How to Hire Epic integration experts to fix fragmentation and unify clinical and operational systems
Epic Systems has become the leading electronic health record (EHR) platform across the U.S. and Canada, managing over 250 million patient charts and forming the backbone of healthcare operations. From admissions and clinical documentation to pharmacy and billing, Epic touches every part of the patient journey.
Despite its scale, many hospitals still struggle to achieve the efficiency and integration the platform promises. The issue is not the technology; it is the fragmented way Epic is implemented, staffed, and governed. Without unified leadership and coordinated teams, Epic becomes a collection of disconnected modules instead of a cohesive ecosystem. The result is duplicated work, data inconsistencies, missed deadlines, and clinician fatigue.
Epic’s promise vs. operational reality
Epic is built to unify care delivery, finance, and analytics through a single source of truth. Its interoperability through FHIR APIs, Bridges interfaces, and Clarity and Caboodle data models enables seamless data exchange and reporting.
In practice, however, departments often manage Epic in isolation. Clinical teams handle care workflows, finance manages Resolute billing, and IT oversees integrations. When these functions operate independently, system alignment breaks down.
This fragmentation creates:
- Duplicate data entries across departments
- Inconsistent charge capture between Ambulatory and Revenue Cycle
- Broken analytics pipelines and conflicting Clarity and Cogito reports
- Upgrade delays due to uncoordinated testing and training
Instead of enabling transformation, Epic ends up replicating the same silos it was meant to eliminate.
Where Epic fragmentation begins and how it affects organizations?
Fragmentation in Epic environments often begins with siloed implementation models where hospitals outsource different modules to separate vendors. Each team follows its own timeline and methodology, resulting in mismatched builds and unclear integration ownership. This lack of coordination is compounded by disjointed staffing structures, where analysts, developers, and project managers report to different departments or external partners.
With no unified accountability, communication gaps widen, and issues bounce between teams without resolution. Weak governance further amplifies the problem, as steering committees become passive reporting forums rather than active decision-making bodies. Risks are identified but rarely addressed in time.
Once go-live occurs, many organizations prematurely scale back resources, neglecting optimization, data validation, and user training. Over time, data accuracy declines, workflows regress to manual workarounds, and the full return on investment that Epic was designed to deliver gradually erodes.
These breakdowns come at a cost. Rework and fixes delay value realization by 18 to 24 months after go-live. Poorly aligned templates and workflows increase physician frustration and reduce user adoption.
Disconnected data creates compliance risks during HIPAA, HITRUST, and CMS audits. Analytics teams struggle to reconcile inconsistent Clarity extracts, resulting in unreliable reports and poor business decisions. Fragmentation transforms Epic from an integrated healthcare system into a high-cost, low-efficiency infrastructure that fails to deliver on its potential.
Breaking the Epic Fragmentation Cycle
To restore consistency and long-term value, healthcare organizations must replace fragmented practices with structured governance, unified teams, and skilled leadership. A coordinated operating model ensures Epic functions as one integrated system across clinical, financial, and technical domains.
1. Centralize governance
Create a single Epic Program Management Office (PMO) that oversees IT, clinical, and revenue cycle functions. The PMO should enforce build standards, manage release schedules, monitor risks, and ensure accountability for cross-functional decisions.
2. Align staffing to architecture
Structure teams around Epic domains instead of departments. Analysts supporting Ambulatory, Beacon, and Resolute modules should report to one functional lead who manages dependencies and ensures consistent configuration across the platform.
3. Invest in cross-training
Equip analysts and developers with visibility into upstream and downstream workflows. Cross-training between Clarity, Bridges, and Cogito teams strengthens data flow, improves integration accuracy, and reduces rework during upgrades.
4. Retain Experienced, Certified Leadership
Engage certified project and program managers with proven Epic delivery experience. Their technical and clinical understanding drives smooth upgrades, ensures regulatory compliance, and maintains delivery discipline across teams.
A structured, cross-functional approach transforms Epic from a set of isolated systems into a unified, efficient, and continuously improving healthcare platform.
How Procom helped a healthcare provider rebuild Epic governance and delivery efficiency
A major healthcare provider was struggling with repeated project delays, duplicated efforts, and growing dissatisfaction among stakeholders. The organization had implemented Epic across multiple functions but lacked centralized oversight to align its clinical, financial, and IT teams. Each department managed its own module with separate timelines, vendors, and objectives, leading to inconsistent delivery and frequent miscommunication.
The absence of experienced Epic project leadership meant no one was accountable for cross-module dependencies or integration checkpoints. Poor coordination between IT, finance, and clinical operations caused workflow overlaps and data inconsistencies. Governance meetings were held but lacked structure or follow-through, turning into status updates rather than decision-making sessions. As a result, project risks went unresolved, milestone tracking was inconsistent, and critical deliverables were frequently delayed. The lack of a unified management framework not only slowed delivery but also reduced overall confidence in the system’s ability to meet operational and compliance goals.
To solve this, Procom deployed two senior project managers with verified Epic delivery experience to restore structure and control. Their mandate was to unify teams, introduce governance discipline, and rebuild delivery confidence. They:
- Established a centralized governance framework with milestone dashboards and risk tracking
- Integrated module-specific workstreams under one steering structure for Ambulatory, Resolute, and Cogito
- Validated integration, migration, and reporting checkpoints across functions
- Enhanced communication between IT, finance, and clinical leadership through structured, hybrid collaboration
The project achieved 100% of milestones on schedule and reduced delivery risk by 30% through proactive management. Improved visibility accelerated decision-making, boosted team morale, and restored leadership confidence across departments.
Through structured governance, clear accountability, and experienced leadership, Procom helped the client eliminate Epic fragmentation, restore operational efficiency, and achieve sustainable delivery performance.
Turning Epic into a unified, high-value system
Epic’s success depends on unified governance and skilled execution. When managed in silos, it becomes inefficient and fragmented. Healthcare organizations must align teams by domain and invest in certified leadership. Procom bridges these gaps by providing Epic-certified professionals, project managers, and governance experts who restore structure, improve collaboration, and ensure delivery accountability. With Procom’s proven healthcare project management expertise, Epic evolves from a documentation tool into a fully integrated platform that drives efficiency, compliance, and improved patient outcomes.
