KLAS: Document, imaging solutions gain traction prior to EMR deployment

As healthcare reform and meaningful use put the focus on EMRs, many hospitals are looking to document management and imaging (DMI) solutions to ease the transition from paper records to electronic, according to a report from market research firm KLAS.

The report evaluated the DMI solutions from 14 vendors, based on customer feedback. The report acknowledged that DMI—which provides scanning, indexing and archiving of paper records—is becoming less critical in advanced organizations, the “majority of hospitals are still crossing the chasm between paper and a full EMR and many are using a DMI solution to ease the jump.”

Unlike many clinical software markets, DMI is a segment that is dominated by best-of-breed vendors. Among vendors of clinical IT products, only McKesson’s DMI solution was rated above average by providers, although Siemens Healthcare’s solution was also praised for strong functionality and workflow features, according to the report. Other enterprise vendors, such as Cerner, Eclipsys and Meditech, have been criticized for offering DMI solutions that have functional deficiencies and inconsistent support.

According to the report, best-of-breed vendors MedPlus and Hyland Software are the “clear leaders” in DMI.

“Both Hyland and MedPlus provide successful solutions for almost any size organization,” said author Steve Van Wagenen, KLAS research director. “And their customer satisfaction scores remain strong regardless of the organization’s EMR.”

Among the DMI vendor solutions highlighted in the KLAS report, MedPlus’ ChartMaxx earned the highest KLAS performance score (88.2 percent), followed by Hyland's OnBase (86.8 percent) and Perceptive Software’s ImageNow (83.3 percent).

Other vendors highlighted in the KLAS report include 3M, Alpha Systems, BlueWare, CGI, DB Technology, QuadraMed and Streamline Health.


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