Epic Gives Each Customer a Dedicated 'BFF' Staffer

By Healthcare Technology News · October 20, 2026

Epic is formalizing a customer-relationship model it calls the "BFF," assigning each client organization one dedicated staff member who stays engaged long after the initial software go-live, founder and CEO Judy Faulkner said in an Oct. 19 blog post.

The role grew out of practice rather than strategy. During implementations, Faulkner said, customers often formed a close bond with one person on their Epic team. Rather than letting that relationship end when the project wrapped, Epic decided to keep that staffer assigned to the account as an ongoing point of contact.

The move is a window into how Epic, the dominant electronic health record vendor used by most large U.S. hospitals, defends its market position. Switching EHRs is expensive and disruptive, so retention hinges on service and trust as much as technology. A named, continuous human contact is a low-cost way to deepen loyalty and speed issue resolution as health systems lean harder on Epic for new features, including AI tools.

iRhythm Uses Patient Data to Flag Arrhythmia Risk Earlier

iRhythm's Predictive Arrhythmia Solutions mines EHR and claims data to identify patients for earlier cardiac monitoring instead of waiting for symptoms.

Why it matters: Silent arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation often go undetected until they cause strokes, so using existing data to find at-risk patients earlier could prevent costly and dangerous events.

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AI Governance in Healthcare Doesn't Stop at Launch

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Why it matters: AI models can degrade after deployment, so health systems need ongoing oversight to prevent patient harm and keep clinical tools trustworthy.

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Healthcare's Revenue Cycle Needs Orchestration, Not More AI

Providers have deployed AI across the revenue cycle, but only 4% have connected the tools, and orchestration is emerging as the fix.

Why it matters: Disconnected AI tools waste investment; orchestrating them is what actually reduces denials and speeds provider payments.