Epic to REDCap integration uses Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) technology for Clinical Data Interoperability Services (CDIS). This feature allows an individual REDCap project to interact with an electronic medical health record system (EMR) such as EPIC.
Epic to REDCap integration enables a project to pull selected information from Epic into REDCap.
IRB Approval: Each new project requires IRB approval for EMR data import to REDCap.
Confirm Users with Epic Access: New projects must identify team members who have existing, approved access to the requested information in Epic.
Request CDIS: Users will request CDIS to be enabled in their project by submitting a helpdesk ticket.
Supported User Design of Study: Study teams can request a training project where they can connect to a simulated patient data server and explore design options. The BMIC team is available to support the design process or perform mapping for recharge projects.
Confirm Project Mappings, and User Rights: The BMIC team oversees the final review of the project design, mappings, and users before Epic data retrieval to ensure compliance.
CDIS Configurations: Clinical Data Pull (CDP) and Clinical Data Mart (CDM)
Clinical Data Pull (CDP) allows users to import information from an EMR into an existing REDCap project either manually in real time or automatically at specified intervals. Users create new records and add the medical record number (MRN) into a CDP-enabled REDCap project, triggering an immediate retrieval of patient data from the EMR.
This feature is ideal for researchers conducting prospective studies who need to frequently update multiple records and fields in REDCap using EHR data.
Clinical Data Mart (CDM) enables bulk data extraction from an EMR system into a REDCap project. CDM must be initiated on the project creation page, and the ability to create a CDM project is managed by REDCap administrators. To retrieve data, users must create a fetch request, specifying the desired date range, specific data elements, and a list of MRNs. These parameters can be defined at the time of project creation or later within the Clinical Data Mart page.
Traditionally, CDM has been most useful for researchers conducting retrospective studies, requiring a one-time EMR data pull with minimal updates.
What data can be pulled into REDCap from EPIC?
The CDIS supported domains below display the source fields that are available to pull from Epic into REDCap. Not all Epic data is comprehensively available for import into REDCap via CDIS. For example: Adverse Event has only Adverse Events List, but Laboratory has thousands of source fields, like Sodium or Lymphocytes. Most categories contain one source field, but some categories contain multiple.
Users pulling laboratory values should have an understanding of LOINC codes for specific values.
| Adverse Event | Allergy Intolerance | Appointments |
| Scheduled Surgeries | Dental Finding | Genomics |
| Infection | Medical History | Problems |
| Reason for Visit | Core Characteristics | Coverage |
| Demographics | Implants | Diagnosis |
| Clinical Notes | Encounter | Immunization |
| Laboratory | Medications | Procedure |
| Social History | Vital Signs |
Further processing of EHR outputs may be needed to meet the requirements of your study.
Training Projects
Training projects can be requested in REDCap utilize the SMART Health IT server, a public FHIR server with simulated patient data. The Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) creates profiles that align with EMR data, harmonizing the data into an easy-to-interpret format. SMART Health IT creates simulated patient data, provides an EMR environment that can be used with CDIS in REDCap.
Instructions for Building a Training Project: CDIS CDP Training Project
For step by-step instructions on requesting CDIS, see Preparing Your Project for CDIS and Requesting CDIS
Best Practices
- Always use your University of Utah uNID login credentials in REDCap and Epic for audit trail purposes.
- Grant the minimum amount of REDCap user rights access needed for users to perform their duties.
- Expire users in the project when they are no longer involved in the study.
- Don’t request CDIS before IRB approval.
Getting Started
Please discuss your REDCap project with the BMIC team at the initial meeting. CDM or CDP is use case driven and reviewed for feasibility. The BMIC team will provide guidance to the study team on proper configuration of the REDCap project which must be completed before CDP is enabled.
Request CDIS through the REDCap Helpdesk when you are ready. A CDIS request form will be emailed to the PI for approval.