5 things to know about Epic's Cosmos

Epic Systems' Cosmos and Insights data initiatives have contributed to multiple public health research efforts over the past few years, and that has accelerated during the pandemic.

Here are five things to know about the data warehouse programs, based on a report from the Wisconsin State Journal:

1. There are around 70 Epic customers that represent 60 million patients that are currently part of the Cosmos warehouse data. The company developed the Epic Health Research Network earlier this year as an online journal for researchers and health systems to share observational research gathered by the company's EHR.

2. Researchers and medical professionals can query the anonymous patient data to answer clinical questions. For example, in 2016 a physician in Michigan analyzed Epic records and found a high level of lead in the blood of children in Flint due to the city's water supply.

3. Epic also developed Insights, a program with around the same amount of data that looks specifically at COVID-19 patients. Health systems including New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System have examined medical records to find information on COVID-19; Mount Sinai used the data to examine how the virus affected older adults with dementia.

4. Epic Vice President of Research and Development Seth Hain said the company expects its EHR data will contribute to additional studies and insights, especially around a future vaccine.

5. Around two-thirds of Americans have a medical record in Epic, which provides medical records to around a third of U.S. hospitals.

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