Epic EHR Integration Services: FHIR, Interconnect and HL7
Epic integration services help digital health companies, labs and hospitals connect their products to Epic, the EHR used by many of the largest US health systems. Taction Software builds Epic integrations using certified FHIR APIs, Interconnect web services, Bridges HL7 interfaces and SMART on FHIR apps. We also explain the part most vendors skip: which steps you can complete independently and which require a customer health system to sponsor your work. That answer shapes every realistic timeline. Discuss your Epic integration with our engineers today.
Epic Integration Surfaces Explained
Epic offers several integration surfaces, and choosing the right one depends on your use case, data needs and relationship with customer health systems. Most products combine more than one. FHIR APIs suit standardized data access, HL7 interfaces through Bridges suit real-time clinical events, and Interconnect exposes additional web services. Understanding each option helps you plan scope accurately. Our broader EHR/EMR integration services cover other vendors using similar approaches and standards.
Certified FHIR APIs
Epic provides FHIR R4 APIs supporting US Core and USCDI data classes, such as patients, encounters, conditions, medications and results. They are the fastest route to standardized read access across Epic customers.
SMART on FHIR Apps
SMART on FHIR lets your app launch inside Epic with patient and user context. Clinicians stay in their normal workflow, while your app receives scoped access to the data it needs.
Interconnect Web Services
Interconnect is Epic's web services layer, hosting FHIR endpoints and additional APIs. Some capabilities beyond standard FHIR require customer configuration, specific agreements or participation in Epic's vendor programs. Confirm access early.
Bridges HL7 Interfaces
Bridges is Epic's interface module for HL7 v2 messaging, supporting ADT, orders, results, scheduling and charges. Customer interface teams configure Bridges, so HL7 projects always involve the health system. Plan their capacity.
Chronicles and Reporting Databases
Chronicles is Epic's operational database and is not accessed directly by vendors. Reporting databases, such as Clarity, support analytics through customer-managed extracts, rather than real-time integration. Plan extract schedules with customer teams.
What You Can Do Independently vs With a Customer Sponsor
The most common question digital health companies ask is whether they can integrate with Epic without a customer. The honest answer is partly. Developer resources, sandbox testing and some patient-facing access can begin independently, but most production integrations require a health system customer to sponsor, configure and approve your connection. Planning around this reality prevents stalled roadmaps and missed sales commitments, especially for startups hoping to integrate before signing their first Epic customer.
Developer Registration and Sandbox
Vendors can register on Epic's developer resources, create app records and test against sandbox environments independently. This supports early development and proof-of-concept work before any customer relationship exists. Start here early.
Patient-Facing API Access
Patient-facing apps using certified APIs for patient access can often connect with less customer involvement, supported by federal interoperability rules. Configuration and approval processes still vary across Epic customers. Confirm details per customer.
Provider-Facing Production Access
Provider-facing apps and backend integrations usually require customer approval, configuration and security review. Each health system decides whether to enable your app in its production environment. Plan for multiple approval steps.
HL7 Interfaces Through Bridges
HL7 integrations always need customer interface teams to build and configure Bridges interfaces. Your team provides specifications and testing, while the customer controls interface build and go-live scheduling. Book slots early.
Marketplace Listing
Epic's app marketplace, Showroom, formerly App Orchard, offers visibility and program benefits. Listing requirements and fees change over time, so check Epic's current vendor program terms before planning budget. Budget accordingly.
Our Epic Integration Services
As an Epic integration services company, we help digital health vendors and health systems build reliable connections without wasting months on avoidable rework. We design integrations around real customer environments, not only sandbox behavior, and we prepare documentation health system teams expect. Our FHIR integration and HL7 integration engineers work across Epic's surfaces, so your product uses the right approach for each workflow. Each service we offer is outlined below.
Epic FHIR API Integration
We build Epic services API integration using FHIR R4, including SMART authorization, backend services, pagination, error handling and US Core validation, tested against sandbox and customer environments. Rate limits are handled gracefully.
SMART on FHIR App Development
We build embedded apps that launch from Epic with proper context, scopes and session handling, designed to load quickly and fit within clinician workflows inside the EHR. Usability is tested with clinicians.
Epic Services HL7 Interface Support
We write interface specifications, build engine-side channels and test HL7 messages with customer Bridges teams, covering ADT, orders, results, scheduling and charge workflows. Our Mirth Connect consulting team builds the engine side.
Custom APIs and Middleware
When Epic data must reach other systems, our healthcare API development team builds secure middleware, normalizing Epic data for your product, analytics platforms or partner integrations. Everything is fully audited.
Customer Onboarding Support
We prepare security documentation, data flow diagrams and test plans, and join technical calls with customer teams, helping each new health system approve and activate your integration faster. Repeatable processes help.
Realistic Epic Integration Timeline
Epic integration timelines depend more on customer processes than development effort. Building an integration may take weeks, while customer approvals, configuration and scheduling can take months. The phases below reflect common patterns from first contact to production use at a customer site. They are indicative planning ranges, not guarantees, because health systems control their own priorities, resources and change windows. Planning these phases in parallel protects your launch commitments. Each phase is summarized below.
Discovery and Architecture: 2–4 Weeks
Define workflows, data needs, integration surfaces and security requirements. This phase clarifies which parts can start independently and which depend on a customer sponsor. Clear decisions here prevent costly redesign later in the project.
Development and Sandbox Testing: 6–12 Weeks
Build FHIR, SMART or HL7 components and test against Epic sandbox environments. Timelines vary with scope, write requirements and the number of workflows included. Sandbox results still need validation in customer environments.
Customer Security and Approval: 4–12 Weeks
Health systems review security, data use and support models. Well-prepared documentation shortens reviews, but approval timing depends on each customer's governance processes. Start these reviews early, alongside development, to protect launch dates.
Customer Configuration and Testing: 4–10 Weeks
Customer teams configure app access or Bridges interfaces, then run testing in their environments. Scheduling depends on interface team capacity and upcoming Epic upgrades. Avoid scheduling go-lives near customer upgrade windows.
Go-Live and Stabilization: 2–4 Weeks
Production activation follows customer change windows, with close monitoring afterward. Later customers usually move faster, because documentation, testing and support processes are already proven. Engineers remain on call throughout stabilization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we integrate with Epic without a customer?
Partly. You can register as a developer, build and test against Epic sandbox environments independently, and some patient-facing API access involves less customer participation. However, most provider-facing and HL7 production integrations require a health system customer to sponsor, configure, security-review and approve your connection.
What APIs does Epic provide?
Epic provides certified FHIR R4 APIs aligned with US Core and USCDI, SMART on FHIR launch capabilities, backend services authorization, bulk data export and additional web services through Interconnect. Epic also supports HL7 v2 interfaces through its Bridges module, configured by each customer's interface team.
What is Epic Showroom?
Epic Showroom is Epic's marketplace for third-party applications and vendor programs, replacing the earlier App Orchard. It provides visibility to Epic customers and access to certain program resources. Requirements, tiers and fees change over time, so review Epic's current vendor program information before planning.
How long does Epic integration take?
A typical Epic integration can take four to nine months from first contact to production at a customer site. Development often takes six to twelve weeks, while customer security review, configuration, testing and change windows add the remaining time. Later customer rollouts usually move faster.
Does Epic support HL7 interfaces?
Yes. Epic supports HL7 v2 interfaces through Bridges, covering ADT, orders, results, scheduling, documents and charges. Customer interface teams build and configure these interfaces. Vendors provide specifications, integration engine channels and testing support, coordinating go-live dates with the health system's interface team.
How much does Epic integration cost?
Cost depends on integration surfaces, workflows, write requirements, number of customers and any Epic program fees. As a guide, basic FHIR integrations typically start around $10,000 to $50,000, while multi-workflow EHR integrations can range from $50,000 to over $200,000. We provide an assumption-based estimate after discovery.
Ready to Plan Your Epic Integration?
Our integration engineers are ready to help. Free consultation, no obligation.