Electronic health record company Epic said Thursday its software is available on Apple's App Store.
Clinicians who use Apple's Mac computers can download the program directly through the technology giant's App Store. This version of Epic is designed specifically for Apple computers, the EHR company said.
Read more: How Epic is courting customers outside of hospitals
This is the first time Epic will run its application directly on Mac computers. Previously, Mac users would be required to log into a virtual desktop or use the software on a computer that runs Microsoft Windows.
An Epic spokesperson said the company’s motivation to develop the application was driven by customer feedback. They said the Verona, Wisconsin-based company started developing the application in mid-2022 and received some developer support from Apple.
Atlanta-based health system Emory Healthcare is rolling out the Mac-specific version of Epic on Thursday to 200 computers when the software launches to the general public.
Dr. Alistair Erskine, Emory Healthcare’s chief information and digital officer, said the system purchased 830 MacBook Air laptops. Apple computers will be the health system's default laptop in part because of this move, he said.
"I ultimately think the experience is going to be easier for the end user," Erskine said.
Emory spent around $1 million on the physical devices but Erskine said it will save money over time due to energy savings and what he said was decreased support costs compared with computers that run Microsoft's Windows software. Erskine also said Emory clinicians were asking about using Apple devices.
"A lot of doctors use Mac at home and a lot of researchers use Mac," Erskine said. "Just because we've been in the habit of not using Mac in a healthcare environment, I think they [clinicians] sort of tolerate the Windows-based device."
Erskine, who joined Emory last year, has worked with Apple on healthcare use cases dating back to 2010 through several roles, most recently with Boston-based Mass General Brigham.