Is Epic Software Cloud Based? Unpacking the Cloud Capabilities of Epic Systems
The short answer is yes, Epic software is increasingly cloud-based. While Epic Systems, a dominant force in healthcare IT, wasn’t initially conceived as a cloud-native solution, it has evolved significantly, leveraging cloud infrastructure to offer enhanced flexibility, scalability, and access to its powerful Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform. This evolution allows healthcare providers to benefit from the advantages of the cloud while maintaining the robustness of the Epic system they rely on.
Epic’s Journey to the Cloud
Epic Systems has long been a significant player in the healthcare technology space, widely known for its comprehensive EHR system. Initially, the deployment of Epic often involved significant on-premises infrastructure, necessitating substantial hardware and dedicated IT staff. However, recognizing the growing trend and benefits of cloud computing, Epic has strategically partnered with major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud to enable cloud-based deployments.
This shift has opened new avenues for healthcare organizations of all sizes to adopt and manage Epic systems with greater agility. Today, hospitals and other healthcare providers can run various components or the entire Epic system on these cloud platforms, providing a blend of on-premises capabilities and cloud flexibility.
How Does Cloud Deployment Benefit Epic Users?
Scalability and Flexibility
One of the primary advantages of migrating Epic to the cloud is scalability. Cloud platforms allow healthcare organizations to easily scale their computing resources up or down based on demand. This is particularly useful for hospitals that experience fluctuating patient volumes or need to accommodate large datasets without investing heavily in physical infrastructure. Cloud elasticity is also ideal for handling peak times and surge events.
Reduced Infrastructure Costs
By leveraging cloud services, organizations can significantly reduce the capital expenditures associated with physical servers and data centers. Instead of buying and maintaining expensive hardware, they pay for only the resources they consume, optimizing operational costs. This shift to an OpEx model as opposed to a CapEx model provides considerable financial relief.
Enhanced Security
Cloud providers like AWS and Azure invest heavily in security infrastructure and compliance, offering robust security features that are often difficult to replicate in-house. Cloud deployment helps Epic users leverage these security controls, enhancing data protection. They also offer automation of security tasks and help with compliance, which reduces the manual burden on IT teams.
Improved Accessibility
Cloud-based Epic systems allow healthcare providers to access patient information securely from anywhere with an internet connection. This accessibility is crucial for today’s modern healthcare environment where providers often need to collaborate remotely.
Faster Deployment and Updates
Cloud platforms streamline the deployment and update processes. Updates and patches can be rolled out more efficiently, and new features can be deployed rapidly without extensive downtime. This means fewer interruptions for healthcare staff and faster access to improvements.
Business Continuity
Cloud platforms provide geographically redundant data storage and robust disaster recovery solutions. If there is an issue, the systems can fail over to a different data center in minutes, minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity.
Epic and its Cloud Ecosystem
Epic on AWS
Epic customers can use AWS services to manage their Epic deployments. They can automate security tasks and utilize comprehensive security and compliance controls within the AWS cloud. This means hospitals can leverage AWS infrastructure for a wide range of Epic functionalities.
Epic on Azure
Epic partners with Microsoft Azure to enable health systems to run their EHR databases on Azure Large Instances. This solution can process up to 50 million database accesses per second, illustrating the power of cloud platforms in managing large and complex health records. This collaboration allows for easier migration, better functionality, improved agility, and greater scale for healthcare organizations.
Epic and Google Cloud
The collaboration between Epic and Google Cloud allows hospitals to store records in the cloud and take advantage of specialized tools. This partnership further broadens Epic’s cloud footprint, offering users different choices for their cloud deployments.
The Hybrid Approach
While Epic’s full functionality can be cloud-based, it’s important to note that many healthcare systems currently operate in a hybrid environment. This approach combines cloud infrastructure with on-premise systems, offering a staged approach to cloud migration. This gradual migration allows organizations to manage the change and optimize their workflows as they move to the cloud.
The Future of Epic in the Cloud
The trend towards cloud adoption in healthcare is set to continue and Epic will be a central figure in that shift. As cloud technologies evolve, we can anticipate even more integration, enhanced features, and greater benefits for healthcare providers using Epic software. This continuing partnership between Epic and major cloud providers signals a future where a growing percentage of health records will be managed and accessed through the cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is Epic Software Primarily Used For?
Epic Systems software is a leading Electronic Health Record (EHR) system primarily used by large U.S. hospitals and health systems. It is designed to access, organize, store, and share electronic medical records.
2. What type of software is Epic?
Epic is considered a Software as a Service (SaaS) system, meaning it is delivered over the internet, eliminating complex software installations.
3. Does Epic have a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system?
Yes, Epic offers a CRM solution called Cheers, designed to enable personalized patient experiences.
4. What database does Epic use?
Epic’s real-time database is called Chronicles. Data entered is immediately available in Chronicles. For reporting and analytics, Epic also has a reporting database called Clarity, built on a SQL database management system.
5. Where is Epic Systems based?
Epic Systems’ headquarters is located in Verona, Wisconsin.
6. Is Epic accessible without internet?
You need an internet connection to initially create an account or sign in. However, documents can be downloaded for offline viewing on the mobile apps.
7. Do Hospitals in the UK use Epic?
Yes, Epic is used in several prominent UK hospitals, including Cambridge University Hospitals, University College London Hospitals, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, and Royal Devon and Exeter.
8. Does Epic work with Oracle?
Yes, Epic uses a middleware platform called Clarity Connect to integrate with Oracle systems for data sharing and process automation.
9. Does Epic have an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system?
Yes, Epicerp provides ERP solutions that can integrate with Epic EHR and many other third-party applications.
10. Is Epic considered a hardware or software company?
Epic Systems Corporation is primarily a software company.
11. Does Epic have an API?
Yes, Epic has an API (Application Programming Interface) for some services.
12. Can Epic run on SQL?
Yes, Epic Clarity, a reporting database, is based on an SQL database management system.
13. Can you integrate Salesforce with Epic?
Yes, the integration between Salesforce Health Cloud and Epic allows for seamless synchronization of EMR data.
14. Why would a hospital choose Epic for EHR?
Hospitals choose Epic due to its efficiency, accuracy, and the monetary benefits associated with reducing medical errors.
15. Why choose Epic on Azure specifically?
Epic on Azure allows for easier migration, better functionality, agility, and scale within the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare.