KLAS: EMR sales bounce back in 2009

EMR sales experienced their lowest dip in seven years in 2008, but purchases by large hospitals nearly doubled from 65 in 2008 to 111 in 2009, reflecting the increased attention on EMR systems from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), according to a report issued Sept. 21 by healthcare market research firm KLAS.

The clinical information systems (CIS) market report, which garnered data from more than 1,600 acute care hospitals with more than 200 beds in the U.S. and Canada, found that nearly 70 percent of the new 2009 hospital purchases are an Epic or a Cerner integrated technology; as integration, clinical adoption and reliability emerged as the main concerns for providers regarding CIS decisions.

Of the 70 percent of EMR purchases, approximately 43 percent went to Epic, earning the vendor the title of fastest growing in the market once again, stated the report.

While Epic, Cerner and McKesson's Paragon flourished as a result of changes in the CIS market due to ARRA, Eclipsys, GE Healthcare, McKesson's Horizon and QuadraMed all lost more hospitals than they had gained and are “struggling to regain lost ground and meet market demands,” wrote Jason Hess, author of the report.

The report predicts that EMR purchase decisions will continue to be affected by changes within the market segment. For example, McKesson’s Paragon product was originally developed for a community hospital environment, but sold to more large hospitals in 2009 than its Horizon offering did, noted Hess.

In addition, despite GE’s customer satisfaction rating dropping five points in 2009, the company’s release of Quilibria has some providers looking forward with cautious optimism and the recent Eclipsys acquisition by Allscripts has the potential to positively affect the product offering and its success, the report stated.

Other vendors noted in the report as “treading water” were Meditech and Siemens Healthcare, as both saw limited growth of their currently marketed technologies, Meditech Magic and Siemens Soarian. Meditech continues to struggle with its history of poor clinical adoption, while a lack of intergrated surgery and ambulatory offerings has resulted in a slow growth pace for Siemens, Hess offered.    

“Organizations not only want a truly integrated system that clinicians will actually use, they are looking for a vendor that can be a consistent and reliable partner in their efforts to reach meaningful use,” concluded Hess.

Around the web

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, said the clinical community needs to combat health misinformation at a grassroots level. He warned that patients are immersed in a "sea of misinformation without a compass."

Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup