The Past, Present and Future of KLAS International Work
Did you know that KLAS is an international company? For the past 10 years and counting, we have been studying healthcare software all around the world, and our international work is one of our fastest growing areas.
A Global Vision
From the very beginning, the KLAS vision was global. In fact, one of our first reports was a measurement of the global EMR market. Early on, we were able to interview providers in the UK and other countries in Europe like the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Italy as well as countries in regions like South America, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Asia, Australia, and Canada.
Key to our beginnings was the establishment of a KLAS advisory board composed of influential members of the worldwide healthcare community, such as Rachel Dunscombe and Richard Corbridge in England, Mansour Al-Swaidan in Saudi Arabia, and Margaret Camargo in Brazil.
Tremendous Growth
The growth we have seen in our international work has been tremendous. At the start of our international work in 2012, the only market segment the international team studied was the EMR market. The number of market segments we now study has grown to include PACS, virtual care, digital pathology, VNAs, healthcare IT consulting, and others. In 2012, we published 2 international reports. Last year, we published 15. Each report involves extensive research and an army of KLAS employees.
Some reports are regional, covering one of five areas of the world: Europe, the Middle East, Asia/Oceania, Latin America, and Canada. Other reports are global, looking at combined regional trends. Our most consumed report is the Global EMR Market Share report, which we have now published annually since 2014. Last year, we reported on 45 vendors from around the world. The report offers valuable research that is hard to find anywhere else, and that is why it is one of the top three most downloaded reports on the KLAS website.
We started out working with single hospitals, but now, KLAS work at the government level is fairly common. For example, the Arch Collaborative has worked with the National Health Service in England. In Australia, we are working with multiple state governments, such as South Australia and New South Wales. We are also working with the UAE and other federal and state governments to improve their healthcare IT experience.
Flexibility, Talent, and Adventure
As you might imagine, interviewing providers from all over the world requires talent and flexibility. We are multilingual, and we have translated reports into different languages. Our team takes hundreds of calls in the early morning, in the late evening, and on weekends, often when the average person would be sleeping. Our team members’ sacrifices are a testament to our passion for helping healthcare professionals improve their technology in clinics and hospitals around the world.
We never intended to measure the international market wholly chained to our desks. Between everyone on the team, we probably go on 15 international trips every year and have visited more than 50 countries representing KLAS. We attend most of the major healthcare IT conferences all around the world, and we are often asked to speak at them.
Our 2022 Agenda
Our agenda for 2022 includes carving some never-before-explored research with studies of virtual care platforms and PACS in the Middle East as well as a report on the EMR market in Asia/Oceania. We also plan to publish reports on the EMR, PACS, and digital pathology markets in Europe as well as the PACS market in Latin America.
One of our most exciting upcoming reports is our EMR benefits realization report. We will be surveying about 100 healthcare providers who have implemented an EMR about the benefits they have received. We will also be making differentiations in vendor performance.
We have already been to Canada and England this year. At the end of the month, Everton Santos will be speaking in Dubai at Arab Health, the largest healthcare conference in the Middle East. In June, we will be hosting a global summit in Portugal, bringing together healthcare IT vendors, healthcare providers, and even some investment firms.
Future Projections
Our historical growth has resulted in great success, and our future projections are equally ambitious. We are creating a plan to triple our output and engagement in the international sector in the next five years. The growth potential for the international healthcare IT market is accelerating as more and more providers around the world adopt and have regular access to healthcare software and services. We are excited for the adventures that await our team as we continue to move the global market.
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