Health Systems Formed Governance for Epic AI Tools

Hospitals are establishing review boards to manage the integration and evaluation of new AI features from Epic.

Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Isometric editorial illustration of interconnected modular blocks representing digital infrastructure and systems integration in a clinical environment. — Health systems in the United States are establishing internal review boards to manage the rapid deployment and evaluation of Epic's artificial intelligence tools. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Health systems across the United States have implemented internal governance processes to prioritize and evaluate the rapid influx of artificial intelligence tools from Epic. These structures aim to manage the operational challenges of pilot programs and choose integrated solutions over third-party software.

Why it matters

The volume of AI tools released by Epic has outpaced the capacity of many health systems to pilot them individually. As a result, hospitals are increasingly prioritizing Epic-integrated tools that are already licensed and linked to their existing digital infrastructure.

Rush University System for Health automated clinical registry reporting using Layer Health, replacing a manual process that required 5 staff members and $1 million in annual costs. Other systems, like Brooklyn Hospital Center, now delay Epic AI adoption until larger networks resolve initial complications.

The players

Epic

Epic is a prominent health information technology company that provides electronic health record software to healthcare organizations.

Seattle Children's

Seattle Children's is a pediatric hospital and research center that has established an AI Review Board to govern new tool evaluations.

Rush University System for Health

Rush University System for Health is an academic health system that has adopted Layer Health for automated clinical registry reporting.

Brooklyn Hospital Center

The Brooklyn Hospital Center is a healthcare provider that intentionally delays the rollout of new Epic AI features.

Mahaska Health

Mahaska Health is a community health provider that uses the Epic Community Connect program through UnityPoint Health.

The details

Seattle Children’s created an AI Review Board to evaluate and govern incoming technologies, while Mahaska Health utilizes the Epic Community Connect program via UnityPoint Health. Hospitals are shifting toward these internal oversight methods to handle the high density of software updates being released within the Epic ecosystem.

Epic has been developing its clinical registry tool from 2024 through 2026.
Industry leaders discussed these strategies at the September 2026 Becker's IT + Revenue Cycle Conference in Chicago.

The Tech Race

This integration trend follows a pattern set by Epic Community Connect, which allows smaller health systems to leverage the infrastructure of larger networks. Hospitals are increasingly favoring these native ecosystem tools as they replace fragmented third-party software point solutions.

Patients may experience more efficient administrative processes and faster clinical registry reporting as hospitals successfully automate manual tasks. These governance strategies aim to ensure that new AI tools are tested for reliability before they affect the standard of patient care.

The takeaway

Hospitals are shifting from passive software adoption to active internal governance to manage the rapid pace of digital health innovation. Administrators should prioritize integrated tools that fit within existing ecosystems to minimize the operational strain of testing and implementation.