Bridging Clinical and IT Teams: Governance Strategies for Successful Epic Optimization

Many health systems treat Epic optimization as a one-time project rather than a continuous capability, and that governance gap costs time, money, and clinician morale. Recent studies show that just 27% of family physicians are “very satisfied” with their EHR system, while nearly 10% are “very dissatisfied”, and that higher usability correlates directly with lower burnout risk. Additionally, a meta-analysis from last year indicates that approximately 40% of healthcare professionals report burnout associated with EHR use. For organizations seeking to transform their Epic platform into a strategic enabler rather than a cost center, the path forward lies in bridging clinical and IT teams through strong governance, hybrid clinical-IT talent, and data-driven optimization.

For those of you who are not familiar with Epic, it is one of the most widely used electronic health record (EHR) platforms in the United States, serving over 60% of the hospital market and millions of patient encounters each year. It connects clinical, operational, and administrative workflows across departments, but its complexity often creates friction between IT and clinical teams. That’s why ongoing Epic optimization, supported by clear data governance strategies and cross-functional collaboration is critical to ensure that the technology truly enhances care delivery and provider experience.

Reimagining Governance for Continuous Optimization

Treating governance purely as a “go-live” checklist puts the long-term value of Epic projects at risk. Instead, organizations have to adopt data governance strategies and strategies that elevate governance into a continuous capability, one that empowers both clinical and IT teams to collaborate, prioritize enhancements, and measure outcomes. For example, a 2024 report from KLAS Research confirmed that robust EHR governance is strongly correlated with clinician satisfaction and sustained optimization of the system.

Core Elements of Effective Governance

• Structure & decision-rights

  Create a clear governance charter that defines roles across clinical leadership, informatics, operations and IT. A weak model invites “small decisions snowballing into delays” in Epic builds.

• Prioritization framework

  Adopt a triage rubric (e.g., patient safety → clinical productivity → regulatory → strategic) that ensures optimization requests are evaluated consistently and transparently.

• Continuous monitoring & iteration

  Rather than “set and forget”, governance needs to schedule regular review cycles (e.g., monthly steering committee, bi-weekly triage squad) so the system evolves with changing needs. As one consultancy puts it: “our framework includes advisory services on governance, workflow design, and long-term planning”.

• Embedding data governance strategies

  Governance does not ignore data stewardship. Emerging frameworks emphasize standardization, metadata management, access policies and interoperability, all essential for meaningful Epic optimization integration.

By reimagining governance as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time event, health systems position themselves to sustain optimization and unlock the full potential of Epic. But governance alone isn’t enough; you also need the right people and roles to bridge clinical and IT teams. Let’s explore how staffing the bridge becomes the next vital piece of your Epic optimization strategy.

Staffing the Bridge: Roles, Skills & Hiring Priorities

To make any meaningful leap in Epic optimization, health systems have to focus not only on processes but also on the people who span the divide between clinical care and IT delivery. Effective staffing underpins strong governance strategies and enables the execution of optimization efforts that yield real outcomes. In particular, organizations need to prioritize hiring and empowering hybrid roles, those fluent both in clinical workflows and technical ecosystems, so that both sides of the bridge are active collaborators rather than adversaries.

Key Roles & Skill Sets

Clinical Informaticist

This is a clinician who is conversant with workflow design, user experience, and EMR build. For example, many job postings in 2024 request professionals who “evaluate and plan implementations of new Epic functionality” and liaise among operations, clinical teams, and IT.

Epic Certified Analyst/Builder

Someone with a deep technical skillset in the Epic EHR environment (modules/configuration/training), able to translate clinical requirements into system build. A job posting lists “proven experience with Epic EHR systems, including implementation, configuration, and optimization.”

Workflow & Change-Management Lead

A specialist in driving adoption, training, and continuous improvement. Their job is to partner with both clinical and IT teams to ensure that new functionality actually fits the “real world” and yields improved user satisfaction and productivity.

Data & Analytics Partner

Although not always labelled purely as “staffing,” this role links the optimization initiative to KPI measurement, aligning with the organization’s data governance strategies by making sure that build decisions feed usable, trusted data assets.

Hiring Priorities & Practical Tips

• Prioritize candidates who have dual fluency: they understand both the clinical environment (patient flow, documentation burden, care coordination) and the technical world (EHR build, modules, reporting).

• Use contract or interim roles to accelerate short-term improvement sprints, then convert to permanent staff for sustained optimization. Many institutions seek Epic-certified consultants (2024 RFPs show demand for certified module experts).

• Invest in certifications and development: hiring people with a foundation in Epic and then upskilling them strengthens the bridge over time.

• Define clear role charters aligned to your governance strategies: each role maps to governance decision-rights, escalation paths, and optimization triage frameworks. This embeds accountability and makes staffing part of the governance fabric, not an afterthought.

• Encourage embedded collaboration: situate these roles physically or virtually within both the clinical areas (e.g., on rounds, workflow review) and IT/AMS support teams so they serve the mediator role effectively. One informatics job description described this as being “the liaison between frontline physicians and IT teams to ensure technology supports provider efficiency and patient care.”

In short, staffing for optimization is about building the cross-functional bridge between clinical insight and technical execution, aligned under coherent governance and supported by data. With governance frameworks in place and the right talent onboard, your organization is then positioned to enter the “sprint” phase of optimization. In the next section, we dive into how to operationalize those optimization efforts, using metrics, sprints, and iterative improvement, under the banner of Epic optimization integration.

Metrics, Sprints & Quick Wins

To translate governance and talent into measurable performance, organizations have to lean into data governance strategies and structured optimization efforts, anchored under clear governance strategies and geared towards tangible outcomes in the context of Epic optimization.

In practice, that means defining a focused set of KPIs, such as provider time-in-chart, inbox message load, documentation time, order-entry clicks, and same-day chart closure rates, then launching time-boxed sprints that target specific clinical workflows, measure before/after results, and generate visible wins. For example, a recent case study showed that an ambulatory sprint reduced front-desk sequential steps by 50% and cut clinical staff time by 10 minutes per appointment. Another study found that a two-week inpatient sprint improved the EHR Net Promoter Score dramatically.

By leveraging sprints and robust data measurement, organizations close the loop between clinical insight and IT execution, ensuring that Epic optimization becomes a repeatable capability rather than a one-off event. With governance in place and the right team assembled, the next step is to tie it all together into an implementation checklist that illustrates how to operationalize the model end-to-end.

Implementation Checklist

To ensure your Epic optimization integration transition from planning to measurable execution, healthcare leaders follow this concise implementation checklist: a roadmap that combines strong governance strategies, practical data governance strategies, and cross-functional collaboration:

1. Define your governance charter. Outline decision-rights, membership, meeting cadence, and prioritization criteria.

2. Map key stakeholders. Include clinical leadership, informatics, IT, and operations in governance and sprint cycles.

3. Baseline critical KPIs. Measure provider time-in-chart, documentation length, inbox load, and user satisfaction.

4. Recruit hybrid clinical-IT roles. Fill Clinical Informaticist and Epic Analyst positions aligned with governance needs.

5. Establish sprint cadence. Launch focused optimization sprints targeting high-impact workflows (e.g., order entry, documentation).

6. Integrate data governance strategies. Standardize data definitions, security, and access policies for reliable analytics.

7. Monitor and report outcomes. Compare before-and-after metrics to validate ROI and clinician satisfaction improvements.

8. Iterate continuously. Feed sprint outcomes into governance meetings to sustain continuous improvement.

9. Communicate results. Share quick wins with frontline teams to build engagement and trust in the optimization process.

10. Partner with the right experts. Collaborate with firms like HERS Advisors to secure specialized talent and advisory support to operationalize long-term Epic success.

In an era where digital transformation drives healthcare performance, bridging clinical and IT teams through structured governance strategies and disciplined Epic optimization is no longer optional; it’s a strategic necessity. By reimagining governance as an ongoing discipline, staffing the bridge with hybrid experts, and embedding data-driven optimization sprints, health systems reduce burnout, boost efficiency, and maximize their Epic investment.

At HERS Advisors, we specialize in helping healthcare organizations turn these frameworks into action. From recruiting Epic-certified talent to implementing comprehensive data governance strategies, our team empowers hospitals and health systems to align technology with patient-centered care, transforming optimization into measurable, lasting impact. Contact us today to strengthen your governance framework, source top Epic talent, and build a culture of continuous optimization that delivers measurable ROI.

About HERS Advisors

HERS Advisors

(Honest. Ethical. Responsible. Solutions.)

is a women-owned, mission driven recruitment and consulting firm specializing in the proactive sourcing and full-cycle placement of skilled professionals in the Legal, Compliance, Healthcare IT (HIT), and Information Technology (IT/IS) sectors.