KLAS on Wednesday announced its annual "2010 Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Professional Services," ranking the best-performing software and professional service vendors across a wide range of market segments, from EMRs to PACS to Financial/ERP.

The annual list, based on more than 17,000 interviews conducted with healthcare providers over the past year, measures vendors' performance in areas of product quality, implementation and service and support.

The top-rated companies in key market categories earned the "2010 Best in KLAS" distinction, signifying their leadership in meeting customer expectations. The award is reserved for companies in the largest and most impactful market segments.

"Since 1998 the objective of the Best in KLAS Awards report has been to help healthcare providers make informed decisions," said Adam Gale, KLAS president. "This year we have included two new sections in the report – the 'Overall Software Suite Rankings' and 'Disclosure Levels.' The disclosure levels provide a transparent view into the vendor's willingness to share a complete client list with KLAS, which provides a more inclusive assessment of their products' performance. We believe these additions bring clarity to providers when making healthcare technology decisions."

In addition to recognizing the "Best in KLAS" honorees, the report also highlights the highest-performing vendors across all the market segments in which they have rated products or services.

In the 2010 report, Epic is the top-ranked overall software vendor, with a performance score of 87.0 out of 100, followed by Picis and Philips.

The top-rated overall services firm is Hayes Management (90.5), followed by Vitalize Consulting Solutions Inc. and CTG.

For a list of the "2010 Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Professional Services," see the next page.