Epic EMR is a leading provider of Electronic Health Record (EHR) solutions, widely adopted by healthcare organizations ranging from small clinics to large hospital systems. Its comprehensive features and scalability make it a powerful choice, but its final cost isn't a single number; instead, it's the result of several factors, such as configuration choices, integration depth, and support requirements.
Building an accurate budget first demands a clear picture of the modules and services needed for a practice. Once these requirements are clearly defined, the next step is to understand how they translate into predictable monthly costs that reflect user volume, infrastructure, and long-term support.
Before reviewing specific costs, it helps to understand how Epic's pricing truly works. Smaller practices pay on a per-user or per-provider basis, where total monthly costs are proportional to the number of clinicians and staff who join the system.
Larger hospitals, however, operate differently with an enterprise pricing model. Here, the cost reflects the facility's size and number of locations. It also includes the required modules and the overall complexity of the setup. Let's break down these potential costs, starting with the largest implementations to the smaller ones.
Large Hospitals And Health Systems
The initial setup costs can range from $10 million to $30 million, with annual maintenance and support fees between $1.5 million and $3 million.
Mid-Sized Practices (4-10 Providers)
Initial setup costs could be between $300,000 and $700,000, with annual costs ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.
Small Clinics And Independent Practices
Smaller practices may encounter initial setup costs ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, with annual costs between $50,000 and $150,000.
How Epic is used depends on the unique needs of each practice. Practices comparing different budget models should also consider Epic alternatives that offer varied pricing or feature options. However, Epic’s own pricing is shaped by several variables, including:
Type And Size Of Healthcare OrganizationLarger organizations typically incur higher costs due to the need for more comprehensive solutions and support. | Licensing Fees Vs. Subscription ModelsCosts can vary depending on whether the organization opts for a one-time licensing fee or a subscription-based model. | Implementation And Customization CostsTailoring the system to specific organizational needs can add to the overall expense. |
Third-Party Integrations And API Costs
Connecting Epic to other systems - including lab interfaces, imaging platforms (PACS/RIS), clearinghouses, telehealth tools - also incur a setup fee. Another factor that increases the cost is when a connection requires custom HL7, FHIR, or API work. This is common when an external system doesn’t use a standard interoperability format.
For large or complex implementation, total integration expenses can cost over $500,000. It should, however, also be noted that the expenses factors in the setup, ongoing monitoring and maintenance of each added interface, which further adds to the total cost of ownership.
Additional Costs To Consider
- Implementation Fees: The initial setup can be a significant investment, with costs that depend on the number of modules selected (e.g., EpicCare Ambulatory, MyChart, Resolute Billing), required configuration, and complexity of the organization. In addition, months of on-site work and extensive testing for larger deployments can all contribute to a final price
- Maintenance And Upgrade Fees: Epic charges recurring annual fees for ongoing system maintenance, security updates, and major version upgrades. These updates occur regularly and can require scheduled downtime, internal testing, and re-validation of integrated systems. The total maintenance cost is not fixed because it generally increases with the size of the organization, along with the number of active modules
- Training And Support: Training costs can vary, and ongoing support may add to the overall expense. These training, implementation, and go-live services are usually bundled together with post-go-live assistance and day-to-day operational support
- Infrastructure And Technical Costs:
- On-Premise: Deployment requires servers, failover systems, backup environments, network upgrades, secure data centers, and ongoing IT support. High-availability setups and disaster-recovery systems can also increase infrastructure cost
- Cloud/Hosted: This option swaps on-site hardware for predictable recurring fees for hosting, storage, and performance scaling
- Data Migration: Cost depends largely on the volume of records, the number of legacy systems involved, and data-cleanup requirements
- Development Work: Building custom templates, screens, or order sets with reporting dashboards is an extra expense. This work should be done by specialized, Epic-credentialed staff
Compliance And Security
Epic EHR helps organizations comply with HIPAA through specific security features that meet ONC certification criteria (45 CFR 170.315(d)). These include authentication, role-based access, and detailed audit logging to monitor user activity.
The system also protects data in transit by encrypting information sent through its web properties using HTTPS. Internally, Epic limits access to personal information through strict policies. This implies that the access is granted only to staff and contractors who require it for their job duties.
Overall, a combination of process, technology, and physical controls safeguards the privacy and security of all information on its platforms.
Epic EHR’s Epic Value For Large Institutions
The cost of implementing Epic EHR depends on organizational size, specific needs, and chosen features. While larger institutions may find value in its comprehensive capabilities, smaller practices must carefully assess their requirements and explore available options to ensure a cost-effective and efficient EHR solution.
Interested in learning more about Epic? Find out how Epic protects patient privacy here.