Slideshow: Inside the ambulatory EMR market

March 16, 2011

09:05 AM

Ambulatory EMRs

EMR adoption became top of mind for many providers following the 2009 ARRA legislation. Research firm KLAS surveyed 370 providers who plan to purchase an EMR solution in the next two years. This slideshow - based on the report, "Ambulatory EMR Buying: A Roller Coaster Ride in 2010" - outlines the insights shared by providers, including which vendors are being considered, which EMRs are being replaced and how providers will deploy their EMR solutions. Click on the graphs to enlarge.

Vendors Considered

Allscripts, NextGen and eClinicalWorks dominate the field amongst vendors considered in an EMR purchasing decision. Providers are considering more vendors overall, with 72 percent of small practices considering lesser-known vendors.

Who is Being Replaced?

Nearly one-third of respondents are replacing an existing EMR, with half of these switching because of poor functionality in their current solution. Although some providers are replacing non-compliant solutions, 62 percent of providers are replacing systems that are CCHIT certified. This indicates that certification is not a guarantee that the needs of providers are being met. Additionally, many larger practices are aiming to consolidate disparate EMR solutions across their organizations.

How Vendor Performance Correlates to Interest

The top priority for providers is physician usability. Vendors who offer EMR solutions that fit the needs of providers garner greater interest; therefore vendor performance is not a hard and fast indicator of interest amongst providers. Athenahealth and e-MDs both received high KLAS performance ratings, but are not among the most considered. Whereas NextGen and eClinicalWorks are the most considered vendors, their performance scores fall in the middle of the pack.

Client Loyalty

Nearly half of providers are leaning toward using their existing practice management vendor.

Deployment

Remote hosting for EMRs is a popular choice, with one-third of respondents planning to deploy an ASP or SaaS model. This solution does not have much of the upfront costs, but tends to be more expensive in the long term. Another plus is the ability for rapid implementation. For more information, visit www.klasresearch.com.