Just Kidding

Epic has announced the release of Introvert Mode, a new configuration for AI charting—Chart with Art—that extends ambient listening capabilities to clinicians who, as one physician at an early adopter site described it, “would really rather not have to narrate everything out loud.”

How It Works

Using advanced ambient listening technology, Introvert Mode interprets pauses, sighs, key taps, and meaningful silence to generate complete documentation of the conversation that almost happened.

“Not every clinician naturally externalizes their thought process,” said Corey Miller, vice president of R&D at Epic. “Some nurses and physicians do their most important work quietly. We didn’t want Chart with Art to be something that works only for extroverts.”

Pairing existing AI charting features with a visual sensor that is mounted unobtrusively in the exam room, posture analysis interprets nonverbal clinical cues—a raised eyebrow during a medication review, a subtle lean toward the patient when a symptom warrants follow-up, the particular quality of silence that experienced clinicians recognize as diagnostic concern—and translates these signals into discrete documentation in Epic.

What Clinicians Are Not Saying

Early pilot users responded with what the research team characterized as “enthusiastic nodding.” One hospitalist submitted feedback consisting of a single thumbs-up emoji, which the Epic team interpreted as overwhelmingly positive.

When the U.S. Mint created its final one-cent coin on November 12, 2025—officially ending 232 years of penny production—the decision prompted businesses across the country to re-examine their relationship with the coin. For most organizations, the adjustment has been logistical: updating cash-rounding practices, reconfiguring point-of-sale systems, and preparing staff for customer questions. For Epic, however, the implications run a little deeper.

Penny, Epic’s AI-driven assistant for healthcare operations, will now be named Nickel.

The transition will be managed through Epic’s standard upgrade cycle. An FAQ published for affected hospitals reportedly includes the question, “Will Nickel cost five times as much?” followed by the single word, “No.”

Epic’s MyChart AI assistant Emmie is knowledgeable, efficient, and responsive. But sometimes what patients really need isn’t clinical precision, it’s someone who will look them in the eye, put a hand on their shoulder, and say, “Sweetheart, I really think you should get this looked at.”

MomChart, a new persona for Emmie, is now available to health systems in the May 2026 release. MomChart combines evidence-based clinical guidance with the unconditional love of someone who has been worried about you since the day you were born.

Sample interactions with MomChart include:

• Preventive care reminders: “You know I don’t ask for much. Just one screening. For me.”
• Appointment management: “I went ahead and moved your appointment 15 minutes earlier. Just in case parking is tricky! XOXO.”
• No-show messages: “It’s okay to be busy. It’s not okay to miss your appointment. Let’s get you rescheduled.”
• Wellness checks: “You look tired. Are you sleeping? Do you need a snack?”

Early testers have described MomChart as “hard to ignore” and “oddly effective.” The most common themes in open-ended feedback were “I felt like someone actually cared,” and “It reminded me of my mother, which made me a little anxious, but I did schedule the appointment.”

Additional personas, including The Encouraging Coach, The No-Nonsense Sibling, and The Friend Who Happens to Know a Lot About Medicine, are coming in future releases. Epic has also confirmed that a Dad Mode is in development, which will text you a weather update every morning, remind you when you need an oil change, and occasionally forward you a news article with the subject line “Thought you should see this.”