FAQ: Integrating Epic with our Patient Assignment Software, Assign

Can you integrate with Epic? This seems to be a popular question we receive when demonstrating our patient assignment software, Assign. And the answer is quite simple: yes. 

In the diagram below, you can replace the word “Epic” with almost any EHR vendor — the technical language is almost the same across Healthcare IT.

HL7 messages, Flat files, and APIs are built within Epic just as they are within several other EHR vendors. Even though Epic is the most robust EHR on the market, we have found no limitations in our ability to interface data back and forth.

How Does medaptus Assign Integrate with Epic for Patient Assignment?

Why Is the Epic-Assign Integration So Important?

Even after you’ve created your morning rounding lists, the work isn’t complete. You still have to:

• Assign patients throughout the day
• Update new provider relationships
• Update and move patients onto specific rounding teams
• Log into multiple places to get an accurate view of your census (ER admits, ICU downgrades, etc.)

In order to reap the full benefits of the software (and avoid manual work once the rounding list is complete), the software needs to communicate with your EHR (aka, the source of truth). This seamless integration ensures that all your data is synced, which we know can often be a clinical and technical challenge in a hospital setting.

With our inbound or outbound interfaces, we can automatically populate your rounding lists AND update the patient/provider relationships directly in your EHR. Whether you use EPIC, Cerner, Meditech (or any other system), we can remove an often-overlooked manual burden so that after you create your rounding lists, the work really is complete – a true labor savings across many departments.

Integrating Medaptus assignment data automatically in your EHR will:

• Save on labor time and eliminate manual data entry
• Streamline nursing rounds and internal communication
• Allow APPs to start their day and appropriately create their own assignment lists as needed

What Does the Inbound Epic Integration Look Like?

Inbound Epic –> Medaptus – A standard HL7 interface is all you need.

• We can obtain your census from the Epic registration system (eRecord) and display Patient Attending & Admitting relationships
• We can receive Consult information from a relationships, orders or daily files.
• We can ingest TEAM information from unique HL7 segments like ROL values.
  • Teach Teams, Team Blue, Stepdown teams etc.

What Does the Outbound Integration Send Back to Epic?

Outbound Medaptus –> Epic – Let Medaptus update your Care teams with a simple HL7 Message

1. Epic can use our standard Attending update interface which uses an HL7 A08 message
2. *Epic can also consider using our Treatment Team update
   1. Medaptus would send an ROL Treatment Team value update for the patient
   2. This keeps Attending and Team updated and in sync

*This feature may require Epic approval and customization

Table 1: Epic ↔ medaptus Assign Integration — Inbound vs. Outbound 

What Are the Key Benefits of Integrating Assign with Your EHR?

EHRs like Epic are simply not built to handle robust patient assignment processes. With Assign, we factor in geography, continuity of care, and workload balancing. Healthcare professionals who try to do patient assignments in Epic are typically dragging and dropping patients or manually updating attending and provider teams — leaving no insight into how lists are balanced or who is getting new patients. 

By integrating Assign with your EHR, you keep all your systems in sync, benefit from powerful assignment features, and reduce your labor burden. Integrating medaptus assignment data automatically in your EHR will save on labor time, eliminate manual data entry, streamline nursing rounds and internal communication, and allow APPs to start their day and appropriately create their own assignment lists as needed. 

Conclusion

Medaptus Assign integrates seamlessly with Epic and virtually any other EHR using standard HL7 interfaces. By automating both the inbound census feed and the outbound assignment update, Assign eliminates manual rounding list work, ensures all downstream stakeholders have accurate information, and lets your hospitalist team focus on patient care — not administrative burden. 

Hear what our customers like Rochester’s Highland Hospital are saying about our Epic-Assign integration.

FAQs

Does medaptus Assign Only Work with Epic? 

No — while Epic is the most common integration, medaptus Assign works with virtually any EHR using standard HL7 interfaces, Flat Files, or APIs, including Cerner, Meditech, and others. The same technical approach applies across Healthcare IT systems. 

Does the Outbound Assignment Update Require Epic Customization? 

The standard Attending update (HL7 A08 message) typically requires no customization. The Treatment Team update (ROL segment) may require Epic approval and some customization but provides even richer downstream data for nurses, APPs, and sub-specialty units. 

How Quickly Are Assignments Updated in Epic After Being Finalized in Assign? 

Updates are sent in real time through the HL7 interface as assignments are finalized or changed throughout the day. This means nurses see current attending information at the start of their shift, not hours later. 

What Manual Work Does the Epic-Assign Integration Eliminate? 

The integration eliminates daily rounding list creation, manual dragging and dropping of patients, attending self-updating, and the need to log into multiple systems to see census information. These tasks can collectively take hours per day across a hospitalist team.