Dive Brief:

  • Epic is expanding its portfolio of artificial intelligence tools with the launch of a new feature aimed at assisting outpatient clinicians.
  • The tool, named Ergo Visit, aggregates patient information from Epic's electronic health record and other sources to provide clinicians with summarized data, according to executives speaking at the company's annual meeting in Wisconsin on Tuesday. Louisiana-based Ochsner Health is the first health system to deploy the tool, Epic confirmed, though five additional physicians outside the system are also piloting it.
  • "Our goal was to redesign the office visit as we would build it if we were starting from scratch, with all of the technology we have available today," said Garrett Adams, senior vice president of research and development at Epic, in a statement.

Dive Insight:

The outpatient visit tool is the latest addition to a growing suite of AI capabilities Epic has integrated into its EHR in recent years, which include a clinical notetaker, a revenue cycle automation product, and a patient-facing AI assistant.

Epic says Ergo Visit is designed to help clinicians remain engaged during patient conversations, reducing the need to constantly review records. The tool begins working before the visit starts, Epic noted. It leverages Epic's existing AI capabilities to identify relevant topics for the clinician, such as the reason for the visit provided during scheduling or upcoming vaccinations. After the visit, it can draft notes and flag issues for clinician review.

Four clinicians at Ochsner Health began using the tool on Aug. 3, according to Epic.

"It's like the way a GPS can direct you around traffic. You know how to get there, but this tool can help you get there the fastest," said Dr. Stephen Lambert, a primary care physician at Ochsner, in a statement.

Overall, 1.4 million clinicians now receive AI assistance within Epic's EHR each month, the company reported.

Although Epic continues to dominate the EHR market, holding a 42% share of the 2024 acute care EHR market, other EHR vendors are turning to AI to gain a competitive edge. Last week, Oracle Health announced that its AI-backed patient portal is now generally available in the U.S. and fully integrated with Oracle's EHR.

In addition to the Ergo Visit launch, Epic provided several product updates during its annual meeting, including new details about Agent Factory, an integrated platform for building custom AI agents, as well as Curiosity, a predictive tool that offers insights on metrics such as hospital readmission rates and patient outcomes.