Epic is the most widely deployed EHR in the United States, powering clinical workflows at many of the country’s largest health systems. But even Epic goes down. And when it does, hospitals using Epic face the same challenge as every other organization: how do you keep delivering care when your primary system is unavailable?
dbtech’s integration with Epic EHR addresses that question directly, and goes well beyond basic downtime coverage to extend Epic’s functionality in meaningful ways every day, not just during outages.
Why Epic Hospitals Need a Third-Party Downtime Solution
Epic is a powerful, comprehensive platform, but its native downtime capabilities have limits. When the system is offline or the network is disrupted, access to patient data becomes restricted or unavailable entirely. Hospitals that rely solely on Epic’s built-in tools often resort to paper-based workflows, a process that research shows significantly increases recovery time, error rates, and compliance risk.
The core problem is that paper records must be manually re-keyed into Epic after recovery, a slow, labor-intensive process that introduces errors and can require extra staffing for days. A third-party integration like dbtech solves this by maintaining a live, continuously updated mirror of critical patient data that persists independently of the Epic network.
How the dbtech–Epic Integration Works
dbtech integrates with Epic through industry-standard HL7 messaging. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
While Epic is operational: HL7 messages flow continuously from Epic into the dbtech system, populating it with current patient data, registrations, census updates, insurance information, and more. This happens silently in the background, requiring no action from clinical staff.
When Epic goes down: The dbtech downtime system immediately becomes the active patient management environment. Staff at any networked workstation, or at a dedicated offline downtime workstation, can access current patient data, register new encounters, complete eForms, print wristbands and labels, and capture signatures electronically.
When Epic comes back online: dbtech’s Rapid Recovery feature uses outbound HL7 to automatically push all data collected during the downtime event back into Epic. Recovery that once took days of manual re-entry now takes hours, or less.
Key Features of the dbtech–Epic Integration
Real-Time Patient Data Access
dbtech captures and stores patient census, registration history, and insurance data in real time. During an Epic outage, this information is immediately available, clinicians don’t need to search for paper records or rely on memory.
Electronic Downtime Workflows
Rather than reverting to paper, dbtech enables fully electronic workflows during Epic downtime. Patient access teams can register new encounters using the facility’s own downtime encounter numbers. Nursing can document care. All activity is stored securely and transferred back to Epic post-recovery.
eForms That Extend Epic’s Reach
dbtech’s eForms solution integrates directly with Epic, enabling forms to auto-populate with patient data via HL7. Consent forms, registration documents, and clinical documentation can all be completed and signed electronically, with or without Epic being available. This eliminates the paper forms inventory and reduces the costly errors that come with manual re-entry.
Automated Patient Registration
dbtech automates time-consuming registration tasks that Epic handles manually: printing barcoded wristbands, armbands, and labels; generating pre-populated forms; and capturing electronic signatures. This speeds up patient throughput during both normal operations and downtime events.
HIPAA-Compliant Data Security
dbtech’s Epic integration uses data encryption, multi-level authentication, and user permission settings to protect patient data at every stage. The integration also supports HIPAA compliance by ensuring proper data transfer protocols and providing audit-ready documentation. Learn more about dbtech’s security and compliance approach.
Document Management and Archiving
dbtech’s document management module allows hospital staff to scan and store patient documents electronically. This reduces paper handling, lowers storage costs, and ensures scanned documents are immediately accessible within the Epic environment. It also provides a cost-effective solution for archiving data from legacy or retired platforms.
Addressing Epic’s Planned Downtime Windows
Every Epic hospital schedules maintenance windows, system updates, upgrades, and configuration changes that require the EHR to go offline for several hours. With dbtech, planned downtime becomes a non-event. Because the dbtech system is pre-populated with current patient data and operates independently of the Epic network, clinical and administrative staff can continue working during scheduled maintenance without switching to paper. When Epic returns, all activity syncs automatically.
This is particularly valuable for organizations running 24/7 operations where even a midnight maintenance window creates real clinical workflow challenges.
Beyond Downtime: Everyday Value for Epic Hospitals
dbtech’s Epic integration delivers measurable operational value every day, not just during outages: faster patient registration with fewer manual steps, reduced paper and printing costs, lower billing error rates thanks to pre-populated eForms, streamlined audit processes with centralized document management, and eliminated costs associated with legacy platform licenses and hardware. For Epic hospitals looking to extend the value of their EHR investment, dbtech provides additional functionality that Epic alone doesn’t offer, at a fraction of the cost of building it within Epic itself.
Ready to Extend Your Epic Investment?
If your organization runs Epic and wants to strengthen its downtime posture, and improve everyday clinical workflows, contact dbtech to schedule a demo. You can also explore dbtech’s downtime solution overview to see the full range of capabilities available.