Before Epic "invented modern interoperability," the EHR giant came up with a way for physicians to access patient charts at home, founder and CEO Judy Faulkner wrote in a blog post.
In the late 1990s, before Google was even around, an Epic developer who had created a popular gaming tips website in his spare time was tasked with coming up with Epic Web, allowing physicians to view medical records online from their homes, Ms. Faulkner wrote in the Nov. 4 post. The first health system adopted the platform in 1997.
"Customers asked whether they could give Epic Web access to affiliate providers, and we said, 'Sure,'" Ms. Faulkner wrote. "Keep in mind that 1997 was still a decade before Epic invented modern interoperability with Care Everywhere, so there were not yet other good options to share patient charts electronically."
That led to EpicCare Link, which is still used today by providers who don't have typical EHR access, including school nurses, skilled nursing facilities, and small clinics that lack interoperability, she noted.