An Appetite For Change In EMR Market

One of every four outpatient systems is eyed for replacement, says KLAS, which also looks at hospital space in wake of Cerner/Siemens deal


Ambulatory practices both large and small say they're thinking hard about replacing their EMR, according to a new KLAS report. Hospitals, too, are in for disruption.  More than 25 percent of physician practices are considering yanking their existing system, according to KLAS' study, "Ambulatory EMR Perception 2014: New Leaders Emerging as Market Shifts."  This group of dissatisfied customers are arriving at these decisions from different strategic vantage points, however, depending their size, financial wherewithal and need to integrate with area hospitals.

"There are different reasons for this shift," says KLAS analyst Jared Dowland, who authored the report, in a press statement. "Larger practices are seeking to consolidate from multiple EMRs and tighten their relationships with nearby hospitals, while smaller practices are seeking to resolve functionality, support and cost concerns."
  KLAS – which based its report on interviews with more than 400 large and small practices nationwide – also finds that a further 12 percent of respondents would prefer to replace their system, but are prevented from doing so for financial or organizational reasons.

On the topic of system replacements, another new study from KLAS takes a broader look at the hospital EMR landscape, and its subtitle  – "Competition Mounts as Markets Collide" – suggests the marketplace is in for even bigger disruption.  Just look at the lingering fallout from Cerner's $1.3 billion acquisition of Siemens Health Services on Aug. 5. "(I)t represents a major shift in the hospital EMR market place," writes KLAS analyst Colin Buckley in the first of a two-part blog post exploring what the "new Cerner" will mean for providers...