Epic Systems is adding tools that connect patients to clinical trials and bring together doctors treating patients with similar rare conditions through its Cosmos life sciences research platform, executives said at a company event Tuesday.
Healthcare organizations participating in Cosmos, Epic's research database of de-identified electronic health records data, can opt in to its life sciences program, Epic CEO Judy Faulker and other executives said during the company's annual User Group Meeting at its Verona, Wisconsin, campus. Providers also will be able to share data on trial participants with study sponsors.
The company will add new types of data to Cosmos, including genomics information and patient-reported outcomes, executives said. Competitors including Cerner, which Oracle acquired in June, and Allscripts have also been expanding their work with life sciences companies.
Epic will roll out Look-Alikes, a program that matches patients with rare symptoms or conditions to similar cases using data from Cosmos, in November. Although patient data is anonymized, physicians may contact other clinicians treating such patients to discuss treatments and diagnoses.
Epic also announced forthcoming updates to its MyChart patient portal and its Payer Platform, which links provider organizations with health insurers. The company is developing a version of MyChart dubbed MyChart Central that will provide patients with a single sign-on to portals from various providers. Patients will be able to search for physician practices that use MyChart, based on variables such as medical specialty and insurance network status. Epic is also considering a texting option to allow patients who don't have MyChart accounts to check in for appointments, pay bills and research symptoms.
Epic’s Payer Platform, which started with a focus on automating prior authorization requests, will add features next year that enable providers to check claims statuses, coverages and patient cost estimates from payers. The Payer Platform will cut down the need for staff to complete such tasks, according to Epic.
