Automating Data Workflows to Make the Most of Your Epic Healthcare System

Healthcare software like Epic contains powerful automation capabilities that remain largely untapped. Learn how modernizing your healthcare data transfer approach can help you unlock Epic’s full potential while enhancing security and supporting compliance efforts.

Reap the Full Benefits of Your Healthcare System

Let’s face the uncomfortable truth. Most healthcare organizations are running 21st-century clinical software on top of 1990s data transfer methods. Manually exporting files, FTP servers that predate the smartphone and ad-hoc email attachments constitute the “modern” health data ecosystem in far too many hospitals.

If your organization invested in a platinum system like Epic for maintaining patient health data, you’ll want to get the full ROI. Your clinicians use cutting-edge software, so don’t keep your data transfer methods stuck in the digital dark ages. The potential is there, but the infrastructure is holding everything back.

Epic’s Automation Superpowers Waiting to Be Unleashed

Epic harbors remarkable automation capabilities that remain tragically underutilized because they’re handcuffed to outdated data transfer processes. Let’s explore what’s possible when you finally modernize this critical infrastructure.

The Patient Data Automation Revolution

Epic’s MyChart module isn’t just a patient portal—it’s a complete self-service automation machine. When properly configured, it transforms patient data management from a labor-intensive staff burden into a streamlined, patient-driven process.

Instead of staff manually updating demographic information, insurance details and health history, MyChart enables patients to enter this data themselves. Epic then automatically synchronizes these updates with the main EHR system, eliminating redundant data entry and reducing errors.

But here’s the catch: For this automation to work smoothly, you need secure, reliable data pathways between Epic and your other systems. When a patient updates their insurance through MyChart, that information often needs to flow to billing systems, eligibility verification services and other platforms outside the Epic ecosystem.

💡 Modernization Opportunity: Replacing manual exports and imports with a secure managed file transfer solution like Progress MOVEit software creates a reliable, auditable pipeline for Epic’s patient data automation. This approach dramatically reduces staff workload while improving data accuracy and security.

From Claims Chaos to Revenue Clockwork

Epic’s claims-processing capabilities represent some of the most impactful automation opportunities in healthcare operations. The system can automatically:

• Generate claims with comprehensive data collection for procedural and diagnostic codes
• Validate claims through checklist-based review features
• Reconcile appointment totals against created claims through Dawn-to-Dusk Review

This automation engine needs proper data pathways to perform at its best. When claims need to move between Epic and external clearinghouses, payers or financial systems, antiquated data transfer methods become the bottleneck.

⚠️ Warning: If your Epic claims automation is feeding into outdated data transfer processes, you’re putting a Ferrari engine in a golf cart. Modernizing your data transfer infrastructure is essential for maximizing the financial benefits of your Epic investment.

Lab Results: When Seconds Count, Count on Automation

Perhaps nowhere is the need for modern data transfer more apparent than in lab result workflows. Epic’s lab automation capabilities can literally save lives—if they’re supported by reliable, secure data infrastructure.

Epic supports multiple integration protocols for lab data, including FHIR API and HL7v2 interfaces. These integrations create bidirectional data flows where lab orders are automatically pushed to laboratory systems and results flow back into Epic with minimal delay.

Imagine this real-world scenario: A patient in your ED has concerning lab values that could indicate sepsis. With properly implemented Epic automation and modern data transfer:

1. The physician orders labs through Epic
2. Orders automatically transmit to the lab system
3. Results automatically flow back into Epic in real time
4. Epic’s algorithms immediately flag potential sepsis indicators
5. The physician receives an alert before the patient’s condition deteriorates

This streamlined workflow is most effective when Epic’s automation is paired with secure, reliable data transfer infrastructure. Traditional methods introduce delays, create security risks and increase the potential for data loss—any of which could negatively impact patient outcomes.

The Hidden Costs of Outdated Data Transfer

The consequences of pairing Epic’s sophisticated automation with outdated data transfer methods extend far beyond mere inefficiency. They create tangible costs that affect your entire organization:

Financial drain: Every manual data transfer task consumes staff time that could be better spent on patient care or revenue-generating activities. A medium-sized hospital can easily waste thousands of staff hours annually on preventable manual data handling.

Security risks: Ad-hoc data transfer methods like email attachments, USB drives and manual exports create significant security gaps. When staff are forced to work around inadequate data transfer systems, they inadvertently create compliance risks and potential breach vectors.

Patient safety concerns: Delays and errors in clinical data transfers directly impact patient care. When critical lab results, medication orders or allergies don’t move efficiently between systems, patient safety is compromised.

Staff burnout: Few things frustrate healthcare professionals more than fighting with technology that should be making their jobs easier. Forcing your staff to compensate for outdated data transfer processes contributes directly to burnout and turnover.

The Modernization Mandate: Taking Epic to the Next Level

It’s time to bring your data transfer infrastructure into alignment with your Epic investment. Modern healthcare demands a cohesive approach that connects all elements of your technology ecosystem.

The Four Pillars of Modern Healthcare Data Transfer

To truly unleash Epic’s automation potential, your data transfer strategy needs to address:

1. Security and compliance: Encryption, audit trails and built-in compliance controls
2. Automation and orchestration: Scheduled transfers, event-triggered workflows and delivery notifications
3. Visibility and control: Centralized management, task monitoring and detailed performance analytics
4. Scalability and reliability: Capacity for growing data volumes and mission-critical dependability

🎯 Reality Check: Your Epic system already contains powerful automation capabilities. The question isn’t whether you need better automation—it’s whether your data transfer infrastructure is enabling you to fully utilize these capabilities.

Solutions like Progress MOVEit MFT help you create a secure foundation for healthcare data automation by addressing all four pillars. When integrated with Epic, these platforms enable streamlined data flows that help you maximize your automation potential while supporting compliance with healthcare regulations.

From Theory to Practice: What Modern Data Transfer Looks Like

Let’s make this concrete with a few practical examples of how modern data transfer transforms Epic workflows:

Claims Processing Transformation

Before modernization: Your revenue cycle team manually exports claims data from Epic, uploads files to a clearinghouse portal, downloads response files and manually imports them back into Epic. The process takes days, creates security gaps and delays reimbursement.

After modernization: Epic automatically generates claims that flow through a secure managed file transfer solution to your clearinghouse. Response files are automatically retrieved and imported back into Epic. The entire process can occur with minimal manual intervention, completing in hours instead of days.

Referral Management Revolution

Before modernization: Referrals require staff to manually extract patient information from Epic, create documents, attach them to emails or faxes and send them to receiving facilities. The process is labor-intensive, error-prone and poorly tracked.

After modernization: Epic generates referral information that automatically flows through secure channels to receiving facilities. The entire process is tracked, logged and reported on, with automated notifications. Staff only get involved for exceptions or special cases.

Laboratory Integration Enhancement

Before modernization: Lab orders and results move between Epic and laboratory systems through batch interfaces that run at scheduled intervals. Critical results may wait in queues for hours before being processed, creating potential delays in patient care.

After modernization: Orchestrated tasks connect multiple lab systems to your EMR platform, allowing results to get where they need to go efficiently. Critical values trigger automatic alerts, allowing for rapid clinical response without manual monitoring or intervention.

Making the Transition: Your Journey to Modern Data Transfer

Modernizing your Epic data transfer infrastructure doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with these practical steps:

Step 1: Map Your Data Flows

Begin by documenting how data currently moves into and out of your Epic system. Identify:

• Key integration points with other systems
• Manual transfer processes that could be automated
• Security and compliance vulnerabilities
• Performance bottlenecks and pain points

Step 2: Prioritize High-Impact Opportunities

Not all data flows are created equal. Focus first on those that:

• Directly impact patient care
• Affect revenue cycle performance
• Consume significant staff time
• Create the greatest security concerns

Step 3: Implement a Modern Solution

Look for a secure managed file transfer solution like MOVEit MFT that offers:

• HIPAA/HITECH certifications
• Robust endpoint support for legacy systems and EMR platforms
• Automation capabilities
• Audit logging
• Scalability for future growth

Step 4: Measure and Expand

After implementing your initial modernization:

• Track time savings, error reduction and staff satisfaction
• Identify additional workflows for automation
• Continuously refine and optimize your data transfer processes

The Bottom Line: Epic Excellence Requires Modern Data Infrastructure

Your Epic implementation represents a significant investment in healthcare technology. Don’t let outdated data transfer methods prevent you from realizing its full potential. Modernizing how data moves into, out of and around your Epic system isn’t just a technical upgrade—it can fundamentally transform how your organization delivers care.

The automation capabilities built into Epic can revolutionize your operations, but only if they’re supported by secure, reliable data pathways. Making this transition isn’t just about technology—it’s about empowering your staff, improving patient outcomes and securing your organization’s future in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.

Ready to take the next step? Explore how MOVEit can help healthcare organizations create secure, compliant data transfer processes that support the full potential of your Epic automation capabilities.