Interoperability Supports Compassionate Care When Families Lose Loved Ones
April 18, 2025
Michael Burns, PhD, MD, of Michigan Medicine, and Ladd Wiley of Epic underscore the urgent need for automated, interoperable data exchange to prevent harmful miscommunications and ease the burden on clinicians and families.
“Imagine losing a loved one and then continuing to receive healthcare appointment reminders for months afterward. Families across America experience this type of insensitive outreach every year because there isn’t a coordinated system to notify doctors when people die outside the hospital, ” write Michael Burns, PhD, MD (Michigan Medicine) and Ladd Wiley (Epic) in an op-ed published in Healthcare IT Today.
Using industry standards like FHIR, Epic is making it easier for states and providers to securely share death data—without faxes or clunky portals. States like Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, and Texas are already taking action to modernize these processes with legislative support and Epic’s technology.
Together with partners like Michigan Medicine, we’re building tools that help ensure families are treated with dignity, clinicians have accurate patient records, and health systems can focus on care—not paperwork. The technology is ready. Now it’s time for all of us—state governments, providers, and EHR vendors—to move forward.
Memorial Hermann Health System Clinicians Use Epic’s AI Tool to Help Patients Better Understand Test Results
September 8, 2026
Clinicians at Memorial Hermann Health System (MHHS) are using a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool built directly into Epic to help patients better understand their test results and to make informed decisions about next steps in their care journey.
AI Helps OLVG Clinicians Reduce Note-Writing Time By Over 30%
September 2, 2026
As Chart with Art—Epic’s native AI charting—handles documentation, clinicians report improved focus on the conversation in the room, fostering better visit experiences and work-life balance.
Patients of the rural health system can use Ask Emmie to receive answers that are grounded in their full health history, including past visits and test results.
