Epic Expands Into ERP, IT Staffing, and Analyst Tooling, and CIOs Are Weighing What to Buy Now

At its August Users Group Meeting, Epic detailed expansion into at least three areas outside its core offerings: an enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite called EpicOps, a long-term IT staffing program called Rangers, and AI tools capable of doing work junior IT analysts do today.

Health systems express interest in comprehensive ERP, but EpicOps may not be supported system-wide until 2029.

Epic cites consumer demand for its move into the ERP space, saying, "For years, our customers have been asking us to build a healthcare ERP."

Geoff Patterson, chief digital and information officer at Henry Ford Health, called EpicOps' ability to tie utilization data directly to the clinical record "something we've never seen from an ERP partner."

However, Patterson said Epic estimated system-wide delivery of EpicOps for 2029. He added, "we probably can't wait that long" because Henry Ford still runs a "30-year-old version of PeopleSoft." That said, he does expect to adopt the platform once it matures.

Tom Bentley, chief information and digital technology officer at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said watching several of Epic's AI tools work together convinced him to keep consolidating onto Epic rather than maintaining third-party applications: "We really need to question any point solutions that we're using and stick with more platform solutions like Epic."

Even so, OSU Wexner still runs a separate ERP platform and is cautiously testing only a few EpicOps modules.

One CIO expects Ranger program to significantly impact consulting, and questions Epic's reach.

Aaron Miri, executive vice president and chief digital and information officer at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, said last year's launch of Epic's ambient AI documentation tool "somewhat froze the industry" for third-party dictation vendors, and that Rangers "could have the same chilling effect on the consulting companies out there."

He also asked whether Epic is getting "a little too big for its britches right now," while adding, "I'm simply asking the question ... because I want them to stay high quality."

Epic disputes that Rangers reflects overreach, saying demand for its existing Boost staffing program, through which Epic lends its own staff to customers, already exceeds supply.

CIOs may leave room for point solutions that deliver on analytics and flexibility.

As Epic expands, our 2026 Technology Investment Survey suggests partners can still win on capability. When we asked technology leaders at 31 Leading Health Systems what differentiates their non-Epic vendors from Epic across 11 categories, they cited AI and analytics capability and greater flexibility or customization most often. Lower total cost was not the most-cited differentiator in any category.

So What?

• The 2029 timeline for a full EpicOps build-out gives ERP partners a window to act, though there are limits. While a system running a 30-year-old ERP cannot wait years for a rollout, they may still switch to Epic afterward.

• Epic entering a new category can affect demand before the product is finished, making it all the more important for competitors to build customer loyalty now.

• The tension between ‘waiting for Epic’ and buying point solutions continues. Leaders report the most openness to point solutions that improve analytics or support flexibility.