In exam rooms and hospital corridors across Central Florida, the way care is delivered is rapidly evolving, with much of that transformation happening behind the scenes. AdventHealth, Halifax Health and UF Health are among a growing number of healthcare systems, including Orlando Health and Mayo Clinic, implementing Epic, a widely adopted electronic health records (EHR) platform that’s reshaping how hospitals operate and how patients experience care.

While going digital isn’t new in healthcare, the scope and ambition behind these systems’ “all-in” adoption of Epic represent a new era in health-system modernization. For patients, it means greater access, clearer communication, and safer, more coordinated care. For providers, it’s a data-driven foundation that supports evidence-based medicine, efficiency and collaboration.

Laying the Groundwork for Transformation

For AdventHealth, the Epic journey began in 2019 with an enterprise-wide push toward digital standardization. “We know patients have better outcomes when we adhere to evidence-based guidelines, and Epic helps hardwire those practices,” said Dr. Kristin McCabe-Kline, Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer for AdventHealth East Florida Division and Corporate Growth/Acquisitions Chief.

The implementation spanned years and required tight coordination across multiple hospitals, departments and specialties. “This is a huge investment, and a commitment to creating infrastructure that requires ongoing partnership,” said Dr. McCabe-Kline. “But in terms of ROI, there’s no substitute for having a standardized electronic health record across the continuum of care.”

Halifax Health is currently mid-implementation, having launched its Epic project in early 2025 with a go-live slated for early 2026. The health system’s $92 million investment includes not just software but a significant workforce component. “We purposefully invested in our own system—hiring local talent and clinical staff,” said Dr. Michael Heiland, Chief Medical Information Officer at Halifax. “This is a community benefit in more ways than one.”

Connecting the Dots for Patients

The move to Epic is more than a technology upgrade—it’s a shift toward integrated, patient-centered care. “Epic reduces waste—for example, you’re less likely to get the same scan twice, since records are more accessible,” said Dr. Heiland. “It’s safer, there’s more transparency, and you’re empowered with your own information.”

For patients who split care across facilities, Epic’s interoperability features like Care Everywhere allow records to follow them. “That information now travels more easily with the patient,” said McCabe-Kline. “It closes gaps in care.”

Halifax’s partnership with UF Health further extends those benefits, giving patients a more complete record across systems. The consolidation of patient portals, for example, will offer one unified place to view results, schedule appointments and manage health data.

For Clinicians, a New Way of Working

Epic has also reshaped how doctors and nurses interact with the system—and each other. “This is a massive change,” said Dr. Heiland, who noted that more than 100 clinical groups are being leveraged to analyze and optimize workflow. “We’re not just focusing on the effects this will have immediately, but we’re thinking two to three years ahead about how we’ll operate more efficiently.”

“Previously, most work was done at stationary computers,” said McCabe-Kline. “Epic’s mobile-centric platform  allows clinicians to stay engaged with patients at the bedside and complete tasks more efficiently throughout the day.”

Halifax also hopes to tap into Epic’s Signal analytics tool to monitor provider efficiency and identify opportunities for additional training or support at the individual level.

The shift to Epic also serves as a recruitment tool, explains Dr. Heiland. “This is a well-known system that many students and residents leaving programs are already using. Now, we not only compete with external markets, but new hires can plug in faster and hit the ground running.”

Smarter Systems, Better Outcomes

Behind the scenes, Epic’s analytics capabilities are helping hospitals proactively identify high-risk patients, close care gaps and reduce costs. Halifax envisions using Healthy Planet, Epic’s population health tool, to tailor care and outreach based on local needs. “Our hope is that it allows us to craft campaigns around real community health priorities,” said Dr. Heiland.

Epic’s expansive, de-identified data warehouse also allows local clinicians to access insights drawn from millions of patient records across the country. “We have all these different expertise and knowledge bases. With Epic, you can find similar patient cases and avoid duplicating efforts,” he said. “It connects us better than we’ve ever been before.”

At AdventHealth, the data advantage already shows up in patient outcomes. “There have been so many scenarios where we’ve been able to leverage order sets to ensure no part of the care plan is overlooked,” said McCabe-Kline. “When providers are guided by real-time data, they can make safer decisions faster.”

Meeting the Moment—Together

Implementing a system as large as Epic isn’t without hurdles. Cultural and technical challenges abound, especially when hospitals must keep daily operations running throughout the process.

“Nothing else stops—we still have to take care of patients,” said Maggie Downey, Halifax’s Epic Project Director. “It’s been above-and-beyond energy from everyone, but it’s brought us together.”

AdventHealth’s “swarm” support teams, which traveled between sites during its rollout, helped ease the transition. “We never left providers to figure things out alone,” McCabe-Kline said.

Why It Matters

At its core, the Epic transformation is about trust, empowerment and access.

“AdventHealth is a patient-centric organization,” said McCabe-Klein. “Your health information is very powerful, and when you seek care from us, we have the information structure to take great care of you. You’re not just leveraging the fact that you go to Dr. Heart for cardiology, you’re leveraging every cardiologist who utilizes this system.”

“As a patient, I want to know what’s going on—whether I’m inside or outside the hospital,” said Halifax CIO Mike Marques. “Epic creates that engaged system where you’re more involved in your care.”

And the impact extends beyond technology. “We’re the community’s hospitals,” Dr. Heiland said. “It just makes sense that we’ve made this investment into our community.”