How do Enterprise Decisions Affect Cardiology?

Healthcare IT is integrating.

As providers look to consolidate their IT landscapes, many cardiology departments still have to use multiple solutions patchworked together in order to meet all of their needs.

Additionally, as the industry shifts toward value-based care, many organizations are watching cardiology closely to see whether it changes from a revenue source to a cost center.

All of this attention means that cardiology vendors, now more than ever, must deliver on provider needs in a big way.

In the Cardiology 2016 Report, KLAS Research spoke with more than 160 provider organizations to learn who was providing suitable consolidation options.

In many cases, INFINITT, Merge, and McKesson all had solutions regarded as strong options. Providers often cited the customization and useable modules provided by these vendors as being vital tools.

One of the most interesting things uncovered during KLAS’ research pertains to Epic Cupid; while adoption rates are low and development is slow, 100% of the providers KLAS spoke with who use Cupid said that it would remain part of their long-term plans.

This is in spite of the fact that, due to Cupid’s challenges, many providers must supplement the tool with solutions from other vendors.

Or, as these executives we interviewed put it,

“We wanted to get all of our providers on board with Cupid. But because of the gaps in Cupid, we have had to go back to our old system for some things.”

“We thought we would completely replace our other cardiology system with Cupid, but we have to use the two systems together.”

Here, as in many other spaces, the move toward enterprise IT solutions has an effect on decision making. One provider told us,

“We have a variety of vendors currently. When Cupid matures, we want to go with a more consolidated approach.”

However, with the promise of integration interest in Cupid remains high. ““We decided to go with Cupid so that we would be more integrated, but we found out that it was not ready,” remarked one Director of Imaging.

So while there’s lots of hope in Cupid’s advancement, adoption rates remain low as providers hold out to see whether Epic’s solution will mature.

Where other struggling tools would be replaced, the promise of a solidly integrated HIT solution seems to keep Cupid in the game.

To get more data and provider insights, read the Cardiology 2016 Report.