The 2018 Best in KLAS Software and Services report, released this week by Orem, Utah-based KLAS, named the top-performing companies within various market segments based on customer feedback, and once again Epic earned the ranking of number-one Overall Software Suite.
It’s the eighth straight year that Epic has secured the top spot, with Meditech ranked number two, followed by Cerner. Epic also was named the top Overall Physician Practice Vendor, with athenahealth ranked number two. What’s more, Epic won Best in KLAS awards in seven segments and Category Leader awards in two segments.
Optimum earned the designation of top Overall IT Services Firm for the second year in a row, won two Best in KLAS awards and earned one Category Leader award. ECG Management Consultants earned the title of top overall Healthcare Management Consulting Firm.
The KLAS report showcases the vendor solutions that lead out in their respective software and services market segments, the winners of the 2018 Best in KLAS awards are those with the highest ratings according to their customers. Separate from the winners of Best in KLAS, the Category Leaders also earned top honors for helping healthcare professionals provide better patient care. The Category Leader designation is reserved for vendor solutions that lead select market segments in which at least two products meet a minimum level of KLAS Konfidence, according to the report.
Two vendors, athenahealth and Merge, an IBM Company, each received two Best in KLAS awards. According to KLAS, the Best in KLAS designation is reserved for vendor solutions that lead the software and services market segments with the broadest operational and clinical impact on healthcare organizations. athenahealth was recognized as Best in KLAS in the segment of ambulatory EMR (11-75 physicians) and for practice management (11-75 physicians). Merge was recognized as Best in KLAS within the Imaging Systems and Equipment sector for cardiology and VNA/image archive.
Epic received Best in KLAS awards in the following segments—acute care EMR (large hospital/IDN); health information exchange; laboratory (large hospital/IDN); ambulatory EMR (over 75 physicians); practice management (over 75 physicians); patient accounting and patient management (large hospital/IDN); and patient portals (for Epic MyChart, under the section of value-based care).
Meditech received Best in KLAS designation for Community HIS and Cerner was designated Best in KLAS for application hosting within the Services and Consulting segment.
This is the second year KLAS has reported on payer solutions. Casenet TruCare won Best in KLAS for care management solutions (payer). Health Solutions Plus (HSP) MediTrac won Best in KLAS for payer claims and administration platforms. Change Healthcare (Altegra Health) Quality Performance Advisor won Best in KLAS for payer quality analytics.
This year, to better align with current industry demand and energy, KLAS updated and expanded its categorization of the various software and services segments included in the Best in KLAS report. Previously segmented into Software, Physician Practice, Payer Solutions, and Services categories, the software and services areas of top importance to provider organizations are now presented in the following market ecosystems—Inpatient Clinical Care; Ambulatory & Post–Acute Care; Financial/Revenue Cycle/HIM; Value-Based Care; Security; Services & Consulting; Imaging Systems & Equipment and Payer Solutions.
The U.S. Best in KLAS report also recognized GE Healthcare Universal Viewer as the most improved software product, gaining 35 percent compared to last year in overall score by providers amidst promises of improved functionality and support. NextGen Healthcare NextGen EHR (over 75 physicians) was the most improved physician practice product for the second year in a row, increasing 10 percentage points over last year. Most improved medical equipment product was the Omnicell i.v.STATION, gaining 11 percent over last year, according to the report.
For the U.S. report, Best in KLAS is based on information obtained from the 2,500 interviews KLAS conducts with providers and payers each month. Annually, these interviews represent the opinions of healthcare professionals and clinicians from more than 4,500 hospitals and 2,500 clinics, and account for 750 products and services from more than 200 vendors.
KLAS also released its 2018 Global (Non-U.S.) Best in KLAS Software report, which names the top-performing healthcare IT software suppliers in global markets as reported by providers. Cerner won Global Best in KLAS for acute care EMR (electronic medical records), and Sectra won Global Best in KLAS for PACS.
The Global Best in KLAS report examines the performance of EMR and PACS products in regions outside the United States, including Asia/Oceania, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
KLAS notes that global providers are seeking next-generation functionality in their EMRs—such as population health management, and are turning to well-known consulting firms for expertise in implementing multiregional EMRs. “Providers are looking to EMR vendors for expertise in change management; and also for regional and global experience in training, governance and customization. For PACS, many larger providers are continuing to look at overarching vendor-neutral archive (VNAs) strategies as they weigh the benefits of a shared archive for all images, according to the report,” according to the report.
