Despite having distinct popularity and success throughout the United States, Epic Systems is not necessarily the top-performing EHR product throughout the globe, according to a recent KLAS report.
The KLAS Global Performance report breaks down user-perceptions of various different EHR systems by region, such as Asia/Oceania, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. Results show that although Epic Systems receives high praise throughout the US, and also performs well in Europe, the vendor does not have a stronghold in other regions.
The the best vendor performances in multiple regions, in fact, belonged to Cerner and Intersystems with high performances in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
One of the significant barriers vendors face in implementing their systems abroad are state contracts which limit certain functionality. Several companies, such as Cerner and Intersystems, have trouble implementing in Australia due to contractual issues.
Cerner’s implementation in the UK serves as an example of EHR systems that can be successfully implemented provided full adoption and fewer contractual limitations.
Although Epic is not seeing solid performances or high adoption rates in all regions, it is seeing success at larger health systems in other countries. Of the seven international Epic users interviewed, all of them reported full adoption of the systems, and strong functionality and support.
Vendors that do not see success at larger health systems include Allscripts and Phillips. Allscripts users report complications with implementation and support, while Phillips states that it faces difficulty garnering larger users to adopt their systems.
Cerner has garnered the most success throughout Europe, with the most ubiquitous successful adoption throughout the entire continent. That said, Epic has nearly 100 percent approval ratings from European users, though they are almost entirely located in one nation (the Netherlands).
As previously stated, Cerner’s clients in Australia are having difficulty with implementation. This is because of the way in which user contracts are established. Reported issues include a need for increased functionality, more system training, and increased systems optimization.
Despite Epic’s inconsistent international ratings, the EHR vendor continues to prove successful in the US. Between Epic’s many users’ awards, as well as Epic’s own honors, the vendor maintains its foothold as a health IT giant.
At the start of this year, Epic was awarded KLAS’s “Best in KLAS” award. Specifically, Epic won out in the Best for large ambulatory management category, among eleven other product awards.
Additionally, Epic won out in a recent Peer60 study of the physician-ranked most innovative EHR systems. Among the C-suite executives surveyed in the study, Epic won out as the overall best EHR system in operation. The vendor was also selected as one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use models on the market, and the top choice for CIOs.
Cerner and its users were also successful in the US this year, receiving KLAS’s best small ambulatory EHR award for 2014. Cerner also received two other KLAS awards in 2014.
In the aforementioned Peer60 study, Cerner was ranked as one of the most intuitive models on the market, as well as a top choice for COOs.
Perhaps most notably, Cerner was recently selected as the choice EHR for the Department of Defense EHR modernization project in partnership with Leidos Partnership for Defense Health. The partnership, which is currently valued at approximately $9 billion, was a significant feat for the EHR vendor.
“The Leidos Partnership for Defense Health is honored to have partnered with the Military Health System for nearly three decades, and we are committed to continuing our work in support of its mission to improve the health and medical readiness of our military,” Leidos representatives said in a public statement. “Our team stands ready to lean forward with the DoD to implement a world class electronic health records system.”
