Epic Develops AI Agents to Manage Routine Patient Visits

The research-stage tools aim to automate follow-up care and free physician time as workforce shortages persist.

Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

Isometric editorial illustration of clinical monitoring devices, representing data-driven healthcare systems. — Epic is developing research-stage AI agents to manage routine patient follow-up data, aiming to alleviate physician workload amid ongoing healthcare staff shortages. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Would you trust an AI agent to conduct portions of your routine medical follow-up visits?

Epic is currently in the discovery phase of developing AI agents designed to manage routine clinical patient visits. These research-stage tools are intended to automate follow-up care by gathering data and comparing it against established clinical protocols before a physician review.

Why it matters

The project seeks to mitigate appointment backlogs caused by healthcare workforce shortages and improve access for patients facing insurance or funding barriers. By shifting routine monitoring to AI agents, the company aims to prioritize physician time for higher-acuity cases.

The development utilizes tools dubbed Agent Factory, Art, and Emmie to execute clinical protocols. These systems evaluate patient information against human-defined standards, with performance currently measured by their ability to prepare data for final physician determination.

The players

Epic

A developer of electronic health record software that supports clinical workflows and administrative data management for large health systems.

The details

The AI agents function by collecting patient-reported information and assessing it against pre-set clinical protocols. The system then compiles the reviewed data and findings for a physician to conduct a final verification and determination. This process is currently in a research-stage discovery phase, with no organizations yet using the tools in live patient care.

October 13, 2026: Epic's senior vice president detailed the company's AI strategy at Harvard.

The Tech Race

This development moves beyond current AI-driven scribing tools by attempting to automate the execution of medical protocols rather than just capturing notes. It reflects a broader shift toward diagnostic-adjacent AI in hospital infrastructure.

These agents aim to enable remote handling of routine follow-up care, potentially reducing the need for in-person appointments for some patients. As the technology remains in the discovery phase, specific deployment dates and clinical availability are not yet set.

The takeaway

The move signals a transition toward AI-assisted clinical decision-making to address staffing shortages. Readers should watch for future announcements regarding pilot site clinical trials to confirm if these agents can effectively manage protocols without human intervention.