Which Suppliers Are Driving Satisfaction & Adoption in the UK/Ireland?

The EPR market for healthcare organizations in the UK and Ireland is seeing high energy and investment due to significant ongoing efforts to push digitization. Over 50 healthcare trusts will look to upgrade or deploy their first EPR in coming years, driven by integrated care system (ICS) alignment and a push to fully move away from paper. KLAS’ recent UK/Ireland report aims to help the trusts about to make EPR decisions as well as the trusts working to more deeply digitize and adopt functionality from their current supplier. 

The report gives insight on: 

• Supplier performance 
• Current market share
• The level of digitization
• The level of adoption of individual modules beyond documentation and ordering

This is one of our first in-depth regional looks in Europe among a broader push at KLAS to provide region-specific data and insights to help provider organizations. 

Read on for an overview of the data and a deeper look at the insights you will find in the report.

The UK & Ireland Market Likely to Significantly Change

Given the anticipated EPR government funding investment in coming years spurred by ICS alignment, this market holds a lot of potential for both suppliers and healthcare trusts, and we are excited to continue to monitor the region to see how things progress. As such, it was imperative to conduct an in-depth report to evaluate today’s depth of supplier engagement, performance metrics, and market share.

The EPR landscape is shifting, as Epic, System C, and Oracle Health have seen significant growth over the last five years, cementing Oracle Health’s and System C’s strong positions in the region and establishing Epic as a key player in the market. InterSystems has continued to lead the region in market share but has seen less growth in their EPR customer base. New developments are happening for suppliers such as Nervecentre, who was selected for their first full EPR deployment in 2019; MEDITECH, who has seen net-new selections and migrations for their Expanse platform; and Dedalus, who is introducing their ORBIS U platform in the region. It is likely that the dynamics of the EPR market in the UK and Ireland will look very different 5–10 years from now based on the decisions set to be made in coming years.

What Are the Potential Impacts of Working with a Local vs. Broader Supplier?

The ability to meet local needs has remained top of mind for many healthcare trusts. In this region, there are many suppliers who provide technology solutions across the globe, and there are a few suppliers (i.e., IMS MAXIMS, Nervecentre, System C) who are local and specifically focus on customers in this region. Healthcare trusts have to decide which option would be better for them, and there are likely pros and cons in both directions. There are likely large differences in the costs of EPR platforms in the region and the strategic ability of suppliers to drive adoption and help customers to receive value from their investment. When choosing a supplier, trusts will need to determine which elements are more important to them.

Deeper Adoption Drives Higher Performance & Customer Satisfaction

The most unique data set in this report is the holistic look at adoption. First, we analyzed how deeply trusts are digitizing with their main EPR supplier by asking what percentage of documentation and ordering is completed with that EPR. There is significant variation in digitization depth across suppliers in this report, with Epic, Oracle Health, and MEDITECH standing out for having customers that have gone deeply digital in the region. See the report for a further breakout of each vendor and a breakout of clinician documentation, nursing documentation, lab/radiology orders (CPOE), and pharmacy orders (ePrescribing). There is a significant opportunity for many organizations in the region to move more fully off paper and to more deeply digitize, with subsequent need for strategic guidance from vendors to drive that movement.

Beyond the core documentation/ordering pieces in an EPR, we looked at how broadly trusts are adopting their suppliers’ modules (including clinical, administrative, and other modules) and how well these modules are meeting their needs. Currently, there remains a lot of disparity between the breadth of adoption across different suppliers’ portfolios. Broadly, there is a correlation between the level of adoption and the satisfaction with the EPR supplier—trusts that have gone more deeply and broadly digital are generally happier with their suppliers. As with the documentation/ordering functionality, there is a strong appetite among healthcare trusts to more deeply adopt a supplier’s modules, but they need their suppliers to more strategically engage to drive that adoption.

Shaping the Future Landscape of EPR

The EPR market in the UK and Ireland is at a pivotal juncture, driven by the push for digitization and the integration into ICS frameworks. The choices that healthcare trusts make today regarding their EPR systems will shape the landscape for years to come. Whether opting for local suppliers with tailored solutions or broader suppliers with extensive capabilities, the goal remains the same: to improve the delivery of healthcare through deeper adoption of digital solutions. As the market evolves, continuous monitoring and strategic engagement from suppliers will be crucial in supporting trusts on their digital transformation journey. Read the UK/Ireland EPR report for more detailed data and insights on this market.

© Janis Smits / Adobe Stock