KLAS has officially released its 2015/2016 Best in KLAS Rankings, with EHR vendor giant Epic Systems leading the pack.For the sixth straight year in a row, Epic has brought home the Overall Software Suite award. The vendor also received the top Overall Physician Practice Vendor award and won seven Best in KLAS awards.
Epic’s Best in KLAS awards included high rankings in patient portals, health information exchanges, and acute care EHR. The vendor also scored top honors for its applications in surgery management, patient accounting and patient management, ambulatory EHR, and practice management.
Although much of this year’s KLAS rankings look like a bit of a clean sweep for Epic, a few other notable EHR vendors scored top honors on the list. athenahealth was awarded two Best in KLAS rankings with its ambulatory EHR and practice management solutions.
Cerner also received a Best in KLAS award for its applications hosting. The vendor was also highly in several other categories, frequently being edged out by Epic and other mainstream vendors. In the Overall Software Suite rankings, for example, Cerner was ranked number two following Epic, and was also ranked closely behind Epic and athenahealth for Physician Practice Vendor rankings.
The KLAS rankings also distinguished vendors in other sectors of healthcare IT. Impact Advisors was named the top Overall IT Services Firm, while CareTech Solutions, CureMD, Galen Healthcare each earned two Best in KLAS rankings each. Merge earned three Best in KLAS Rankings.
The list also recognized the most improved healthcare IT vendor. With a 20 percent increase in user satisfaction, KLAS awarded Medicity, a population health management product, with the distinction.
KLAS’s work strives to recognize innovative health IT solutions in a growing market. Because healthcare technology is at such a critical juncture, KLAS executives say it is important to continue to assess the leading vendors in the market to ensure the best possible results.
“As healthcare continues to evolve, it is imperative that we seek innovation and constantly address the needs of a shifting market. The Best in KLAS and Category Leader winners are the ones making the greatest strides within their market segments. I congratulate each of you for your award,” said KLAS’s CEO and president Adam Gale.
These rankings come straight from the users who engage with the health IT products each day. By surveying users, KLAS says it can get a clear grip on the leading health IT vendors presently on the market. These user ratings help vendors make the needed improvements to help improve healthcare delivery.
“KLAS is honored to work with talented healthcare providers who willingly share their experiences with us and make the Best in KLAS report possible,” Gale said. “We also commend all the vendors who strive to improve their products and services in order to provide the best possible healthcare. It is truly a joint effort.”
The KLAS rankings told a similar story last year, with Epic taking home many of the industry recognitions including the best overall physician practice vendor and best overall suite. Epic also won Best in KLAS awards for health information exchange, acute care, ambulatory care, and patient portals.
However, that wasn’t always the case. In 2013, athenahealth bested Epic, receiving the top KLAS award. However, since then, Epic has been able to reaffirm its dominance in the health IT market. Between winning the top KLAS honors and its seven other category wins this year, Epic has shown its deep-seeded dominance in the health technology market.
