Electronic health record giant Epic is doubling down on its artificial intelligence strategy by introducing "Agent Factory," a platform designed to let healthcare organizations build, customize, and orchestrate their own AI agents. Unveiled at the HIMSS26 conference, this sandbox environment allows health systems to integrate local policies and specific knowledge bases directly into automated clinical and operational workflows.

Beyond infrastructure, Epic is expanding its suite of specialized assistants. The "Art" clinical assistant now features conversational capabilities, allowing doctors to ask direct questions about patient trends during visits. Meanwhile, "Penny" focuses on the revenue cycle, significantly reducing coding denials and the time required for prior authorization. These tools are no longer just theoretical; early adopters report finishing discharge summaries up to 30% faster and achieving a lung cancer early detection rate of 69%, far surpassing the national average of 46%.

The roadmap also includes "Curiosity," a series of medical foundation models trained on anonymized real-world patient records. By analyzing patterns across millions of medical histories, these models aim to predict future medical events, from likely diagnoses to potential medication reactions. With over 85% of Epic’s customer base already utilizing its AI features, the focus has shifted from simple documentation help to driving tangible clinical outcomes and operational efficiency across the entire healthcare ecosystem.

Electronic health record giant Epic is doubling down on its artificial intelligence strategy by introducing "Agent Factory," a platform designed to let healthcare organizations build, customize, and orchestrate their own AI agents. Unveiled at the HIMSS26 conference, this sandbox environment allows health systems to integrate local policies and specific knowledge bases directly into automated clinical and operational workflows.

Beyond infrastructure, Epic is expanding its suite of specialized assistants. The "Art" clinical assistant now features conversational capabilities, allowing doctors to ask direct questions about patient trends during visits. Meanwhile, "Penny" focuses on the revenue cycle, significantly reducing coding denials and the time required for prior authorization. These tools are no longer just theoretical; early adopters report finishing discharge summaries up to 30% faster and achieving a lung cancer early detection rate of 69%, far surpassing the national average of 46%.

The roadmap also includes "Curiosity," a series of medical foundation models trained on anonymized real-world patient records. By analyzing patterns across millions of medical histories, these models aim to predict future medical events, from likely diagnoses to potential medication reactions. With over 85% of Epic’s customer base already utilizing its AI features, the focus has shifted from simple documentation help to driving tangible clinical outcomes and operational efficiency across the entire healthcare ecosystem.