Epic

What is epic.com

Epic.com is the public site and corporate identity for Epic Systems, a vendor of enterprise electronic health record (EHR) and health information technology used by hospitals, clinics, and integrated delivery networks. Epic's platform covers core clinical systems (inpatient and ambulatory charting), revenue cycle management, scheduling, pharmacy, laboratory, imaging interfaces, and patient-facing tools such as a patient portal and mobile apps. The product is sold and installed as an enterprise-grade system with deep workflow customization and long-term operational contracts.

Epic's customer base tends to be large health systems, academic medical centers, and multi-hospital organizations; it is also used by many specialty clinics and physician practices that require close integration with large hospital systems. Epic offers both on-premises deployments and hosted/cloud variants, and its commercial model emphasizes long-term partnerships, implementation services, training, and ongoing technical support.

The company also operates a developer ecosystem and interoperability programs — most notably App Orchard and open.epic — which expose standards-based APIs (including FHIR and SMART on FHIR) to third-party developers and health systems. These programs provide a pathway for digital health vendors, device makers, and internal IT teams to integrate applications into Epic environments.

Epic.com features

Epic provides a comprehensive set of modules and features that address clinical, administrative, financial, and patient engagement needs across an enterprise. The product suite is modular but tightly integrated so data entered in one module is immediately available across the system.

• Clinical Documentation: Structured and free-text charting templates, problem lists, flowsheets, order sets, and specialty-specific documentation tools for inpatient and ambulatory care. Documentation supports decision support rules and configurable clinical alerts.
• Care Coordination: Tools for transitions of care, care plans, referrals, and longitudinal patient records that span multiple care settings and departments.
• Revenue Cycle Management: Patient registration, billing, claims processing, contract management, denial management, and reporting to support hospital finance and outpatient collections.
• Scheduling and Access: Centralized scheduling for clinics, operating rooms, imaging, and ancillary services with patient self-scheduling options via the portal.

Beyond those core functions, Epic includes modules for laboratory and imaging integrations, pharmacy management, telehealth, population health analytics, registries, clinical decision support, and performance dashboards. The system also supports configurable workflows for specialty care areas (oncology, cardiology, behavioral health, pediatrics) and integrates tightly with medical devices and third-party systems through standard interfaces.

Epic.com features

What does epic.com do?

Epic.com delivers an enterprise EHR that captures and presents clinical data to support patient care, documentation, and regulatory reporting. The platform allows clinicians to place orders, chart encounters, review results, and communicate with care teams using a unified patient record. Epic's clinical tools emphasize structured data capture to support quality measurement, decision support, and research use cases.

The platform also handles administrative functions such as appointment scheduling, registration, admissions/discharges/transfers (ADT), and financial workflows like billing and insurance claim processing. For patient engagement, Epic provides a patient portal (MyChart), secure messaging, appointment reminders, telehealth visits, and mobile apps that let patients view records and communicate with care teams.

On the interoperability side, Epic exposes standards-based APIs and participates in national exchange initiatives. These capabilities allow health systems to share data across networks, onboard third-party applications through App Orchard, and implement custom integrations using FHIR, HL7, and other protocols.

Epic.com pricing

Epic's commercial pricing is negotiated on a per-customer basis and depends on deployment model, number of facilities, user counts, modules selected, and implementation scope. Rather than fixed public price tiers, Epic issues enterprise contracts that include licensing, implementation services, hosting or cloud fees, training, and annual maintenance. Typical pricing components include:

• Enterprise License / Software Fees: $100,000+ for small installations up to $1,000,000+ or multi‑million figures for large health systems depending on scope and modules
• Implementation and Professional Services: Implementation engagements commonly run from several hundred thousand dollars to multiple millions, depending on the size and complexity of the deployment
• Hosting / Cloud Subscription: For hosted options, recurring hosting fees vary; smaller organizations can expect $3,000–$20,000/month while large systems may have substantially higher monthly hosting charges
• Annual Support & Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance and support fees are typically assessed as a percentage of license fees (commonly in the mid-teens percent range annually)

For authoritative details and to begin a commercial discussion, review Epic's corporate and sales resources such as Epic's enterprise sales contact and implementation information on Epic's website. View Epic’s enterprise sales information at Epic's contact center: https://www.epic.com/contact

Epic.com pricing

Epic's commercial pricing components include enterprise licensing, implementation, and recurring hosting/support fees. Because deployments are customized, vendors and customers negotiate contracts that reflect modules deployed, the number of users, integration complexity, and training. Typical deals for single hospitals may range from $100,000+ in total program costs to $1M+, while multi-hospital enterprise agreements commonly exceed $5M when implementation and multi-year support are included.

Large academic medical centers or integrated delivery networks that deploy Epic broadly — including specialty modules, extensive interfacing, and data migration — frequently see total program costs in the multiple millions. Many organizations budget for both the upfront implementation and ongoing maintenance and operations when assessing total cost of ownership.

Epic also offers hosted/cloud models where the recurring cost becomes a predictable operational expense. For cloud-hosted customers, the monthly subscription fees vary with scale and service levels and are typically discussed during commercial negotiation. For details about Epic's hosting and deployment options, review Epic's hosting information and enterprise program descriptions at Epic's hosting and deployment pages: https://www.epic.com/

How much is epic.com per month

Epic's subscription-equivalent monthly hosting and service fees commonly start around $3,000–$20,000/month for smaller, hosted installations and increase substantially for larger hospitals and multi-site deployments. Monthly costs combine hosting, support, and any managed service fees required for uptime and disaster recovery. Monthly estimates depend heavily on the number of active users, transaction volumes, redundancy requirements, and included support SLAs.

Organizations that self-host will have lower recurring subscription payments but higher capital and operational costs for infrastructure, staff, and data center redundancy. Conversely, hosted customers trade capital expense for ongoing monthly operational fees that cover infrastructure management, backups, and platform updates.

When budgeting a monthly run rate, teams should include database and storage growth projections, interface and integration maintenance, and seasonal demand spikes that can drive short-term scaling costs.

How much is epic.com per year

Epic's annual cost commonly ranges from approximately $100,000/year to several million dollars/year depending on scale, modules, and whether the environment is hosted or self-managed. Annual costs usually include support and maintenance fees, hosting subscriptions (if applicable), licensing amortization, and ongoing professional services for upgrades and optimization.

For multi-hospital systems, annual operational expenses can run into the mid-six- to seven-figure ranges. Annual budgeting should account for routine upgrades, security assessments, business continuity, and staffing for internal system administration.

Agreements frequently establish multi-year commitments with annual maintenance clauses; procurement teams should evaluate long-term total cost of ownership rather than one-time license figures alone.

How much is epic.com in general

Epic.com pricing ranges from roughly $100,000/year for small deployments to multiple millions per year for large health systems. The overall price varies by modules, integration complexity, number of users, hosting choices, and implementation scope. A complete procurement assessment should separate upfront implementation costs from recurring operational expenses to provide a clear long-term budget.

Health systems typically plan for a multi-year implementation timeline and phased go‑lives; finance teams should include implementation resources, data migration, training, and clinician productivity impacts in total cost estimates. For specific enterprise pricing and contract models, health systems should contact Epic's sales organization directly through Epic's enterprise sales contact: https://www.epic.com/contact

What is epic.com used for

Epic is used to digitalize and coordinate patient care across settings — inpatient, outpatient, ambulatory, specialty clinics, and affiliated practices. Clinicians use Epic to chart visits, manage orders, review results, and coordinate care across multidisciplinary teams. Administrators use Epic for scheduling, capacity planning, and resource allocation.

Finance and revenue teams use Epic for patient registration, billing, claims processing, and financial reporting to manage revenue cycles. Quality and population health teams use Epic’s registries, analytics, and reporting tools to track outcomes, manage chronic disease populations, and meet regulatory reporting requirements.

IT and interoperability teams use Epic’s APIs, integration frameworks, and developer programs to connect devices, lab systems, imaging archives, and third‑party applications. The platform is often used as a central clinical data repository and interoperability hub within a health system’s IT architecture.

Pros and cons of epic.com

Epic offers a deeply integrated suite of clinical and administrative tools that support complex workflows across large organizations. Its strength is the breadth of clinical functionality, mature revenue cycle tools, and strong support for specialty modules (oncology, cardiology, behavioral health). Epic's enterprise focus provides a single vendor that can support most clinical and administrative needs, reducing the number of discrete vendors an organization must manage.

However, that depth comes with challenges: deployments are substantial multi-year programs that require significant capital, governance, and clinician change management. Implementation timelines and costs are often higher than those for smaller, point-solution vendors. Some users report that upgrades and customizations require careful coordination and that the system's complexity demands dedicated IT and informatics staff.

Interoperability and developer access are improving through programs like App Orchard and open.epic, but integrating new third-party solutions still requires formal onboarding and testing processes. Organizations should weigh Epic’s integrated capabilities against flexibility needs for niche third-party apps and the cost of long-term vendor lock-in.

epic.com free trial

Epic does not offer a consumer-style free trial similar to cloud SaaS products because it is an enterprise EHR that requires planning, configuration, and deployment. Proof-of-concept work commonly occurs through vendor-led demonstrations, lab environments, and pilot implementations rather than a time-limited self-serve trial. Health systems evaluate Epic through site visits, reference checks, and staged pilot programs.

Prospective customers can request demonstrations, review reference implementations, and participate in advisory or governance groups as part of pre-contract evaluation. App developers can access developer sandboxes and APIs via Epic's developer programs to test integration approaches before production onboarding.

For developers interested in technical evaluation, explore Epic's developer resources such as App Orchard and open.epic to request sandbox access and API documentation: https://apporchard.epic.com and https://open.epic.com

Is epic.com free

No, Epic is not free. Epic is a commercial enterprise EHR that requires licensing, implementation, and ongoing support or hosting fees. The total cost includes both upfront and recurring components and is negotiated per customer based on scope and modules.

Health systems considering Epic should factor in software licensing, implementation services, infrastructure, training, and ongoing maintenance when calculating total cost of ownership.

Epic.com API

Epic exposes APIs and integration points targeted at both internal health system developers and external digital health vendors. The primary developer programs are App Orchard, a commercial developer program and marketplace for third‑party apps, and open.epic, which provides sample data sets and FHIR endpoints for testing and developer education.

• FHIR and SMART on FHIR: Epic supports modern standards such as FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) and SMART on FHIR for patient-level data access, launched workflows, and embedded third‑party apps that run inside clinician workflows.
• HL7 and Traditional Interfaces: For legacy integrations, Epic supports HL7 v2 messaging, DICOM for imaging, and other interface engines for labs, devices, and ancillary systems.
• OAuth2 and Authorization: APIs use standards-based authentication and authorization flows (OAuth2) for secure app access and data exchange.

App Orchard provides tiers for partners (from evaluation sandboxes to production integrations), API catalogs, commercial agreements, and distribution through Epic’s customer base. For API onboarding and developer documentation, review Epic’s developer platforms: App Orchard at https://apporchard.epic.com and open.epic developer resources at https://open.epic.com

10 epic.com alternatives

• Cerner — Enterprise EHR vendor with similar inpatient and ambulatory capabilities and a global client base
• Allscripts — Commercial EHR and practice management solutions for health systems and physician practices
• Athenahealth — Cloud-native ambulatory EHR and practice management with a focus on revenue cycle services
• Meditech — Integrated EHR for hospitals and health systems with on-premises and cloud options
• NextGen Healthcare — EHR and practice management focused on ambulatory and specialty care
• eClinicalWorks — Cloud-based ambulatory EHR and practice management with patient engagement tools
• eMDs — Practice management and EHR solutions targeted at ambulatory practices
• eClinicalWorks — (listed above) notable for ambulatory settings and cloud approach
• OpenEMR — Open source electronic medical record and medical practice management solution
• OpenMRS — Open source medical record system platform widely used in resource-constrained settings

Paid alternatives to epic.com

• Cerner: Comprehensive inpatient and outpatient EHR used by large hospitals and health systems; offers modularity and enterprise service contracts similar to Epic.

• Allscripts: Offers acute and ambulatory EHR suites with a range of deployment models and third-party marketplace integrations.

• Athenahealth: Cloud-first EHR and revenue cycle platform known for its outsourced billing services and practice management in ambulatory care.

• Meditech: Traditional EHR vendor with strong footprint in community hospitals and an evolving cloud strategy.

• NextGen Healthcare: Focused on ambulatory and specialty practices with integrated practice management and EDI services.

Each of these paid alternatives has different strengths — for example, Athenahealth emphasizes cloud-native operations and revenue cycle outsourcing, while Cerner rivals Epic on scale and depth in acute care modules. Selection should be guided by organizational size, specialty needs, integration requirements, and total cost profiles.

Open source alternatives to epic.com

• OpenEMR: Open source EHR and practice management system used by clinics worldwide; suitable for smaller practices and organizations that can manage self-hosted software and community support.

• OpenMRS: Modular, open source medical record platform often used by public health programs and organizations in low- and middle-income countries; strong for custom workflows and population health projects.

• GNU Health: Free/open source health and hospital information system focused on public health and hospital functionality; suited for organizations with in‑house development resources.

Open source alternatives are typically more configurable and cost-effective on software licensing but require internal IT resources to install, customize, secure, and maintain. They can be appropriate for smaller clinics, public health programs, or institutions willing to invest in development and operations resources.

Frequently asked questions about Epic.com

What is Epic.com used for?

Epic is used for clinical care documentation, order management, revenue cycle, and patient engagement across hospitals and clinics. Health systems use Epic to maintain unified patient records, coordinate care between departments, manage billing and claims, and provide patient-facing services like MyChart and telehealth. The platform supports specialty modules and enterprise analytics for quality and performance measurement.

Does Epic.com provide APIs for third-party integrations?

Yes, Epic provides APIs through App Orchard and open.epic for third-party integration. Developers can access FHIR-based endpoints, SMART on FHIR app launching, and traditional HL7 interfaces depending on the integration model. App Orchard handles commercial agreements, sandbox access, and production onboarding for independent software vendors.

How much does Epic.com cost per user or per provider?

Epic's costs are negotiated and vary widely; there is no standard per-user public price. Costs depend on modules, deployment model (self-hosted vs hosted), the number of facilities and providers, and the implementation scope. Typical enterprise agreements range from $100,000/year for small deployments to multi-million-dollar contracts for large health systems.

Is there a free trial or demo for Epic.com?

No, Epic does not offer a consumer-style free trial; evaluations use demos and pilot environments. Prospective customers typically arrange vendor demonstrations, site visits to reference customers, and pilot implementations rather than a time-limited trial. Developers can request sandbox access via App Orchard or open.epic for technical testing.

Can Epic.com integrate with medical devices and lab systems?

Yes, Epic integrates with medical devices, lab systems, and imaging using HL7, DICOM, and interface engines. The platform supports both modern and legacy interoperability standards and is commonly connected to laboratory information systems, radiology PACS, bedside devices, and pharmacy systems through validated interfaces.

Does Epic.com support FHIR for interoperability?

Yes, Epic supports FHIR and SMART on FHIR standards for API-based interoperability. Epic publishes example endpoints and documentation through open.epic and enables commercial integrations through App Orchard to access clinical data, scheduling, and patient resources via FHIR APIs.

How secure is Epic.com for patient data?

Epic follows industry-standard security practices and supports enterprise security controls. Deployments typically include encryption for data in transit, access control, logging, and support for single sign-on and multifactor authentication; additional security measures depend on the customer's deployment model and contractual requirements.

Can Epic.com be used by small clinics or only large hospitals?

Epic is primarily targeted at hospitals and large health systems but can be deployed in ambulatory clinics affiliated with those systems. Standalone small practices more commonly choose lighter-weight or cloud-native ambulatory EHRs, although some larger group practices use Epic where close integration with a hospital system is required.

What is App Orchard and how does it relate to Epic.com?

App Orchard is Epic's developer program and marketplace for third-party apps. It provides APIs, sandboxes, documentation, and commercial onboarding so vendors can develop and distribute applications that integrate with Epic customers. App Orchard streamlines contracting and technical validation for partners.

How long does an Epic.com implementation take?

Implementations typically take many months to several years depending on scope and scale. Small pilots or single-clinic integrations can be faster, but enterprise rollouts involving multiple hospitals, extensive data migration, and clinician training commonly require phased go-lives across a multi-year schedule.

Epic.com careers

Epic recruits a range of professionals including software engineers, implementation consultants, clinical informaticists, trainers, and support staff. Career paths often involve roles that combine technical expertise with healthcare domain knowledge, such as build analysts, clinical application specialists, and project managers. Explore career openings and recruitment information on Epic's careers pages for role descriptions, internship programs, and academic partnerships: https://www.epic.com/careers

epic.com affiliate

Epic does not operate a broad public affiliate or referral program like typical consumer SaaS vendors; its partner ecosystem is organized through App Orchard, distribution agreements, and formal vendor partnerships. Independent software vendors that integrate through App Orchard may enter commercial agreements that allow them to distribute to Epic customers, subject to technical certification and contracting.

Where to find epic.com reviews

Independent reviews and user feedback can be found in healthcare IT analyst reports, peer-reviewed case studies, and healthcare IT forums. Professional sources such as KLAS Research and HIMSS analyses provide comparative performance and customer satisfaction data for enterprise EHR vendors. For vendor-specific references and client testimonials, review Epic's customer stories and case studies on Epic's website or consult third-party analyst reports such as those from KLAS and Gartner for comparative evaluations.