Epic environments require highly specialized Healthcare IT talent. Whether a healthcare organization is preparing for an implementation, working through an optimization backlog, planning an upgrade, expanding functionality, or filling a temporary staffing gap, finding the right Epic consultant starts with understanding exactly what expertise the work requires.
Simply asking for someone with “Epic experience” usually isn’t enough.
Epic professionals can have very different application backgrounds, certifications, project experience, and areas of expertise. A consultant who is a great fit for a revenue cycle initiative may not be the right person for a clinical application project.
For hospitals and health systems looking for Epic talent, defining those differences early can make the staffing process much more effective.
What Does an Epic Consultant Do?
An Epic consultant is a Healthcare IT professional who provides specialized support within an Epic environment.
The exact responsibilities depend on the consultant’s application expertise and the organization’s needs.
Epic consultants may support:
- Implementations
- Application configuration and build
- System upgrades
- Optimization projects
- Testing and validation
- Workflow improvements
- Reporting and analytics
- Revenue cycle initiatives
- Integrations
- Training and go-live
- Application support
Some organizations need a single consultant for a defined project. Others may need multiple Epic professionals across different applications and workstreams.
The first step is identifying the specific work that needs to be completed.
What Epic Experience Should You Look for in a Consultant?
Start with application expertise.
Epic includes applications supporting different clinical, financial, operational, and technical functions. Relevant experience within the specific application your organization uses can be one of the most important requirements in the search.
Depending on the project, organizations may need experience with areas such as:
- Epic Resolute
- Epic Cadence
- Epic Prelude
- Epic Ambulatory
- Epic Inpatient
- Epic Willow
- Epic Radiant
- Epic Beaker
- Epic Bridges
- Epic Clarity or Cogito
This is why a broad search for an “Epic analyst” can produce candidates who have Epic experience but aren’t aligned with the actual project.
Clearly identifying the application and responsibilities helps narrow the search from the beginning.
Does Epic Certification Matter When Hiring a Consultant?
Certification can be an important consideration, particularly when a project requires a consultant to perform work within a specific Epic application.
However, certification shouldn’t always be evaluated in isolation.
Healthcare organizations may also want to consider:
- Years of hands-on Epic experience
- Previous implementation experience
- Optimization experience
- Similar project work
- Healthcare workflow knowledge
- Experience with comparable organizations
- Current or previous application certifications
- Communication and stakeholder management skills
The ideal combination depends on the role.
For some positions, a specific certification may be required. For others, extensive hands-on experience with the application and project type may be equally important.
Do Implementation and Optimization Projects Require Different Epic Experience?
They can.
An Epic implementation and an established Epic environment often present very different staffing needs.
Implementation projects may require consultants with experience in:
- Application build
- Workflow design
- Testing
- Data conversion
- Integration
- Training
- Project management
- Go-live preparation
Optimization projects, on the other hand, may focus more heavily on:
- Enhancement backlogs
- Workflow improvements
- System configuration
- Reporting
- User requests
- Application performance
- Adoption of additional functionality
A consultant with multiple implementations may be a strong candidate for a new deployment, while someone with extensive post-live optimization experience could be better suited for an established Epic environment.
Matching project experience to the actual work is just as important as matching the application.
When Should You Bring in an Epic Consultant?
Consultants can provide additional expertise or capacity when internal teams are unable to absorb more work.
Healthcare organizations commonly use Epic consultants when:
- An implementation is approaching.
- An upgrade creates temporary additional workload.
- Optimization requests are accumulating.
- A specialized application skill is missing internally.
- An employee leaves or takes extended leave.
- Testing or go-live requires additional resources.
- A project has a defined timeline.
- Internal employees are already working at capacity.
Organizations don’t necessarily need to wait until a staffing problem becomes urgent.
Identifying upcoming resource gaps early provides more time to find consultants with the right combination of application and project experience.
How Should You Define an Epic Staffing Request?
The more detail you can provide, the more targeted the consultant search can be.
Before contacting a Healthcare IT staffing partner, try to answer:
- Which Epic application is involved?
- Is certification required?
- What type of project is this?
- Is the organization implementing, upgrading, or optimizing?
- What specific work will the consultant perform?
- What healthcare workflows should they understand?
- Will they need integration or reporting experience?
- How long will the consultant be needed?
- When does the project begin?
- Will the consultant work independently or with an existing Epic team?
These details help distinguish between candidates who simply have Epic on their resumes and professionals whose experience closely matches the work.
Should You Hire a Permanent Epic Analyst or a Consultant?
It depends on the long-term staffing need.
Permanent hiring may make sense when the workload will continue indefinitely and the organization needs another full-time member of its Epic team.
A consultant may make more sense when:
- The work is tied to a specific project.
- Specialized expertise is needed temporarily.
- An implementation creates a short-term increase in workload.
- A permanent employee is temporarily unavailable.
- A backlog needs dedicated attention.
- The organization needs a resource quickly.
- A skill set isn’t required year-round.
Contract-to-hire can also provide another option when organizations believe a need may become permanent but want flexibility initially.
Why Work With a Healthcare IT Staffing Specialist for Epic Talent?
Epic searches can become highly specific very quickly.
Application expertise, certification, project background, healthcare workflow knowledge, and availability may all determine whether a consultant is a good fit.
A staffing partner that understands Healthcare IT can help translate a project’s requirements into a more targeted search.
Instead of simply looking for someone with Epic experience, the goal is to identify someone with the right Epic experience.
That distinction can save internal teams time and help organizations focus on consultants whose backgrounds align more closely with the work.
Find the Right Epic Expertise for Your Project
There is no single profile for the perfect Epic consultant.
The right person depends on the application, project, organization, and work that needs to be completed.
Clearly defining those requirements before beginning the search can help hospitals and health systems find specialized talent more efficiently.
At Morgan Hunter Healthcare, we specialize in connecting healthcare organizations with experienced Healthcare IT consultants across Epic and other leading healthcare technology environments.
Whether you need an Epic consultant for implementation, optimization, an upgrade, go-live, temporary coverage, or another project, we can help you identify professionals whose application expertise and project experience align with your needs.
Contact us today to learn more.
