Pediatric Ambulatory EMR 2020
Best EMR Performers in Pediatric Settings

Author
Aaron Gleave

Author
Alex McIntosh

July 14, 2020 | Read Time: 4 minutes

Despite their unique needs, many ambulatory pediatric offices are expected to “make do” with generalized EMR templates and charting. From growth charts, to well-child visits, to immunization tracking, to registry integration, pediatric offices often find their EMR doesn’t meet their needs. This report examines which EMR vendors best ensure pediatric provider success by providing an outstanding EMR and tailored service. Note that this report is focused on ambulatory-focused vendors, including pediatric-specific EMR vendors.

PCC, athenahealth, and Office Practicum EMRs Best Suited for Pediatrics

PCC (one of two pediatric-specific vendors in this report) stands out with the highest overall score and the most consistent customer satisfaction. They have a proven history of and reputation for supporting customers and delivering the pediatric-specific technology needed to successfully run an ambulatory pediatric practice. athenahealth’s EMR also performs well in pediatric settings; more than 90% of pediatric customers are satisfied with the solution and its pediatric-specific functionality. Customers of Office Practicum (the other pediatric-specific EMR vendor) are generally satisfied with the functionality they receive and feel it helps make their practices successful. Recent issues with nickel-and-diming and buggy updates have caused some frustration for a number of interviewed customers.

Product, Value, and Ease of Use Set Apart Pediatric Vendor Leaders

PCC and athenahealth both deliver robust offerings and strong value for customers. Neither customer base reports experiencing surprise charges. Additionally, PCC EHR is built for pediatrics, and athenaClinicals is customizable for pediatric-specific needs; this allows customers to map the systems to users’ clinical workflows, ultimately increasing EMR efficiency and helping providers spend more time with patients and less time in front of a computer. Interviewed Office Practicum customers say the vendor delivers a strong, easy-to-use product for pediatric practices. However, more than 40% feel its value has diminished and nickel-and-diming has increased since the company’s founder retired; several customers say the vendor has raised fees and now charges for every little thing, a change from how Office Practicum used to do business. Pediatric customers of eClinicalWorks (limited data) feel their vendor does not provide the functionality they need. Product quality is also a commonly mentioned issue.

PCC Sets the Bar for Successful Vendor/Client Relationships

Few vendors come close to PCC in fostering close, productive relationships with clients. Many customers describe PCC’s personnel as “part of the family,” saying the vendor gets to know each organization on a personal basis. PCC personnel are also extremely proactive, reaching out to customers on a regular basis to make sure they are happy and that things are going smoothly with the EMR. Vendor executives are closely and directly involved with clients, and many respondents say they know the CEO by name and can always reach a PCC executive if needed. PCC also receives praise for keeping their promises (even if they are slow to deliver at times) and keeping clients apprised of their progress on fulfilling those promises. Both eClinicalWorks (limited data) and Allscripts customers report issues with the vendor keeping their promises. Both vendors also struggle to provide appropriate service to their pediatric clients. Support personnel tend to lack needed knowledge and can be unhelpful. Allscripts respondents specifically say the answers they get from support representatives are often incorrect. Also, many are frustrated by a lack of executive involvement and feel the EMR is not as big of a priority as it once was for Allscripts.

relationship score vs keeps all promises

Allscripts and eClinicalWorks EMRs Not a Good Fit for Pediatric Practices; Greenway Intergy Making Improvements

While Allscripts’ EMR is highly customizable and can be tailored for use in pediatric settings, customers report that in order to make the solution work for their needs, they have to dedicate large investments of time and resources (e.g., hire an IT team to run and customize the EMR); these investments are not always communicated during the sales process, leading to missed expectations around Allscripts’ pediatric functionality. These issues are exacerbated by the fact that support is often lacking or nonexistent. The limited number of interviewed eClinicalWorks customers have a predominantly negative view of the EMR’s quality, saying it does not meet the needs of pediatric practices and does not come with necessary pediatric-specific content or workflows. Multiple respondents also complain about bugs, crashes, and problematic upgrades that introduce new problems without bringing substantive fixes. Historically, Greenway Health customers have felt the solution falls short in aspects like ease of use and needed functionality; however, a number of interviewed customers feel the vendor is making more of an effort to listen to customers’ problems and deliver requested pediatric-specific functionalities.

Writer
Amanda Wind Smith

Designer
Jess Wallace-Simpson

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This material is copyrighted. Any organization gaining unauthorized access to this report will be liable to compensate KLAS for the full retail price. Please see the KLAS DATA USE POLICY for information regarding use of this report. © 2023 KLAS Research, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NOTE: Performance scores may change significantly when including newly interviewed provider organizations, especially when added to a smaller sample size like in emerging markets with a small number of live clients. The findings presented are not meant to be conclusive data for an entire client base.