Epic EHR and Community Connect advisory
Epic sits at the center of some of the most important decisions a healthcare organization makes. We believe that when Epic falls short, it’s not the system’s fault; it’s because the decisions around it aren’t fully aligned. RSM’s healthcare team works with organizations at the moments when those decisions carry the most weight: when complexity is high, cross-team alignment is critical and the path forward is unclear.
We treat Epic not as a technology implementation, but as the organization’s operating model—one that determines how care is delivered, operations are run and decisions are made. Our role is to bring clarity and alignment at those moments, connecting clinical, operational, financial and data perspectives so that early decisions lead to outcomes that hold up long after go-live.
What we deliver:
- Clarity for complex, high-stakes decisions, helping leadership teams move forward with confidence
- Alignment across clinical, operational, financial and IT teams, bringing the organization together around the decisions that matter most
- Real-world guidance grounded in Epic delivery experience, shaped by what actually works, not theory or generic playbooks
- Coordination across systems, partners and internal teams, so that Epic, vendors and operations move together, not in silos
Our Epic credentials
Our team brings more than 20 years of hands-on Epic experience and includes former clinical providers and former Epic employees. We support health systems of all sizes across the full Epic lifecycle, from Epic and Community Connect strategy through implementation, optimization, internal audit and analytics.
20+ years
of hands-on Epic experience
Independent
Not tied to Epic delivery mandates, staffing quotas or outsourcing models
Full lifecycle
from Epic strategy and Community Connect through optimization, audit and AI
Full-lifecycle Epic consulting
Everything we do across the Epic lifecycle, from implementation and activation through optimization, modernization and long-term growth, is grounded in decades of hands-on Epic experience.
Strengthen Epic performance across clinical operations, revenue cycle and operational transformation.
- Clinical operations
- Ambulatory transformation
- Acute care optimization
- Revenue cycle
- Scheduling and access
- Patient flow
- Provider adoption
- Analytics enablement
Protect your investment through Epic-focused risk advisory, internal audit and implementation assurance.
- Readiness assessments
- Governance oversight
- Compliance
- Security
- Integration validation
- Change management
- Upgrade assurance
- Value realization
Bring together Epic data and analytics on Microsoft Fabric and Cogito Cloud without sacrificing data independence.
- AI readiness
- Self-service analytics
- Microsoft Fabric
- Cogito Cloud
- Enterprise integration
- Trusted data foundations
- Reporting modernization
- Reduced tool sprawl
Epic Community Connect advisory
Community Connect enables community hospitals, rural and critical access facilities, physician and specialty practices, and affiliated organizations to access and use Epic through a host organization’s existing Epic platform, while maintaining their independence. Adopting Community Connect is one of the most important operational, financial, and strategic decisions an organization can make.
RSM helps organizations approach the adoption decision differently. We bring clinical, operational, financial, governance and technical perspectives together before contracts are signed and workflows become locked in, so your decision is grounded in fit, not just geography or speed.
And because we are independent, not tied to Epic delivery mandates, staffing quotas or outsourcing models, our only agenda is protecting your organization’s performance, autonomy and long-term value.
The challenges of adopting Epic Community Connect
Community Connect can lower the cost and complexity of accessing Epic, but the path is rarely simple. Organizations weighing or adopting Community Connect consistently navigate many of the same pressures:
Choosing the right Community Connect host
The challenge
The wrong Epic Community Connect host decision can lock organizations into workflows, governance and strategic constraints that do not fit how they operate.
How RSM helps
We help you compare host options against your strategy, operating model and long-term goals so you choose the right organization, not just the fastest path.
Protecting independence and autonomy
The challenge
Community Connect should expand access to Epic without reducing the governance, configuration control and operational flexibility that keep organizations independent.
How RSM helps
We define decision rights, escalation paths and operating structures early so independence and implementation readiness are protected before contracts are finalized.
Maintaining revenue continuity through transition
The challenge
Without a disciplined transition plan, accounts receivable runoff, payer timing and cash protection can quickly become go-live risks.
How RSM helps
We build an Epic Community Connect transition plan that protects cash, manages legacy accounts receivable, aligns payer timing and preserves operational continuity through go-live.
Evaluating Community Connect workflow fit versus host defaults
The challenge
A host's standard workflows may not reflect the clinical, revenue cycle and operational realities that make each organization work.
How RSM helps
We help shape Epic Community Connect around your workflows, contracts, reimbursement models and operating realities instead of forcing you into host defaults.
Assessing cost and capacity constraints
The challenge
Community Connect can reduce the technology burden, but it still demands Epic experience, staff capacity and backfill that many organizations do not have.
How RSM helps
We bring the structure, resources and hands-on support needed to keep work moving while your team maintains day-to-day operations.
Retaining long-term flexibility
The challenge
The contracts, build decisions and governance structures made today can define data access, analytics and strategic options for years.
How RSM helps
We stay with you from implementation and go-live through stabilization, optimization and long-term transformation, helping ensure today's Community Connect decisions support tomorrow's goals.