Migrating to Epic is one of the most complex and high-stakes digital transformations a healthcare organization can take on. Hundreds of interfaces. Dozens of applications. Thousands of workflows—all needing to align without disrupting patient care.
For many health systems, this is more than a technology transition. It’s a once-in-a-decade opportunity to modernize your integration strategy. When the drywall is open, redo the plumbing.
Epic migrations are the perfect time to simplify, consolidate, and future-proof your data architecture—because what you do now will shape how fast and effectively your organization delivers connected care in the years ahead.
10 Tips for a Successful Epic Migration
1. Start with alignment, not configuration.
IT leaders should start conversations with colleagues across departments as soon as possible. Early engagement builds buy-in, uncovers roadblocks, and ensures everyone moves forward with shared goals.
2. Define your migration strategy.
Project managers should collaborate closely with interface and application teams—as well as your integration engine vendor—to design the right approach. Will you phase go-lives by interface group or execute a single “big bang” cutover? Decide early to align resources and expectations.
3. Clarify roles and communication.
Every stakeholder should understand their responsibilities and how progress will be tracked and communicated. Clear accountability and consistent updates prevent confusion and keep projects on schedule.
4. Validate everything before go-live.
Assign an analyst to each application and require sign-off on every new interface prior to production. Thorough testing saves weeks of rework.
5. Use your migration to clean up legacy data.
Decide whether you’ll leave legacy data in your old EHR or backload it into Epic. If you choose to import, identify which systems and data types are most valuable to retain.
6. Document your integration landscape.
Take inventory of your current environment—applications, interfaces, and dependencies. Diagram both your current and future state to visualize the transformation and avoid surprises.
7. Reconcile MRNs.
Legacy MRNs rarely match those in Epic. Determine how you’ll link historical and current patient records, where legacy MRNs will live, and how they’ll be represented in HL7 message traffic.
8. Prepare for increased message volume.
Epic is “chatty”—often sending several times more ADT messages than other systems. Configure settings to manage message volume and ensure your integration engine can handle the load.
9. Filter out unnecessary data.
If downstream systems don’t need certain segments (like ROL, CON, or A31), filter them out. Reducing noise helps maintain efficiency and system performance.
10. Build for the hybrid future.
If you’re implementing Epic in the cloud but still have client-hosted systems, be mindful of connectivity, security, and redundancy. Design a resilient hybrid integration model that meets your organization’s long-term needs.
What This Means for You
For CIOs: Future-proof your integration ecosystem, reduce technical debt, and deliver measurable ROI.
For Integration Architects: Migrate confidently with a proven, Epic-endorsed partner and robust toolkit.
For Clinicians: Experience fewer disruptions, faster data availability, and more reliable workflows.
How Rhapsody Accelerates Epic Adoption
Rhapsody’s Professional Services and interoperability platform help organizations go live faster and operate more efficiently—whether you’re migrating from Infor, Cloverleaf, Mirth, or another legacy integration engine.
As a proven, Epic-endorsed interoperability partner and Best in KLAS integration engine, Rhapsody helps healthcare organizations:
- Migrate up to 50% faster with streamlined interface builds and reusable templates
- Achieve 193% efficiency gains through workflow automation and environment consolidation
- Reduce risk with Epic-specific migration accelerators and deep HL7/FHIR expertise
- Maintain continuity across hybrid environments—on-prem, cloud, and everything in between
Peer-Proven Results
Organizations across the country have trusted Rhapsody to power their Epic transitions:
- UofL Health consolidated multiple integration engines during its Epic migration, reducing complexity while accelerating go-live timelines.
- OU Health used Rhapsody to unify data flows across clinical and ancillary systems, enabling real-time interoperability at scale.
- WVU Health System leveraged Rhapsody’s migration toolkit to move to Epic’s cloud-hosted environment—ensuring stability, performance, and compliance from day one.
These health systems didn’t just migrate; they modernized their integration foundation for long-term ROI.
Partner with Rhapsody for a Seamless Transition
If your project timelines are at risk due to integration complexity, don’t push ahead at the expense of quality. Rhapsody has helped many organizations around the world transition to Epic with confidence. With the right strategy, tooling, and expertise, we can help your team plan, execute, and optimize your migration for long-tern success.
Let’s connect before your next milestone. Together, we can make your Epic migration truly epic.
