OpenAI Integrates ChatGPT Health With Epic EHR Systems

OpenAI has launched an integration between ChatGPT Health and Epic's electronic health record (EHR) system, which manages data for more than 325 million patients. This update allows medical professionals to import patient information and use the artificial intelligence model to ask questions. In some setups, ChatGPT will be embedded directly into existing EHR workflows. This allows clinicians to summarize appointment notes, laboratory results, medications, and specialist documentation, as well as build clinical timelines and conduct pre-visit reviews without leaving a patient's chart. The integration operates on a read-only basis, meaning the AI cannot write back to the health records.

Alongside the Epic integration, OpenAI introduced a Healthcare Public Data plug-in. This tool retrieves information from public databases such as ClinicalTrials.gov, CMS Coverage, RxNorm, DailyMed, and PubMed. Practitioners can use this plug-in to synthesize complex data regarding clinical trial eligibility criteria, medication identifiers, coverage policy versions, and provider records. Furthermore, healthcare organizations operating under a Business Associate Agreement can now utilize ChatGPT Work, Codex, and various applications and connectors within their workspaces to maintain compliant workflows.

The rollout follows the launch of ChatGPT for health to U.S. consumers last month, a service that currently handles 300 million health-related queries every week. To evaluate safety, OpenAI analyzed over 4,300 responses from physicians across 27 clinical use cases, including medication reviews and handoff summaries. The company reported that 99.1% of these responses were safe. However, OpenAI maintains that the AI is not meant for diagnosis or treatment, a caveat highlighted by recent legal challenges. These include a lawsuit from a Florida-based pastor alleging a near-fatal recommendation, and a May lawsuit from family members blaming the chatbot for incorrect dosage advice.