Epic OpTime: Features, Uses and Benefits Explained

Posted in Epic

If your surgical teams face hindrances due to disconnected tools and spread-out workflows, Epic OpTime might be the upgrade to solve this. It is the Epic’s OR management system that brings together scheduling, clinical tools, and decision support in one place. It’s built to streamline everything from pre-op prep to post-op documentation, making life easier for providers and boosting efficiency across the board. Ranked the top surgery management solution in the 2015–16 Best in KLAS report, OpTime helps hospitals and surgical centers stay coordinated, compliant, and productive. 

Epic OpTime is more than just a simple tool; it is an all-rounder app that simplifies surgery, improves patient care, and optimizes resource management. In this blog, we will explain the features, uses, and benefits of Epic OpTime in detail. 

What is Epic OpTime?

Epic OpTime is a platform set by Epic for managing surgical operations within hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. It supports the highly complex and high-stakes environment of perioperative care. Optime Epic brings order, visibility, and consistency to surgical workflows from the early stages of planning to the final stages of post-op care.

Surgical departments are under pressure to increase throughput, minimize delays, and ensure the highest standards of safety and compliance. Epic OpTime is a response to cater to those challenges. It is a bridge between clinical teams, administrative staff, and operational leaders, allowing tighter coordination and communication across every phase of the surgical experience.

Significance of Epic OpTime

Its importance is not limited to just supporting the clinical side of surgery, but also helping organizations run more efficiently. It offers leadership the ability to better understand performance, reduce unnecessary delays, and maintain a higher standard of care. 

While the hospitals are increasingly focused on outcomes, margins, and patient satisfaction, having a reliable, purpose-built solution like Epic OpTime can be a meaningful differentiator.

Epic OpTime is a strategic investment in surgical performance and operational integrity. By integrating itself into daily workflows and aligning surgical services, Epic OpTime helps organizations manage day-to-day workflows while also scaling for growth, meeting compliance expectations, and adapting to the evolving demands of healthcare delivery.

Features Offered By Epic OpTime

1. Surgical Scheduling and OR Management

The Epic scheduling module provides a structured framework for managing surgical case scheduling and operating room utilization. Hospitals can assign and manage block times, schedule procedures, and coordinate surgical teams through a centralized system. 

The interface allows for quick rescheduling using drag-and-drop functionality and actively monitors for scheduling conflicts such as overlapping cases or unavailable staff. When changes occur, the system automatically notifies affected personnel, minimizing miscommunication. 

2. Real-Time Clinical Documentation

During procedures, clinical teams can document directly in the system, which reduces delays in record-keeping and improves the accuracy of surgical data. Surgeons record procedure notes, anesthesiologists input intraoperative data in the Epic anesthesia module, and nurses log surgical supplies and events within the same platform. 

Implant and supply usage is tracked using barcode scanning, which reduces manual entry and helps ensure precise item documentation. The system also supports automated charge capture, connecting documented services and materials directly to billing workflows to prevent lost revenue due to missed or incomplete entries.

3. Perioperative Workflow Integration

The Epic OpTime does not operate in isolation; it integrates with other Epic modules to form a complete perioperative management solution. The Epic Anesthesia module handles documentation during the surgery itself. Epic Willow integrates with medication administration workflows, ensuring accurate dosages and tracking of drugs. 

Epic Cupid provides additional support for cardiovascular procedures. These integrations eliminate the need for repetitive data entry and promote continuity across different departments and clinical roles involved in surgical care.

4. Analytics and Performance Optimization

Hospitals can use OpTime’s built-in reporting tools to track operating room performance in real time. Dashboards display key metrics such as room utilization, turnover time, case duration, and on-time starts. These data points help OR managers identify inefficiencies, improve scheduling accuracy, and plan resource allocation. Trend analysis also supports continuous quality improvement and benchmarking efforts.

5. Inventory and Supply Chain Management

Epic OpTime tracks the real-time use of surgical supplies, implants, and equipment, providing clear visibility into inventory levels. The system can trigger automatic restocking based on consumption data, helping maintain stock levels without over-ordering. 

Alerts notify staff when items approach expiration, reducing the risk of using outdated materials. Cost-tracking features also support financial oversight, helping facilities analyze spending and adjust procurement strategies accordingly.

Hospitals Using Epic OpTime

Why Hospitals Use Epic OpTime?

Epic OpTime has become an essential surgical management solution for hospitals seeking to optimize operating room (OR) efficiency, enhance clinical workflows, and improve financial performance. By integrating perioperative processes into a single, unified system within the Epic EHR, OpTime addresses critical challenges in surgical care delivery.

Benefits of Epic OpTime

1. Streamlined Surgical Scheduling & OR Utilization

One of the most significant pain points in surgical departments is inefficient OR scheduling, leading to delays, underutilized block times, and last-minute cancellations. Hospitals using OpTime report higher OR utilization rates, fewer case cancellations, and improved surgeon satisfaction due to better time management.

Epic OpTime tackles this by providing:

• Automated Block Scheduling: Allows hospitals to allocate OR time effectively, preventing overbooking and optimizing surgeon availability.
• Real-Time Conflict Detection: Alerts schedulers to potential overlaps in staff, equipment, or room availability, reducing scheduling errors.
• Dynamic Case Sequencing: Helps prioritize urgent cases while maintaining smooth workflow transitions between procedures.
• Automated Notifications: Keeps surgical teams informed of schedule changes, reducing miscommunication and delays.

2. Enhanced Documentation Accuracy & Compliance

Manual documentation in surgery is prone to errors, which can lead to compliance risks, billing inaccuracies, and potential legal issues. Epic OpTime improves documentation by:

• Standardizing Surgical Notes: Ensures consistent, structured documentation across all procedures.
• Barcode Scanning for Implants & Supplies: Reduces manual entry errors and enhances traceability for recalls or audits.
• Integration with Anesthesia & Nursing Workflows: Synchronizes real-time documentation between surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses, eliminating duplicate entries.
• Automated Regulatory Reporting:  Simplifies compliance with Joint Commission, CMS, and other regulatory requirements.

3. Improved Revenue Cycle Management

In hospitals, the surgical departments contribute significantly to hospital revenue, but inefficiencies in charge capture can lead to revenue leakage. Hospitals using OpTime often see increased revenue capture, reduced claim rejections, and better cost control in surgical services.

Epic OpTime strengthens financial performance in the following ways:

• Automated Charge Capture: Tracks implants, supplies, and procedure-related charges in real time, ensuring accurate billing.
• Reduction in Missed Charges: By integrating with inventory systems, OpTime prevents underbilling for high-cost items like orthopedic implants or cardiac devices.
• Faster Claims Submission: Streamlined documentation leads to quicker billing cycles and improved cash flow.
• Cost Transparency: Provides insights into supply costs, helping hospitals negotiate better vendor contracts.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making with Advanced Analytics

Effective OR management requires real-time insights into performance metrics. These analytics empower hospital leaders to make evidence-based decisions, reduce operational waste, and enhance surgical throughput.

Epic OpTime’s analytics capabilities enable:

• OR Utilization Dashboards: Tracks room usage, idle time, and turnover rates to identify inefficiencies.
• Case Duration Benchmarking: Compares actual vs. expected procedure times, helping refine scheduling accuracy.
• Surgeon-Specific Performance Metrics: Evaluates individual surgeon efficiency, contributing to performance improvement initiatives.
• Supply Chain Optimization: Identifies trends in implant usage and waste, supporting cost-saving initiatives.

5. Seamless Integration with Epic Ecosystem

Unlike standalone surgical systems, OpTime is fully integrated with Epic’s EHR, enabling:

• Unified Patient Records: Surgeons access pre-op, intra-op, and post-op data in one system.
• Interdepartmental Coordination: Improves communication between OR, anesthesia, pharmacy, and pathology teams.
• Enhanced Patient Safety: Reduces risks from fragmented data by ensuring all providers work from the same real-time information.

Measuring ROI from Epic OpTime Implementation

Hospitals and surgical centers can evaluate the return on investment (ROI) from Epic OpTime. It helps in tracking improvements across financial performance, operational efficiency, and care coordination. One of the most direct and measurable areas of ROI is charge capture, a critical function within healthcare revenue cycle management.

Charge capture ensures that all services and materials provided to a patient during their treatment are accurately documented, posted, and billed. This includes everything from the procedure itself to: 

• Supplies
• Implants
• Anesthesia
• Lab tests
• Diagnostics
• Pharmacy-related costs

Epic OpTime supports this with a combination of automated and manual workflows. Its intraoperative record is designed to log all chargeable events in real-time. This includes products used in surgery, as well as services provided by other departments such as lab, imaging, and pharmacy, that are connected to the perioperative episode. The Epic Charge Router processes and routes these charges from various systems across the organization into a single, unified stream for billing. This reduces revenue leakage caused by missed or delayed entries, ensuring complete charge reconciliation.

From an ROI perspective, hospitals can track revenue per surgical case before and after implementing OpTime, as well as reductions in denied claims due to missing documentation. Additional ROI indicators include:

• Improved OR utilization, enabling higher case volume without adding new ORs.
  
• Reduced supply waste, due to better inventory tracking and expiration alerts.
  
• Labor cost savings, from more predictable and efficient staffing.
  
• Better compliance, with standardized documentation improving audit readiness.
  

Epic OpTime Integration Made Easy with Folio3 Digital Health

Folio3 Digital Health operates as an official Epic Vendor Services Partner. We empower healthcare organizations to integrate custom solutions within their Epic systems. We ensure robust interoperability using industry standards like HL7 & FHIR, enabling real-time data exchange and better care coordination. Our team is committed to compliance with HIPAA and GDPR safeguards, which are in place to protect patient data. 

Conclusion

Epic OpTime plays a critical role in modern surgical operations by bridging clinical workflows with operational and financial outcomes. It centralizes scheduling & streamlines documentation. Charge capture makes it a foundational tool for hospitals aiming to improve surgical efficiency and financial performance. Beyond its technical capabilities, Epic OpTime enables healthcare organizations to make data-driven decisions, reduce avoidable costs, and ensure billing accuracy in a highly regulated environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Epic integration work?

Epic integration enables seamless data exchange between EPIC’s system and external software platforms. It is a cloud-based system that readily integrates with various third-party applications, consolidating electronic data from diverse sources. When considering EPIC OpTime add-ons, ensuring HL7 compliance is crucial. Adherence to these clinical data exchange standards simplifies integration and promotes interoperability between EPIC and supplementary software.

Why does EPIC OpTime Use Third Party Solutions?

Epic OpTime leverages third-party solutions to enhance its function by integrating specialized applications that work well with its core capabilities. This way, Epic OpTime simplifies more complex tasks and streamlines processes within the operating room, improving efficiency and patient care. 

How to access Epic Optime?

In order to access Epic OpTime, first log in to Hyperspace, which is Epic’s main system. Once logged in, you can move to the OpTime module through the dashboard or by searching for it. 

Is there an Epic OpTime tutorial available?

Yes. Many resources provide Epic OpTime tutorials and training. Epic Systems offers training programs, including online and in-person options, for Epic Optime certification.

Is there a surgical dictionary in Epic Optime?

No. There is no surgical dictionary in Epic Optime as it primarily focuses on managing surgical activities like scheduling, preference card management, and perioperative documentation.

Who is Epic OpTime anesthesia analyst?

An Epic OpTime anesthesia analyst is an IT professional specializing in the Epic OpTime and Anesthesia modules within the Epic electronic health record (EHR) system.

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