KLAS: athenahealth, NextGen Lead in Practice Management Success

Practice management vendors athenahealth, NextGen Healthcare, and Epic ranked highest for overall satisfaction and consumer experience among healthcare practices, a KLAS report found.

KLAS interviewed healthcare professionals over the last 12 months using its standard quantitative evaluation for healthcare software, consisting of 16 numeric rating questions and four yes or no questions.

The report reflected responses from midsize practices with 11 to 75 physicians and large practices with 76 or more physicians. The report also examined practice management vendor performance at independent practices and practices owned by a hospital or health system.

Among large practices, athenahealth’s athenaIDX received the highest overall performance score of 92.6 out of 100. Practices said the vendor was a proactive, supportive partner that could quickly solve issues.

Epic’s Resolute, Prelude, and Cadence solutions placed second for overall performance, with a score of 90.5. Almost all large practices using Epic said they would recommend the vendor to others. Respondents highlighted the strong technology, constant upgrades, and thorough training Epic offers, which helps generate tangible benefits for customers.

NextGen Healthcare’s NextGen Enterprise PM received a performance score of 81.2, with practices mentioning the robust reporting and scheduling capabilities and noting improved support and executive involvement in recent years.

Meanwhile, Cerner and eClinicalWorks ranked lower for practice management performance. Cerner received a score of 62, with respondents saying that the practice management solution could not provide everything it should without additional third-party software, which leads to increased costs.

Large practices reported several problems with eClinicalWorks, which received 48.8, such as support resources that are unable or unwilling to give assistance. Users also indicated that they could not integrate with key third-party revenue cycle components.

athenahealth performed well for midsize practices as well, with athenaCollector earning the top overall performance score of 80.6. The solution combines the EMR and revenue cycle management (RCM) services, allowing customers to reduce or better utilize full-time equivalents.

In addition, respondents said the cloud-based technology can be updated without disrupting workflows. However, practices also noted that support was subpar, with some experiencing long resolution times and difficulty contacting knowledgeable representatives.

NextGen Healthcare followed close behind with a ranking of 79.7. Midsize practices said that the vendor delivers a product and meets and often exceeds expectations and functionality requirements. However, nickel-and-diming remains an issue for some customers, leading to lower satisfaction.

NextGen Healthcare was also frequently used by independent practices of all sizes. Respondents reported that the vendor’s solution was easy to learn, customizable, and streamlined. In addition, practices said that the updates keep them current with new regulations and bring new functionality that helps them with efficiency.

Independent practices using NextGen Healthcare most often reported seeing tangible outcomes, viewed the solution as cost-effective, and said data flows smoothly between the EMR and practice management spaces.

Independent practices using athenahealth’s athenaCollector said the solution enables them to better understand what is happening in their revenue cycle operations due to the vendor’s transparency. Respondents also shared that the solution and services manage most RCM responsibilities.

athenahealth’s athenaIDX and Epic ranked high for customer satisfaction among owned practices, the report found.

Epic’s solutions received the top spot with a score of 89.7, and athenahealth followed with 88.9. According to respondents, Epic’s representatives proactively address issues and changes while keeping customers’ best interests in mind, while athenahealth’s updated technology generates clear results.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of owned practices using Cerner reported dissatisfaction due to stagnant technology, inadequate training, and product gaps that need to be filled by third-party software. The vendor received an overall performance score of 61.1.

Cerner plans to replace its practice management solution with its new solution RevElate. However, respondents doubt the new solution will improve satisfaction due to the vendor’s history of poor revenue cycle performance.