Epic’s founder and CEO reflects on five decades of healthcare innovation.
On the BBC World Service’s Business Daily, Judy shares how a basement startup launched in 1979 grew into one of the most widely used electronic health record systems—without ever going public or taking outside investment. She traces her unexpected path from math student to software pioneer, describing how an early programming request from a group of physicians became the foundation for Epic. “I was young, I didn’t know it was hard,” Judy says of building a system to track patient data over time. “So I said sure, and I figured it out.”
That work laid the foundation for a system now used by more than 3,600 hospitals, supporting care across outpatient, inpatient, and home settings. Yet Epic’s growth has remained intentional and grounded in long-term partnerships—not rapid expansion.
The interview also highlights Epic’s efforts in interoperability, sparked in part by a personal story involving Judy’s husband, a pediatrician. After the death of a patient whose records weren’t available in an emergency, Judy pushed her team to build tools that allow health systems to securely share data, regardless of vendor. She recalls how early resistance gave way to widespread adoption—today, 100% of Epic organizations are interoperable.
Judy has no plans to retire, but there is a strong succession plan in place to preserve Epic’s values. The company’s governance prohibits a public sale or acquisition, and it requires leadership to prioritize what’s best for patients and healthcare organizations before all else.
Listen to the full interview at BBC Business Daily or wherever you get your podcasts.
