EHR Vendor Epic Tops Market for Revenue Cycle Management Health IT

Epic is the EHR vendor market leader for revenue cycle management health IT due to its strong integration capabilities, according to a recent KLAS report.

Revenue cycle management is complex, so organizations have historically had to supplement patient access functionality from their enterprise EHR vendors with third-party revenue cycle vendors. However, as organizations look to streamline their digital strategies, many are looking to their enterprise EHR vendors to further develop patient access capabilities.

Epic customers reported the highest satisfaction overall and described the registration and scheduling functionality as strong. Customers noted that they appreciate Epic’s transparency around their modules’ limitations.

Epic customers reported the integration with third-party systems in use is seamless. Respondents said the workflow feels entirely contained within the Epic system, allowing users to operate more efficiently and optimize patient access functionality so it is easy to use. Additionally, customers feel well supported by Epic and appreciate the vendor’s willingness to share their product road map.

Cerner customers reported significantly lower rates of satisfaction than Epic users. Cerner leverages third-party partners for patient access, and clients reported more patient access limitations than customers of other vendors.

Multiple customers noted EHR integration difficulties between Cerner and third-party partners; nearly 40 percent of respondents said that although they use a Cerner-recommended third party for patient access, the integration is insufficient. End-users must leave the EHR system to use third-party functionality, resulting in duplicate documentation.

Even among customers who are satisfied with the existing integration, several are frustrated with the number of add-ons required; 63 percent of respondents said that they are dissatisfied with Cerner’s delivery of new health IT.

Cerner clients said that they feel the vendor’s solution falls behind others in the market, largely due to these integration issues. While a few customers noted that they expect to see improvements, the majority wish the vendor would offer more native patient access functionality and question whether Cerner will meet their long-term patient access goals.

While not directly asked, respondents did not mention Cerner sharing a road map for future development in terms of native patient access health IT.  

On the other hand, most MEDITECH customers are very satisfied with their implementation and feel the EHR vendor provides a reliable product.

MEDITECH’s solution is still being developed, so customers are not sure whether they will adopt future functionality from the vendor rather than continuing with third-party solutions. However, many are satisfied with the delivered functionality so far and remain hopeful about MEDITECH’s future patient access health IT development.

Multiple interviewed MEDITECH customers are very satisfied with the solution’s patient access capabilities. These customers feel the solution integrates well and is easy to use and train on. MEDITECH is seen as a responsive partner who supports and communicates well with provider organizations.

Unsatisfied customers reported missed expectations during the sales process and communication issues.

One dissatisfied respondent used Epic’s solution in the past and feels their Epic experience is superior to their MEDITECH experience, mainly due to Epic’s BFF support program. Another dissatisfied customer said the product has more limitations than they were led to believe during the sales process; this customer would like MEDITECH to invest more in developing new functionality.