Background
Epic Systems is the leading Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform used by healthcare organizations across the country. While large hospital systems can afford to implement Epic directly, smaller physician practices typically gain access through Epic Community Connect. This program allows large health systems to extend their Epic environment to affiliated practices, enabling patient data sharing and streamlined workflows.
However, this integration comes with strict requirements: Epic mandates nearly 20 cybersecurity controls that must be met by every participating practice.
The Challenge
Meeting Epic’s cybersecurity standards is no small feat—especially for smaller practices. These physician offices:
- Often lack in-house cybersecurity or even basic IT expertise.
- Are not owned by the sponsoring hospital system, so they can’t rely on the hospital’s cybersecurity resources.
- Must attest to meeting Epic’s cybersecurity requirements on a quarterly basis—a demanding and continuous burden.
This combination of limited resources and high expectations creates a major security and compliance gap.
The Solution: Velocity by Stern Security
A major U.S. healthcare system—already using Stern Security’s Velocity platform for third-party risk management (TPRM), faced this very challenge. With over 70 Epic Community Connect practices, the organization needed a fast, scalable, and effective way to ensure compliance across all affiliates.
The healthcare system turned to Stern Security and asked: Can Velocity handle this?
The answer was a resounding yes.
Despite tight deadlines, Stern Security:
- Built a tailored Epic Community Connect cybersecurity assessment module within Velocity.
- Translated technical requirements into clear, non-technical language that practice administrators could easily understand.
- Developed automated quarterly reminders to simplify ongoing compliance.
- Identified and validated contacts for each practice.
- Completed 70+ assessments across the entire physician network—on time and within scope.
The Results
In just two months, the entire process was up and running. Every assessment was successfully executed using the Velocity platform. The healthcare system now has a repeatable, scalable process for Epic Community Connect cybersecurity compliance—with evidence-based results they can trust.
Why It Matters
Healthcare organizations participating in Epic Community Connect are required to meet Epic’s cybersecurity standards. Without the right tools, this can be a costly and error-prone process.
Velocity by Stern Security is purpose-built to simplify these complex assessments:
- Streamline compliance with clear, understandable requirements.
- Reduce risk by validating evidence and automating processes.
- Empower providers to focus on what they do best—delivering outstanding patient care.
Ready to Simplify Your Epic Community Connect Assessments?
Let Velocity do the heavy lifting.
Whether you manage 5 or 500 connected practices, Stern Security’s Velocity platform can help you maintain compliance, reduce risk, and protect patient data—all with less effort.
Contact us today to learn how Stern Security can help your organization streamline Epic Community Connect cybersecurity compliance.
