AI Scribe by Epic
Next week is the UGM? Look for the announcement. Why does it take so long to switch from Cobol or perhaps MUMPS? It is always amazing to us the resistance to efficiency that institutions have. Banks, restaurants, and airlines still running on Windows 97 e.g. Why do I have to type so much stuff? Try checking in with EpicHealth for Optum. Exhausted 20 minutes later.
Epic did not make a formal public announcement of a new Scribe AI product yesterday, but multiple credible sources report that Epic is prepping the launch of its own proprietary AI scribe this month, and it is considered imminent. The most recent coverage from August 11, 2025, states Epic is “reportedly prepping to launch its own AI scribe,” which is set to shake up the health tech market currently dominated by startups like Abridge and Nuance.politico+2
Key context:
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Epic’s AI scribe will automatically transcribe doctors’ notes during patient visits, aiming to reduce clinicians’ documentation burden.beckershospitalreview+1
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Epic previously partnered with ambient scribe vendors (Microsoft/Nuance, Abridge) but is now joining other top EHR vendors (Athenahealth, Oracle) in developing an in-house scribe tool.politico+1
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Market watchers and participants (HIStalk, Axios) expect the full official announcement soon, possibly at Epic’s User Group Meeting (UGM) in August.histalk2+1
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Many industry commentators believe Epic’s vast data resources and integration advantage will quickly give their scribe product a competitive edge, even if initial functionality is basic.histalk2
No Epic press release or official post dated August 10 or 11 is referenced, but coverage from Axios, HIStalk, and Politico confirms that the product’s announcement is both widely anticipated and considered imminent. If you require the full Epic press release or a direct statement, it has not yet been located in major news sources as of August 11, 2025.
The Epic User Group Meeting (UGM) in August 2025 is scheduled for August 18–21, 2025 at Epic’s Verona, Wisconsin campus.caregility+3
This annual event gathers healthcare professionals, executives, directors, and clinicians to exchange insights, learn about new Epic software features, and share best practices. Most announcements and major sessions—including any anticipated launches such as Epic’s proprietary Scribe AI—traditionally occur within these dates, with the opening day often featuring keynote addresses and the official unveiling of new products.
Has Epic Done This Before?
1. Laboratory Information Systems: Beaker Module
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Partnership history: Historically, Epic partnered with standalone lab vendors (like Sunquest, Cerner, and interfaced with reference labs) for laboratory information systems (LIS).
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Epic’s own module: In the late 2000s, Epic began developing its Beaker modules (Clinical Pathology and Anatomic Pathology), offering hospitals an Epic-integrated LIS to replace those third-party solutions.academic.oup+3
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Effect: The release of Beaker allowed clients to leverage tight integration with Epic’s EMR, reducing interfaces, costs, and reliance on external lab vendors.
2. Telehealth: Telehealth Anywhere & Video Visits
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Partnership history: Epic originally partnered with external telehealth platform providers, such as Twilio and other major telehealth vendors, embedding their platforms for video visits directly into Epic workflows.beckershospitalreview
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Epic’s own module: Epic later began offering its own “Telehealth Anywhere” platform and native video visit tools, deeply integrated into its EMR and scheduling systems—reducing the need for third-party telehealth software.epic+1
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Effect: The new Epic-native telehealth features allowed health systems to keep more workflows inside Epic, simplifying integration and offering new fee structures.
3. Ambient AI Scribe & Clinical Documentation
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Partnership history: Epic previously partnered with Nuance (Microsoft) and Abridge for clinical documentation and ambient scribe functionalities within its EMR.blogs.microsoft
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Epic’s own product: Epic is now poised to launch its own AI-powered scribe module, streamlining doctors’ note-taking and competing directly with former partners.
4. Payer Platform (Insurance Connectivity)
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Partnership history: Epic’s environment enabled data connections and integrations with payer platforms and startups (like Particle Health) for insurance and care management use cases.medicaleconomics
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Epic’s own module: Epic eventually released its own Payer Platform module, competing directly in the space and becoming dominant due to its integration advantage.healthapiguy.substack+1
Strategic Patterns
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Epic’s strategy is often to observe successful “adjacent” vendor offerings, initially integrate those via partnerships, and then build competing in-house modules that offer deeper Epic native integration.healthapiguy.substack+2
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This approach allows Epic to expand its software footprint, reduce reliance on third parties, and extract more value from its existing client relationships.
Noteworthy Partnership-Endings
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The Xtenity partnership with Philips in the mid-2000s aimed to create a scaled-down Epic offering for mid-sized organizations, but ended abruptly—with Epic hiring the team and taking the product development in-house.clinfowiki+1
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Multiple ambient and telehealth integrations with Microsoft/Nuance, Abridge, and Twilio are now being reevaluated in favor of Epic-native solutions.blogs.microsoft+1
In summary, Epic’s history is marked by an initial willingness to partner, followed by a long-term preference to develop native modules that eventually compete with, and often overshadow, those third-party solutions. This pattern has repeated in laboratories, telehealth, clinical documentation/scribes, and payer platforms.
