KLAS: Vendors vie for larger shares of growing EHR market

The ambulatory EHR market is still growing. As larger healthcare organizations look to replace their current systems and smaller organizations continue boarding the EHR train with their first systems, vendors are juggling resources to meet a diverse set of provider needs, according to a recently published KLAS report.

“Rather than solidifying, the ambulatory EHR market is expanding more than ever,” report author Mark Wagner wrote in the June report. “Larger practices are seeing heavy replacement activity, with many first-time buyers in the smaller practices.”

First-time EHR buyers were more likely to prioritize cost than replacement buyers, who were more likely to prioritize solving past product issues, according to the Orem, Utah-based market researcher’s survey of 318 providers representing various practice sizes. Other top reasons for replacement include support issues, system consolidation within organizations and unmet expectations.

Among new buyers, the most chosen vendors include:

• eClinicalWorks (chosen by 9 percent of respondents);
• athenahealth (9 percent); 
• Epic (8 percent); and
• Allscripts (8 percent).

Among replacement buyers, the most chosen vendors include:  

• Epic (23 percent);
• eClinicalWorks (11 percent); 
• Allscripts (11 percent); and
• Greenway Medical (7 precent).

Additionally, 38 percent of new buyers and 24 percent of replacement buyers went with a vendor outside of the 11 vendors specifically referenced in the report.   

As the EHR market expands, lesser known vendors have moved to fill some gaps while more widely known vendors vie for the top spot in terms of provider perception.

“Allscripts, GE Healthcare and NextGen have historically had high provider perception, but are being shaken by increased interest in athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Epic and Greenway,” Wagner wrote. “Allscripts, McKesson and Vitera are all struggling to keep clients while correcting large gaps in product development and support.”