," Ms. Faulkner said. "I was more of a nerd than a hippie, and more specifically, a math nerd."
Ms. Faulkner attributed her programmer background to why the company built its own EHR software in-house.
"Why did we go a different direction? I was thinking about that as I was putting this show together," Ms. Faulkner said. "Most CEO founders come from business. They think about mergers and acquisitions and going public. But I was a programmer."
Ms. Faulkner also highlighted some of Epic's most memorable moments, including launching its first EHR software in 1994 and working to share patient data in the mid-2000s, reports The Cap Times. Along with Epic's rich history, Ms. Faulkner described issues in medical software today. She discussed the changing regulatory landscape, growth of third-party applications and physician burnout.
In the near future, Ms. Faulkner indicated that Epic will be launching an initative to save 100,000 lives through the company's software and technology.