What You Should Know:
– KLAS Research has released a new report reveals EHR selection buyer’s remorse among recent decison-makers at small standalone hospitals (1-200 beds).
– The report, US Acute Care EHR Market Share 2024 is based on interviews with hospital leaders and an analysis of market share data, reveals key trends in EHR selection, implementation, and satisfaction among small hospitals.
Epic, MEDITECH, and Oracle Health Dominate the Market
While small hospitals historically considered a wide range of EHR vendors, the market has consolidated around three primary players: Epic, MEDITECH, and Oracle Health.
- Epic Community Connect: This hosted solution, offered by larger Epic customers, is attractive for its potential to enhance integration and clinician satisfaction. However, cost and limited direct support from Epic can be barriers.
- MEDITECH Expanse: Known for its user-friendliness, Expanse is often chosen by hospitals already using legacy MEDITECH systems. However, its modern interface and improved usability are attracting new customers as well.
- Oracle Health: This platform offers a broad range of functionalities and a lower upfront cost, making it a popular consideration for small hospitals. However, concerns about unexpected costs and limited flexibility in the shared model have led to lower satisfaction among some customers.
Mixed Satisfaction with Oracle Health and TruBridge
Despite having the most net-new small hospital wins between 2021 and 2023, Oracle Health received the lowest value score among the vendors evaluated in the KLAS report. This dissatisfaction stems from concerns about unexpected costs for additional modules and customizations, as well as challenges with implementation and training.
TruBridge, often chosen for its perceived lower cost, also received low satisfaction ratings due to its outdated user interface, integration issues, and lack of vendor support.
Epic and MEDITECH Show Higher Satisfaction
In contrast, newer customers of Epic Community Connect and MEDITECH Expanse report higher satisfaction with their solutions. Providers appreciate the modern tools and functionalities offered by these platforms and have experienced fewer misalignments between sales promises and actual deliverables.
Challenges with Implementation and Training
Across all vendors, small hospitals express dissatisfaction with implementation and training processes. This highlights the need for increased investment in training and more prescriptive guidance from vendors to ensure successful EHR adoption and optimization.