Epic Integration Services
Your Epic integration partner for FHIR R4 API development, SMART on FHIR applications, App Orchard publishing, MyChart integrations, and Care Everywhere connectivity.
Deep Expertise Across the Epic Ecosystem
Saga IT is a healthcare IT consulting firm with deep, hands-on experience across the full Epic integration surface. As an experienced Epic integration partner, we've delivered hundreds of integrations for hospitals, health systems, and digital health companies — from FHIR R4 API connections and MyChart portal integrations to full SMART on FHIR applications listed on Epic's Showroom marketplace.
Our team works across the entire Epic connectivity stack: FHIR R4 APIs with US Core profile conformance, HL7 v2 interfaces through Epic Bridges, Interconnect web services, MyChart patient-facing integrations, and Care Everywhere health information exchange. Whether you're building your first Epic connection or modernizing legacy Bridges interfaces with FHIR, we handle scope negotiation, sandbox development, Epic's security review, and production go-live.
Epic EHR Integration & SMART on FHIR Services
End-to-end Epic connectivity — from FHIR R4 API development and SMART on FHIR apps to App Orchard certification and go-live support.
FHIR R4 API Development
Build and consume Epic's FHIR R4 APIs for patient access, clinical data exchange, and population health workflows. We implement the full range of Epic FHIR resources including Patient, Encounter, Observation, MedicationRequest, and DiagnosticReport with proper US Core profile conformance. Our team handles scope negotiation, sandbox testing, and production certification against Epic's FHIR endpoint requirements.
SMART on FHIR Apps
Design, build, and launch SMART on FHIR applications that run inside the Epic Hyperspace workflow or as standalone patient-facing tools. We implement the full OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow with PKCE, handle EHR launch context parameters, and build responsive UIs that integrate seamlessly with clinical workflows. Our SMART apps support both provider-facing EHR launch and patient-facing MyChart launch contexts.
App Orchard & Showroom Publishing
Navigate Epic's App Orchard review and Showroom certification process to list your application in the marketplace. We guide you through the application questionnaire, security review, and technical validation steps that Epic requires. From initial submission through ongoing compliance with Epic's connection hub policies, we manage the entire publishing lifecycle so your app reaches Epic's 250M+ patient network.
MyChart Integrations
Build patient-facing integrations with MyChart including appointment scheduling, secure messaging, health record access, and proxy workflows. We implement MyChart OAuth 2.0 for patient authorization, connect third-party portals and mobile apps to MyChart data, and ensure USCDI v5 compliance for patient-facing data elements. MyChart integrations let you extend the patient experience beyond Epic's native portal.
Epic Bridges & Interconnect
Configure Epic Bridges interfaces for HL7 v2 ADT, ORM, ORU, and SIU message flows alongside Interconnect web services for SOAP and REST-based integrations. We build custom data flows between Epic and ancillary systems including labs, radiology, pharmacy, and medical devices. Our team handles Bridges configuration, message mapping, and Interconnect service deployment across Epic environments.
Data Migration & Go-Live Support
Migrate data from legacy EHR systems to Epic with comprehensive validation, terminology mapping, and reconciliation workflows. We support full go-live readiness including interface activation sequencing, data validation scripts, and parallel testing against production Epic environments. Post-go-live, we provide stabilization support to ensure all integrations are processing messages correctly and clinical workflows are uninterrupted.
Choosing the Right Epic Integration Path
Epic offers four primary integration methods — each designed for different use cases, data requirements, and system architectures. Choosing the right approach is the first and most important decision in any Epic integration project.
FHIR R4 APIs
REST/HTTPS, JSON
Epic Bridges
HL7 v2, TCP/MLLP
Interconnect
SOAP/REST, Custom
Care Everywhere
IHE/FHIR, Cross-org
| Feature | FHIR R4 APIs | Epic Bridges | Interconnect | Care Everywhere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol | REST/HTTPS | TCP/MLLP | SOAP or REST | IHE XCA/XCPD + FHIR |
| Data Format | FHIR JSON (R4) | HL7 v2 pipes | XML or JSON | CDA/FHIR bundles |
| Auth Model | OAuth 2.0 + PKCE | VPN + certificates | API key or cert | Certificate-based trust |
| Best For | SMART apps, patient access, clinical queries | ADT feeds, lab orders/results, scheduling | Custom web services, legacy system calls | Cross-org data sharing, record queries |
| Epic Direction | Primary — actively expanding | Stable — essential for operations | Niche — specific use cases | Growing — TEFCA adoption |
| Typical Timeline | 6–10 weeks | 4–8 weeks per interface | 4–6 weeks | Varies by network |
In practice, most Epic integration projects use a combination of these methods. A digital health vendor might use FHIR R4 APIs for a new patient-facing app while maintaining HL7 v2 interfaces through Bridges for existing lab and ADT feeds. Our team helps you determine the right integration architecture for your specific use case and Epic environment.
SMART on FHIR Launch Sequence
Every Epic FHIR integration follows the SMART App Launch framework — the industry-standard OAuth 2.0 authorization pattern for clinical applications. Understanding this five-step sequence is critical for any application that reads or writes data within an Epic EHR environment.
Phase 1: Launch
The app is launched from Epic Hyperspace, MyChart, or a standalone context. Epic passes an iss parameter identifying the FHIR server and a launch token encoding the clinical context — including the current patient, encounter, and user. For EHR launch, the app receives this context from the embedding frame; for standalone launch, the app initiates the flow directly with the FHIR server’s authorization endpoint.
Inside the Epic Platform
Beyond the core integration APIs, Epic's platform includes marketplaces, health information exchange networks, and data analytics tools that shape how third-party applications connect and deliver value.
Publishing Applications on Epic Showroom
Epic Showroom (formerly App Orchard) is Epic's marketplace where third-party applications are listed for Epic customer organizations to discover, evaluate, and activate. Getting listed requires navigating Epic's multi-stage review process — and the requirements depend on which marketplace tier your application targets.
Epic organizes Showroom into three tiers: Connection Hub for data integrations and system connections, Toolbox for clinical tools and workflow applications, and Workshop for enterprise-level integrations and analytics platforms. Each tier has different technical requirements, security review depth, and compliance expectations.
The listing process typically takes 8 to 16 weeks and follows a structured path: application questionnaire, technical security review, FHIR API compliance validation, and ongoing adherence to Epic's connection hub policies. Once listed, applications must pass periodic recertification reviews as Epic updates its security and interoperability requirements.
Saga IT guides vendors through the entire Showroom submission lifecycle — from initial scope negotiation and application questionnaire preparation through security review responses and production certification. We handle the technical details so your team can focus on building a great product.
Epic Care Everywhere & Health Information Exchange
Care Everywhere is Epic's health information exchange network that enables clinical data sharing between Epic organizations and external health systems. When a patient presents at a facility, Care Everywhere automatically queries connected organizations for available records — returning clinical summaries, medication histories, allergies, and recent encounter data in real time.
Care Everywhere uses IHE profiles (XCA, XCPD) and FHIR APIs to facilitate patient record queries, care document exchange, and event notifications across organizational boundaries. For non-Epic organizations, Care Everywhere connects through Carequality, CommonWell Health Alliance, and TEFCA networks to enable cross-platform interoperability — making it one of the largest health data exchange networks in the United States.
Saga IT helps healthcare organizations optimize their Care Everywhere configuration, troubleshoot query failures, and integrate Care Everywhere data flows with downstream clinical and analytics systems. For organizations building health information exchange strategies, Care Everywhere is often the starting point for cross-organizational data sharing.
Epic Cosmos Data Platform
Epic Cosmos is Epic's de-identified real-world data platform that aggregates clinical data from across the Epic ecosystem — representing more than 280 million patients across Epic organizations worldwide. Cosmos powers research analytics, clinical benchmarking, and population health insights using de-identified data that preserves patient privacy while enabling large-scale analysis.
Organizations use Cosmos for clinical trial feasibility, population health research, outcomes analysis, and AI model training. The platform provides access to longitudinal patient records across demographics, diagnoses, procedures, medications, and lab results — making it one of the largest clinical data repositories available for healthcare research.
For organizations working with Cosmos data, integration typically involves data extraction pipelines, research data network connectivity, and analytics platform integrations. As Epic expands Cosmos capabilities and more organizations contribute data, the platform is becoming increasingly central to healthcare research infrastructure and real-world evidence generation.
Common Questions
Epic integration services encompass the design, development, testing, and deployment of technical connections between Epic's EHR platform and external systems. This includes building FHIR R4 APIs for clinical data exchange, developing SMART on FHIR applications that run within Epic Hyperspace, configuring HL7 v2 interfaces through Epic Bridges, and publishing applications to Epic's App Orchard marketplace. Integration partners like Saga IT handle the full lifecycle — from initial scope definition and sandbox development through Epic's security review and production go-live.
SMART on FHIR is an open standard that defines how third-party applications securely launch within an EHR and access clinical data via FHIR APIs. With Epic, the process follows a four-step OAuth 2.0 flow: the app launches from Hyperspace or MyChart with clinical context, redirects to Epic's authorization server to request data scopes, exchanges an authorization code for an access token, and then queries Epic's FHIR R4 endpoint with that token. Epic enforces strict scope validation against the app's App Orchard registration, and all SMART apps must pass Epic's security review before production deployment.
Epic App Orchard (now branded as Epic Showroom) is Epic's marketplace where third-party applications are listed for Epic customer organizations to discover and activate. Getting listed requires completing Epic's application questionnaire, passing a technical security review, demonstrating FHIR API compliance, and meeting Epic's connection hub policies for data handling and privacy. The review process typically takes 8 to 16 weeks depending on application complexity and the scope of FHIR resources accessed. Saga IT guides vendors through the entire submission lifecycle, from initial application through ongoing compliance with Epic's recertification requirements.
Timeline depends on the integration type and complexity. A straightforward FHIR R4 API integration with read-only patient data access can be completed in 6 to 10 weeks, including sandbox development, testing, and Epic certification. SMART on FHIR applications with bidirectional data exchange typically take 12 to 20 weeks. Full App Orchard listing adds 8 to 16 weeks for Epic's review process. HL7 v2 interface development through Epic Bridges generally takes 4 to 8 weeks per interface. Data migration projects for Epic go-lives vary significantly based on the source system and data volume, but typically span 3 to 6 months.
HL7 v2 is a legacy messaging standard that uses pipe-delimited segments transmitted over TCP/MLLP connections — it has been the backbone of healthcare integration for 30 years and remains essential for ADT feeds, lab orders, and results. Epic FHIR R4 is a modern RESTful API standard using JSON resources over HTTPS, designed for web and mobile application development. FHIR R4 supports fine-grained resource access with OAuth 2.0 security, while HL7 v2 operates on a push-based event model. Most Epic environments use both: FHIR R4 for new application integrations and SMART apps, and HL7 v2 for high-volume, real-time clinical message flows through Epic Bridges.
Saga IT has extensive experience building and certifying integrations within Epic's ecosystem, including FHIR R4 API development, SMART on FHIR application deployment, and App Orchard listing support. Our team has delivered hundreds of Epic integrations across health systems of varying size, from community hospitals to large academic medical centers. We are deeply familiar with Epic's security review process, connection hub policies, and the technical requirements for production FHIR and HL7 v2 connectivity. We work as your integration partner to navigate Epic's certification requirements and ensure your application meets all of Epic's standards for production deployment.
Epic Care Everywhere is Epic's health information exchange network that enables clinical data sharing between Epic organizations and external health systems through Carequality, CommonWell, and TEFCA. Saga IT helps healthcare organizations optimize Care Everywhere configuration, troubleshoot query failures, and integrate exchange data with clinical and analytics workflows.
The United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) is a standardized set of health data classes and elements required for interoperable exchange under the 21st Century Cures Act. USCDI v5 expands the required data elements to include additional clinical notes, social determinants of health, treatment plans, and health insurance information. For Epic integrations, this means FHIR R4 APIs must support a broader set of resources and data elements in their responses, particularly for patient access and provider directory use cases. Epic updates its FHIR API surface to align with each USCDI version, so applications built on Epic's FHIR endpoints need to handle the expanded data set and conform to updated US Core FHIR profiles.
Related Services
We Integrate With All Major EHRs
Resources
Find Your Epic Integration Partner
From FHIR API development to App Orchard publishing — tell us about your Epic integration needs and we'll scope your project.