Epic Systems: US provider wins Charité tender
After a long period of uncertainty, the decision has been made: Charité is awarding the 200 million contract for its new clinic IT to US provider Epic.
Campus Charité Mitte
(Image: Wiebke Peitz / Charité)
Berlin's Charité has chosen a software provider after a tender process lasting around two years. US-American software group Epic Systems is to deliver and set up the new hospital information system (HIS). The project has a financial scope of around 200 million euros. The award decision was preceded by a bitter legal dispute with competitor Dedalus, which was ultimately excluded from the process due to formal errors.
As Charité announced, the new HIS is to be fully implemented by the end of 2029 and will replace the old system, which has been in use for 20 years and is no longer being further developed by the manufacturer. The HIS is the central IT system of a hospital, in which patient data is documented, managed, and made available to staff. With the choice of Epic, they are relying on a "reliable partner" and international market leader, according to Charité CEO Prof. Heyo K. Kroemer. "Epic Systems is the international market leader and has been developing hospital information systems (HIS) for over 40 years. The company manages more than 3000 HIS installations worldwide, more than 100 in Europe alone," it states in the press release.
According to Charité, the high order value includes not only license fees for Epic but also investments in IT infrastructure and implementation support. The board is still in talks with the Berlin Senate regarding the final financing, according to Charité. The new system is intended not only to improve patient care but also to create the basis for the use of AI and more intensive use of research data.
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Legal dispute over tender process
The award was preceded by a legal dispute, as reported by, among others, the trade journal for clinic management, kma. Competitor Dedalus was excluded from the tender in September for "procedural reasons." Before that, Dedalus had reportedly already sued against the tender modalities and accused Charité of tailoring the process to Epic. However, the lawsuit was dismissed by the Berlin Court of Appeal in June.
Critics fear that US laws could enable data leakage. According to the trade magazine kma, the Berlin data protection officer has already received an anonymous complaint formulating data protection concerns related to Epic.
(mack)
