Northwell’s Firearm Safety Screening Tool to Become Available to Epic Health Systems Nationwide

Northwell Health has introduced a firearm safety screening tool that was integrated into Epic’s electronic health record (EHR) system in May 2026, making it available to thousands of hospitals nationwide. By embedding the screening directly into Epic — which supports care for more than 325 million patients — it allows health systems to adopt a standardized, ready-to-use approach while also improving data collection for research and prevention efforts.

“By making our screening tool available to Epic health systems nationwide, we’re enabling health systems across the country to have meaningful conversations with patients about firearm safety and connect them with life-saving resources,” said Chethan Sathya, MD, director of Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention and pediatric trauma surgeon.

The tool enables clinicians to assess firearm access and violence risk, refer at-risk patients to intervention programs, provide safety resources such as gun locks, and capture consistent data on firearm-related injuries. This standardized approach aims to support both immediate patient care and long-term research, with the broader goal of making firearm safety screening as routine as other health assessments like mental health or substance use screenings.

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