Stiffer competition between key vendors is leaving an increasing number of healthcare providers on the fence about which EHR system to buy, according to a new report form research firm KLAS.

In the KLAS acute care EMR purchasing plans report released today, researchers found that even though providers have fewer choices due to market contraction, they are less likely to have made up their minds about which system to buy when evaluating future purchases.

[See also: Intermountain signs sweeping EHR deal and Mayo Clinic moves to Epic.]

Energy in the market is being driven largely by legacy customers looking to make a purchasing decision, KLAS finds. The report shines a light on which companies are under consideration by providers looking to make a decision and what is fueling that consideration.

"The competition between Epic and Cerner is closer than it has been in years past as customers determine their future purchasing plans," writes report co-author Coray Tate. "This has left twice as many facilities up for grabs" as compared with last year. The lion's share of the remaining customer mindshare is split between Meditech and McKesson, pretty consistently along partisan lines, according to KLAS.

[See also: Epic takes back 'Best in KLAS' title.]

"Acute Care EMR Purchasing Plans 2015: New Energy in a More Competitive Market" is co-authored by Tate and Colin Buckley.
   
A team made up of Cerner, Leidos, Accenture Federal and Intermountain Healthcare is also competing with IBM and Epic for an $11 billion government contract for a Department of Defense EHR. Also in competition are two other teams, Computer Sciences Corp., partnered with HP and Allscripts and PwC with General Dynamics Information Technology, DSS Inc., Medsphere and Google. The winning bid is expected to be announced this coming June.
   
Access the report here.