Verona's annual meeting of Epic proportions

Mike Ivey  —  9/16/2008 2:33 pm

VERONA -- Given that one of his earliest comedies was "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," how fitting that Epic Systems would theme its 2008 annual meeting here around William Shakespeare.

The medical software developer each year invites customers to Madison for a full week of seminars designed to help users learn about the technology and get an update on what is coming.

Last year the meeting had a James Bond theme. This year it was titled "Much Ado About Healthcare."

"Welcome to fair Verona," Epic founder and CEO Judith Faulkner said Tuesday morning.

Dressed as "Portia," the rich, beautiful, intelligent heiress from "The Merchant of Venice," Faulkner gave a brief history of the company's growth and laid out future plans. It was the second time the User's Group Meeting or "UGM" was held at the company's sprawling $200 million headquarters on this city's western edge.

The event also gave Epic another chance to showcase itself before a record 3,900 visitors, creating a mini traffic snarl on the twisting roads leading into the complex.

Epic now boasts 3,250 employees, making it the area's second largest private-sector employer. American Family has about 3,550 employees according to the latest figures.

Epic also counts 170 hospitals and clinics as customers, up from 160 last year. That accounts for 17 to 26 percent of the patients in the country, or about 55 million to 77 million patients in the U.S. alone.

"We're not the biggest but I think we're the best," Faulkner said to applause from the crowd.

Epic is ranked No. 4 among vendors in the number of large hospitals using its computerized information systems, according to the latest KLAS market survey, which also gave Epic high marks for customer satisfaction.

Faulkner didn't offer many financial details, however. As a privately held company, Epic is not required to report any financial figures. Revenues for 2007 were estimated at $503 million, up from $422 in 2006.

The healthcare information technology world is starting to mature. President Bush has made it a goal to have medical records posted electronically for all Americans by 2014 and nearly 95 percent of provider organizations over 200 beds have already chosen their core clinical solution, according to KLAS.

Faulkner did make note of the entry of Microsoft and Google into the electronic medical records industry. Those companies are pursuing systems to keep personal medical records on the Internet.

In response, Epic has rolled out its own system called "Lucy" that allows patients to transfer their own records. If they go to a different hospital without Epic products, they can transfer that information to a new provider.

"Lucy gives me an alternative -- without any ads or any secondary use of the data," she said.

Faulkner said the key moving forward is to continue innovating and helping customers to utilize the software system. She said Epic also needs to be aware of the "coolness factor."

"People like the iPhone because it's fun to use," she said. "But beautiful, cool and fast don't always work together."

Work is also continuing on Epic's Campus 2, which will consist of four office buildings, housing a total of 1,700 offices and parking for 2,000 vehicles. Campus 1 was completed in 2006 and has five office buildings, a cafeteria building and a 1,500-space parking ramp.

Mike Ivey  —  9/16/2008 2:33 pm