Epic Systems is preparing to launch its own AI-powered clinical documentation tool, marking the EHR giant’s formal entry into the ambient scribe market.
The tool, expected to be announced in August, would position Epic alongside companies such as Abridge and Microsoft-owned Nuance, which currently lead the space. Epic has previously partnered with those vendors to embed their scribes into its platform, but now joins other EHR makers — including Athenahealth, Oracle Health and Elation Health — in developing native tools.
Ambient scribe technology automatically generates clinical notes from conversations during patient visits, aiming to reduce the administrative workload on physicians. The technology’s adoption has been rising, with more than 70% of healthcare practice leaders reporting use of some form of AI for patient visits, according to an August survey from the Medical Group Management Association.
For some health IT leaders, Epic’s move signals a major shift.
“Epic moving into ambient clinical documentation is a watershed moment,” Sunil Dadlani, chief information and digital officer at Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System, told Becker’s. “When the EHR with the largest U.S. footprint brings an embedded ambient tool to market, it changes the competitive game from feature parity to distribution and workflow depth.”
Scott Waters, chief information and technology officer at Bellevue, Wash.-based Overlake Medical Center & Clinics, said he viewed Epic’s entry as inevitable.
“Epic’s roadmap has been signaling this for quite some time,” he told Becker’s. “They have a history of seeing a technical need in their customer base and partnering with technology vendors who have first-mover advantage and some maturity in the space to fill the need in the short term. As the technology matures in the healthcare space overall, they add it to the Epic roadmap. It can be very beneficial for Epic customers because we can further leverage and gain value from our investment in Epic as an enterprise solution. Ultimately, I believe ambient will become more commoditized as a tool or function and it will be expected to be part of the clinician tool set in the EHR and outside of the EHR.”
He added that Epic’s growing ecosystem could create advantages beyond clinical documentation.
“Over the past five-plus years, Epic has started to become a wrap-around platform or ecosystem for not only our clinicians but back offices and administrative teams, which has been interesting to watch and experience. I am interested to see how other enterprise platforms such as Microsoft Productivity Suite or the various ERP vendors will bring a similar or more comprehensive wrap-around AI experience. Whoever does that best, with ambient available in a more comprehensive AI package, will have a significant advantage.”
Mr. Dadlani said the move could accelerate ambient documentation “from pilot to standard of care” and push competitors to offer greater accuracy, specialty depth and flexibility, along with competitive pricing, to remain viable alongside Epic.
Other CIOs see Epic’s arrival as a boost for innovation.
“I’m excited to see Epic enter this space,” Will Landry, senior vice president and CIO of Baton Rouge, La.-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, told Becker’s. “FMOL Health has had a lot of success with ambient listening technologies. Epic’s entrance into the market will help increase the speed of innovation with the ultimate goal of making technology transparent to our clinicians and patients.”
Brian Sterud, CIO and CISO at Norfolk, Neb.-based Faith Regional Health Services, said he is eager to see how Epic’s first release compares to established competitors.
“This was very interesting news to me,” Mr. Sterud told Becker’s. “I’m curious to see how the application evolves and how it will impact partnerships with established solutions within the market. Epic has a history of success once they determine to develop a new module or piece of software. As expected, the iterations of development make improvements as versions are released. I am very anxious to see how 1.0 performs next to the existing solutions.”
Omer F. Awan, CIO of Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, said Epic’s native integration could reduce workflow friction, but warned that health systems should assess quality, specialty fit and data governance.
“Epic’s entry is strategically significant but not automatically the best fit for our oncology-heavy environment,” Mr. Awan told Becker’s, adding that a side-by-side pilot comparing accuracy, provider satisfaction and long-term flexibility would be essential.
Muhammad Siddiqui, CIO of Richmond, Ind.-based Reid Health, added that the technology may need time to mature.
“These tools will likely take 2-3 years before they are ready for widespread use,” he told Becker’s. “Also, if end users are already accustomed to a particular solution, it can be quite challenging for them to switch to a new one.”
J.D. Whitlock, CIO of Dayton Children’s, agreed, noting that while top ambient vendors are advancing rapidly with features like specialty customization and multi-speaker recognition, Epic’s initial offering may not reach that level of sophistication immediately.
He added that the broader market beyond Epic customers still presents significant growth opportunities for established vendors, and that ambient technology is becoming essential for healthcare organizations aiming to attract new providers.
“Bottom line, for the next few years at least, the top ambient vendors still have truckloads of opportunity,” Mr. Whitlock told Becker’s.
Seattle Children’s Chief Digital Officer Zafar Chaudry, MD, called Epic’s move “the strongest signal yet that this technology is moving from a niche innovation to a core part of healthcare’s future.”
He told Becker’s that the shift could accelerate adoption and ease physician burnout, but noted that the pace of deployment will influence its ultimate impact.
Luis Taveras, senior vice president and CIO of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, said the move was expected and could shape future decisions.
“While we’ve already committed to another AI partner, Epic will certainly be a strong contender when we evaluate future renewal options,” he said.
Even CIOs already using third-party vendors acknowledged Epic’s potential influence.
“It raises the bar,” Mr. Dadlani said. “Competitors will have to deliver meaningfully better accuracy, faster clinician value, specialty depth and enterprise flexibility to justify living alongside the core EHR.”
