KLAS Research Evaluates Six Major Ambulatory EHR Providers
KLAS research has assessed six prominent ambulatory Electronic Health Record (EHR) providers – athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Epic, Greenway Health, NextGen, and Veradigm – across a comprehensive ecosystem of supporting technologies. These include patient engagement, population health, virtual care, revenue cycle services, and interoperability tools. The evaluation, known as ‘Complete Looks,’ aims to demonstrate how these vendors perform beyond their core EHR and practice management capabilities.
Methodology and Overall Performance
The findings are based on interviews and surveys from 690 provider organizations over a 12-month period. KLAS assigns an overall performance score to each EHR, reported as a letter grade, by averaging ratings across the company’s suite of products. Notably, vendors in the Complete Looks series averaged a ‘C’ overall, indicating room for improvement in meeting modern ambulatory care demands.
Vendor Performance Highlights
athenahealth: Integrated and Interoperable
athenahealth is recognized for its comprehensive, integrated suite of tools that are regularly upgraded. Clients praised its user-friendly interfaces and strong interoperability features. However, some customers noted that specialty workflows need improvement, and implementation challenges caused workflow disruptions. athenahealth received a B-minus overall performance score, with 77% of customers expressing satisfaction.
eClinicalWorks: Affordable but with Caveats
eClinicalWorks offers lower initial licensing costs, making it attractive to budget-conscious organizations. However, customers reported additional costs later on when adding new features. The product is continuously updated, which is both a benefit and a source of frustration due to occasional buggy updates. eClinicalWorks received a C-minus overall performance score, with 62% of customers satisfied.
Epic: Leader for Large and Small Practices
Epic emphasizes innovation, user-friendliness, and customizability, with integrated features that reduce the need for third-party tools. While it offers robust technical support, smaller practices find the high cost of ownership a significant barrier. Epic received a B-minus overall performance score, with 84% of customers satisfied – the highest in the group.
Greenway Health: User-Friendly but Outdated
Greenway Health offers user-friendly navigation and customizable documentation. However, customers feel it lacks modern technology compared to competitors, with outdated integration capabilities and ongoing customer service issues. Greenway Health’s overall performance score is D-minus, with only 34% of users satisfied.
NextGen: Strong Core Capabilities
NextGen is known for its customizability and broad integration options, supporting a cohesive suite of financial and clinical tools. While users appreciated its all-in-one feel, some found the interface clunky and nonintuitive. NextGen earned a C-minus overall performance score, with 55% of users satisfied.
Veradigm: Straightforward but Archaic
Veradigm performs well in claims management and revenue cycle services and is straightforward to use. However, clients described its design and functionality as archaic. Some users are optimistic about recent product changes and new leadership potentially driving innovation. Veradigm earned a D overall performance score, with 43% of users satisfied.
Conclusion
The KLAS research provides valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of major ambulatory EHR providers. While some vendors excel in specific areas, the overall performance average of ‘C’ suggests that there is significant room for improvement in meeting the evolving demands of modern ambulatory care.
