Epic UGM 2026 Recap
The Epic ecosystem is moving fast, and the challenge for health systems won't be a lack of opportunity.
Epic’s state-fair theme brought to life by our Wisconsin cheese carver
Now that the Midway has closed down and another Epic UGM is in the books, it's good to reflect on all that we learned at the 2026 sessions.
Between the announcements, conversations with health system leaders, and time spent reconnecting with the Epic community, a few themes stood out to our team:
The Epic ecosystem continues to expand.
Epic is becoming much more than an EHR platform.
AI, ERP, payer capabilities, analytics, automation and other areas of growth are giving health systems more opportunities to consolidate technology and rethink how they operate.
AI is moving from possibility to practicality.
The conversation is quickly shifting from what AI can do to how organizations actually deploy it at scale.
Agent Factory and Ergo create the buzz but the governance, operational ownership, workflow integration, adoption and measurable value will be just as important as the technology itself.
People and organizational strategy still matter.
Judy's comments about returning to the office were another reminder that even as the technology changes, Epic continues to put a premium on collaboration and people working closely together.
Health systems are wrestling with many of those same questions as they think about workforce strategy, culture and how best to support increasingly complex Epic environments.
Final Thoughts
The Epic ecosystem is moving fast, and the challenge for health systems won't be a lack of opportunity.
It will be deciding where to invest, how quickly to move, and how to bring the right people together to make it successful.
And, of course, UGM isn't UGM without the people.
Dream Team. Incisive Consultants at our annual UGM after party at Nitro in Madison.
Thank you to all of the clients, consultants, Epic colleagues and friends who spent time with the Incisive team throughout the week, and to everyone who joined us at Nitro for our annual UGM after party.
We had a blast and it's always rewarding to support our friends at Maydm with these events.
See you next year, UGM!