EPtalk by Dr. Jayne 8/21/25

The big story of the week was the Epic User Group meeting, which sported a sci-fi theme this year. The four-day event started with the traditional welcome picnic on Sunday, with Advisory Councils and Forums on Monday.

Tuesday’s Executive Address, as one might have predicted, was full of Star Trek-style costuming. Judy Faulkner looked like she would be right at home in the Ten Forward lounge in the “Next Generation” series, sporting a lavender wig, neon glasses that coordinated with her shoes, and a sparkly vest paired with silver lamé pants.

Her Executive Address paid homage to problem list pioneer Larry Weed and included a summary of all the AI components that are already within Epic as well as the 160+ AI-powered components that are under development. She mentioned a focus on trying to keep software costs reasonable for health systems. My own health system spent a quarter of a billion dollars implementing Epic, so everyone’s mileage may vary on that definition of “reasonable.”

My favorite quote of the presentation was “Poor training leads to unhappy physicians.” I wholeheartedly agree. I’ve worked in organizations with vastly different training strategies and have seen the difference that good training makes.

The Epic team also emphasized that personalization is important in the EHR. Despite that advice, I still see organizations that try to restrict the ability of users to configure the EHR to make it easier to use. The most common reason I hear is that personalization makes it more challenging to provide support, but I’ve seen enough installations of enough EHRs over the years that I’m not buying that.

Sessions continued into Wednesday and Thursday, but word on the street was that people’s energy was flagging after Tuesday’s Starlight Dinner. The event is a major production for the Epic employees who step out of their usual roles to support attendees and make them feel welcome. I always enjoy talking to some of the folks working the logistics and food service roles and learning what they do in their usual work since UGM is an “all hands on deck” experience and people often contribute in ways that are vastly different from their day-to-day. If you have pictures or comments about this year’s UGM, feel free to send them my way.

Apple announced  earlier this week that it would introduce a redesigned blood oxygen feature on certain Apple Watches starting immediately. The issue impacts watches that were sold in the US after the International Trade Commission enacted an import ban as part of a patent infringement allegation by medical device maker Masimo. There may be additional legal wrangling to come based on suits and countersuits, but for now, users can enjoy an additional element in their quests for the quantified self.

Industry watchers are still trying to figure out how telehealth will ultimately fit into the healthcare delivery systems of the future, at least until another pandemic appears. Hims & Hers Health shares dropped last week following publication of details related to a Federal Trade Commission investigation. Consumers have long complained that the company makes it hard to cancel subscriptions and that some of its marketing practices push the limits of what is legal.

Regardless of legality, many of my primary care colleagues find their marketing to be a bit grating, with phrases such as “telehealth for a healthy, handsome you” and a focus on so-called lifestyle medicine that leads to high numbers of subscription-based prescriptions with nary a mention of coordinated or chronic care on the company website’s About page. Their care model is largely asynchronous, which means they don’t perform a physical exam that is certainly indicated for some of the conditions they treat.

I ran across another article this week that looked at a potential growth area for telehealth: caring for patients who are afraid of immigration enforcement actions at healthcare facilities. A physician who was interviewed for the piece notes an increase of patients who require emergency department-level care because their families are avoiding office visits.

The piece also quotes a policy analyst who notes that this phenomenon is happening across the country in the community health center space. The National Association of Community Health Centers is hosting its Community Health Conference & Expo this week in Chicago, and I anticipate this might be a hot topic in that forum. If you work in a community health center and want to share your thoughts, feel free to reach out.

From Left My Heart in San Francisco: “Re: Providence. Did you see this article about their accusing Kaiser of shorting them on payments? I would love to see these two square off in a steel cage match.” Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. is accused of underpayment, but the payer responded that the hospitals are “seeking payments above fair and reasonable levels.” This occurs when the facilities treat patients in situations where price agreements are not in place. Kaiser argued in court documents that Providence is trying to group claims from disparate facilities across broad geographies, with variable economic elements at play. Kaiser is advocating for resolution through a federal program created by the No Surprises Act in 2021, but it’s no surprise that Providence wants to have its day in court.

OpenEvidence reported that its AI model has scored 100% on the US Medical License Exam (USMLE) and has achieved “super high-grade medical reasoning.” The company is offering a free explanation document that is targeted to medical students. I didn’t find the document terribly interesting. It looked a lot like the test prep books that I used to study for my own trip down USMLE lane back in the day. That’s not entirely surprising since the company’s founder previously worked for the Kaplan test preparation company.

The company offers a free AI-powered search platform to US clinicians that is made possible by its advertising relationships. I’m not super keen on having my eyeballs monetized, but will be watching to see what moves the company makes next.

I’ve been an anonymous blogger for more than a decade. As Mr. H has said, what we do is a fairly solitary pursuit. Most people in my “real life” have zero interest in healthcare IT, although I do have one ride-or-die friend outside the industry who reads regularly and gives me feedback, which is always a gift.

I’ve been asked in the past whether I’d ever want to drop the cloak of anonymity and join the ranks of medical influencers. I’m glad that I have no delusions of being TikTok or Instagram famous. I can barely remember to take my daily multivitamin, let alone be mindful of the need to constantly generate content to solicit likes. Without my trusty Outlook calendar appointments, I would probably not stay on track to send my posts to Mr. H each week. I will leave the medfluencing to the next generation.

Who is your favorite physician influencer and why? Leave a comment or email me.

Email Dr. Jayne.