For a growing number of health systems, Epic optimization is becoming as consequential as the go-live itself.
Epic is continuing to roll out new tools for its customer base in 2026, part of the company’s push to expand the role of artificial intelligence across its EHR platform. The EHR vendor told Becker’s in December that its 2026 strategy centers on what it calls “Healthcare Intelligence,” described as joining human creativity with AI woven into everyday workflows across Epic’s fully integrated suite.
Hospitals and health systems have begun testing and scaling the company’s new offerings. Baton Rouge, La.-based FMOL Health became the first Epic client to deploy the vendor’s AI charting tool in emergency departments. Known internally as “Chart with Art,” the ambient AI tool listens to patient encounters and drafts clinical notes for physician review.
FMOL Health is also among the first five Epic clients using the tool in ambulatory settings, after piloting the underlying AI scribe this spring. Health system leaders report early reductions in physician burnout, documentation time and administrative workload, along with improved patient satisfaction.
Other health systems are testing different pieces of Epic’s AI portfolio. Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health became the first health system to go live with Emmie, an AI chatbot that answers patients’ health questions within the context of their medical record. Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health is using Epic’s Agent Factory to build and monitor agentic AI tools, including prototypes for pharmacy verification and infusion chart prep. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital is among the first to test Ask Art, a conversational tool that lets clinicians query a patient’s medications, lab trends and clinical history.
“We saw this as the future of how we interact with Epic,” said Nishit Patel, MD, Tampa General’s chief medical informatics officer and AI strategy officer.
On the operations side, Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health cut provider schedule build time 75% after adopting Teamwork, the first application in Epic’s new EpicOps ERP suite. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Baptist Health became among the first health systems to implement Epic’s AI Build Assistant to speed EHR development work.
The activity reflects Epic’s plan to roll out more than 150 AI features in 2026.
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