Walgreens is poised to roll out Epic EHRs in its more than 400 healthcare clinics across the country.

The Epic platform will replace Walgreens' own proprietary EHR.

The goal, say Walgreens executives, is to boost care coordination among providers, while also supporting the long-term growth plan for Walgreens' clinic business. 

The move to the new EHR, EpicCare, is slated for early 2016.

"This state-of-the-industry EHR will enable more seamless communication with health systems and local providers, and gives us enhanced capabilities to deliver better health outcomes through greater care coordination and interoperability," Patrick Carroll, MD, chief medical officer for Healthcare Clinics, said in a news release.  "As our clinics play an increasingly important role in healthcare, supporting the healthcare system, provider practices and patients' medical homes, care coordination can be critical. This will benefit our patients, clinic providers and partners, and serves as an instrumental part of our strategic growth plan."

The platform will provide Care Everywhere – Epic's EHR-based interoperability network, which will enable Walgreens to connect with other healthcare organizations to securely share a patient's medication list, assist with medication reconciliation and review during clinic visits.

"We're pleased to welcome Walgreens to the Epic family and look forward to supporting their goal of improving access to high quality, coordinated care," said Carl Dvorak, Epic president, in a statement.

"With our shared focus on interoperability, Walgreens will also become a part of the nation's largest network of care organizations securely sharing patient information with hospitals, laboratories, private practices, federal agencies, local care providers and state HIEs."

"As we continue to invest in our retail clinic business, it's critical to have these best-in-class intelligence tools that support our commitment to patient care and can help position Healthcare Clinics as a strategic partner of choice within the communities we serve," added Jeff Koziel, group vice president for Walgreens Healthcare Clinics.