Suggested Content
- Consultants favored over vendors for health IT rollouts
- RemitDATA helps docs and vendors see how they stack up
- Direct Project: A new way to transfer data
- KLAS evaluates Allscripts-Misys merger, one year later
- 'Obamacare' a lightning rod, but what about health IT?
- Allscripts launches contest to battle heart disease with better CDS
- Gingrich's health center was power player in a host of Washington policy debates
- Costco offers off-the-shelf EHR
OREM, UT – Physicians are considering an ever-increasing number of software vendors when shopping for the right electronic medical record system, according to a new report from research firm KLAS.
However, established vendors Allscripts, NextGen and eClinicalWorks still maintain the most mindshare in the ambulatory EMR market, as those vendors are considered in one of every three purchase.
For the new report, Ambulatory EMR Buying: A Roller Coaster Ride in 2010, KLAS interviewed more than 370 healthcare providers who plan to choose an EMR solution in the next two years. The goal was to discover which EMR vendors are making the short list.
KLAS found that providers are increasing their pool of considered vendors, including lesser-known options. This is especially true for small practices with one to five physicians, where 72 percent are considering solutions outside the best-known vendors. Larger practices also are considering vendors that have traditionally serviced smaller organizations.
"The vendors with the largest market share – companies like Allscripts, NextGen and eClinicalWorks – are considered the most often in purchasing decisions," said Mark Wagner, KLAS general manager of ambulatory research and author of the report. "What's interesting, however, is the number of smaller vendors, such as athenahealth, e-MDs and Greenway, which are getting more looks, even from practices that are larger than their typical clients."
The KLAS report also found that among providers planning an EMR purchase, nearly a third of them are replacing an existing solution. Half of the providers planning a switch are doing so because their current EMR lacks functionality or certification – because they are not viable go-forward strategies in today's ARRA-focused healthcare environment.
Which ambulatory EMR vendors providers are considering varies significantly depending on practice size. However, some overall trends were evident:
- Allscripts EMR products (including Enterprise, Professional, Misys and MyWay) are being collectively considered in 35 percent of purchase decisions, more often than any other vendor's products;
- NextGen is being considered in 32 percent of planned purchases;
- eClinicalWorks is being considered in 29 percent of purchase decisions.
Other vendors highlighted in the KLAS report include athenahealth, Cerner, e-MDs, Eclipsys, Epic, GE, Greenway, McKesson and Sage.
