Ambulatory EMR 2015
Key Findings From the Past 16 Months

1. EMRs STRENGTHEN PATIENT RELATIONSHIPS

Providers indicate that EMRs are most helpful when it comes to strengthening physician/patient relationships outside of the office. EMR capabilities such as patient portals and physician remote access to patient charts allow for more efficient communication and care. Epic scored best in this area, primarily due to their widely adopted patient portal, MyChart. 

In contrast, providers feel EMRs hinder their ability to see patients in a timely manner in the office—and don’t necessarily enhance the quality of care delivered. Physicians compensate by working additional hours to meet meaningful use requirements and catch up on documentation. 

To see how ambulatory EMR vendors impact patient care in other areas, such as clinical outcomes and longitudinal care, see the Ambulatory EMR Impact on Patient Care 2014 report.

2. EPIC, CERNER, AND ATHENAHEALTH ARE NEW MINDSHARE LEADERS

Epic, Cerner, and athenahealth compose the new set of ambulatory EMR vendors with the most market mindshare, taking the top three spots from the mindshare leaders in KLAS’ last study (2012): Allscripts, eClinicalWorks, and Greenway. Other well-known vendors are decreasing in mindshare and considerations as well. GE and NextGen were the most replaced vendors among providers switching their EMRs. 

To read more about which vendors are top of mind, which are being replaced, and why, see the Ambulatory EMR Perception 2014 report.

3. PROVIDERS DEFINE THEIR OWN INTEROPERABILITY SUCCESS

Today, providers judge interoperability success based on their specific needs and goals rather than on distance traveled along a common road. Among ambulatory EMRs, athenahealth and NextGen have the highest provider-reported interoperability success rates, and customers point to their vendors’ contributions and efforts as reasons for their success. 

To understand more about how ambulatory EMR vendors are helping meet providers’ interoperability needs, see the EMR Interoperability 2014 report.

4. ECLINICALWORKS MOST USED IN PHYSICIAN-LED ACOs

The number of physician-led ACOs continues to outpace the number of hospital/IDN ACOs. Among physician-led ACOs, eClinicalWorks stands out as the most used EMR vendor across all functional categories, alongside Optum as the most used third-party vendor. On average, if EMR vendors want to be able to compete with third-party vendors, they still have ground to make up concerning the strength of specific ACO functionality and tools.  

To learn more about the role each vendor plays in physician-led ACOs and how well they performed, see the Physician ACO's 2014 report.

5. NEXTGEN TOP RATED FOR RCM SERVICES PERFORMANCE

Many providers are opting to outsource their revenue cycle management (RCM) services to their EMR/PM vendor in order to alleviate the administrative stresses caused by today’s complex operations. NextGen was the top-rated RCM services vendor, thanks to consistent delivery and effective claims processing. athenahealth also offers strong RCM services in addition to strong ambulatory EMR and PM functionality and support. 

How do the quality and transparency of services compare among vendors? See the 2014 Ambulatory RCM Services report to find out.