Previously we shared how we built a platform that unifies the daily tools of radiologists, including image viewers, reporting, voice dictation and more, into a single workspace. No more bouncing between systems and no more manual double-checks.
As part of that work, we had to make the platform play nicely with Epic, one of the most widely used EHR (electronic health record) systems in the US. Picture the workflow: a radiologist picks a patient in our platform’s worklist, Epic pops open that patient’s electronic health record in its interface, and once the report is signed or discarded, Epic closes it automatically. In short, we wanted Epic to follow the radiologist’s workflow without anyone having to think about it.
The problem before integration
Before this integration, radiologists had to babysit Epic. Every time they switched exams in their worklist, they also had to jump into Epic and manually open the right patient. When a report was finished, they had to go back again and close the chart.
This constant back and forth slowed things down and left plenty of room for mistakes. Open the wrong patient and you risk mixing up clinical data. Forget to close a chart and Epic keeps running with outdated context. Multiply that by dozens of studies a day and the inefficiency adds up fast.
Epic integration using XML context synchronization
To solve this pain point, we built a lightweight but powerful bridge between our platform and Epic. We used Epic’s XML context synchronization method. Our desktop client generates small encrypted XML files for each event and drops them into a shared folder that Epic is already watching. Epic picks up the file, reads the instructions, and updates its own context in real time.
Everything is handled behind the scenes, so radiologists never notice the technical gymnastics. They just see Epic mirroring their actions, always in sync with the workflow.
Below is a high-level diagram of how the integration works:
Technical context of the integration
At the core, the integration relies on exchanging XML files between our desktop client and Epic. Each file represents a specific event in the radiologist’s workflow. Epic watches the inbound folder, picks up the file, processes it, and then deletes it. This way, both systems always stay in sync without manual effort.
Here are the key events we support (documented in Epic’s XML Context Synchronization API, see Epic Tech Spec – Imaging Integration; note that access requires a simple free registration on the Epic portal):
- StudyOpen / OpenPatient – triggered when a radiologist double-clicks an exam in the worklist. Our client generates an XML file with the patient’s MRN (medical record number), and Epic immediately opens that patient’s chart.
- StudyClose / ClosePatient – triggered when a report is marked as signed or discarded in the dictation system. Epic receives the XML instruction and closes the corresponding patient record.
- StudySwitch / PatientSwitch – triggered when the user moves from one study to another. Epic updates its context accordingly, so the correct chart is always in front of the radiologist.
On the configuration side, administrators have full control through a simple UI:
- set up inbound and outbound XML folders
- choose the encryption method (AES-128 or AES-256) and provide a key
- specify the integration type (EpicEMR) and vendor details
This setup requires no coding and ensures compliance with Epic’s XML integration guidelines. It also makes the solution flexible enough to adapt across different clinic environments.
Value for the clinic
With this integration, radiologists no longer worry about keeping Epic in step with their workflow. Patient context opens and closes exactly when it should, and the hand-off between our platform, the dictation system, and Epic happens in the background.
What makes this powerful is that it’s built on Epic’s own context synchronization model but extended with our configurable UI and encryption setup. Clinics can roll it out without custom coding and adapt it to their own environment in minutes. It’s a clean technical solution that solves a very real everyday problem.
We’ve seen how much smoother a radiology department runs when Epic is part of the same flow instead of a parallel task. If your team is dealing with the same disconnect, let’s talk about how we can bring the same efficiency to your setup.