Open@Epic to Return in 2026 to Boost Healthcare Data Sharing

Epic Systems has announced that its Open@Epic conference will return in 2026, continuing the company’s efforts to accelerate healthcare data sharing and interoperability. The event is a focused conference designed for healthcare developers and individuals interested in connecting apps and services to providers using Epic software.

The conference serves as a forum for Epic to outline technical paths, free resources and programs available to developers. The goal is to foster a collaborative environment where the industry can advance the ways patients, clinicians, and healthcare organizations exchange medical data.

Data Exchange and API Growth

The scale of Epic’s data exchange ecosystem has grown significantly. According to company data, over 745 billion data exchanges occurred using Epic’s publicly available APIs within a single year. Further metrics indicate 8.54 billion annual patient records are exchanged, with 54% of those involving non-Epic organizations.

The company also reports 592 billion annual interface transactions using standards-based interfaces and 239 billion annual web service transactions via its public APIs. Currently, 2,510 live apps utilize open.epic web services.

Patient-Driven Data Initiatives

A central component of Epic’s current roadmap is MyChart Central. Seth Hain, Epic’s SVP of R&D, stated that this platform is designed to allow patients to maintain a single MyChart account that aggregates health data from multiple different organizations.

The platform aims to simplify how patients share their medical records with trusted apps through a few clicks, providing a more comprehensive medical picture. To improve accessibility, Epic is implementing built-in biometrics support, which allows users to log in without the need for usernames and passwords.

Epic is also integrating support for the Bluetooth Generic Health Sensor specification. This technical update is intended to make it easier for patients to connect home medical devices, such as blood pressure cuffs, directly to MyChart.

Developer Ecosystem and Technical Roadmap

Epic is expanding the tools available to its developer community to support AI, analytics, and population health applications. This includes the licensing of the Clarity data model, which provides population-level data.

The company has detailed several specific API releases and feature updates scheduled for 2025 and 2026:

• Real-Time Wayfinding: “Blue dot” navigation within MyChart, which was expected in November 2025.
• Prior Authorization APIs: Tools designed to strengthen communication between providers and payers, set for February 2026.
• Staff Duress APIs: Location-aware alerts for nursing staff, also releasing in February 2026.

Midmark RTLS, a real-time locating system provider, is among the early adopters of the Staff Duress APIs. HT Snowday of Midmark RTLS noted that the company has already used the Midmark CareFlow RTLS interface to improve patient flow, productivity, and care team communication for shared customers.

Regulatory Compliance and Standards

Epic is aligning its development with federal regulations and international standards. The company has published more than 50 APIs and integration playbooks to support the CMS-0057 Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule. These tools are intended to improve workflows for payers, providers, and patients.

Epic is developing FHIR APIs to support the USCDI v5 data set. This expansion will improve the standardized exchange of diagnostic images, medication adherence, and advanced directives.

Other recent technical releases include 12 new FHIR APIs for radiation oncology treatment delivery systems to exchange radiation treatment summaries (XRTS), as well as an API allowing contact center agents to manage phone system controls directly within Hyperspace.

To assist developers with clinical and operational workflows, Epic has introduced new playbooks focused on the validation of AI features, specialty registries, and ED pre-arrival EMS workflows.