Integration More Significant to Providers than Usability when Selecting a CIS Solution

While government incentives have certainly accelerated provider decisions to implement or expand a clinical information system (CIS) that is not the only factor at play. The Orem, Utah-based KLAS' new report, Clinical Market Share 2011: Is Stimulus Money Still Stimulating?, takes a deep dive into some of the other factors, and examines which vendors appear to be living up to the changing needs of hospitals with over 200 beds.

As healthcare facilities consolidate to expand service offerings and increase market share, they often find themselves with a patchwork of CIS vendors and systems. To improve the availability of the data from these diverse systems, many are opting to standardize their CIS platform across all facilities. The 2010 sales wins and market share of CIS vendors for hospitals with over 200 beds, as verified by KLAS, reflect how well each vendor is responding to developing interconnectivity needs.

Ranked first in new hospital contracts, the Verona, Wis.-based Epic offers integrated clinical, patient financial, and ambulatory solutions with above-average usability and an unmatched track record of successful implementations in hospitals with more than 200 beds. Even though they lag behind in technology and are not the cheapest solution available, their ability to integrate systems and show strengths that cater perfectly to the current market trends helped them lure many clients away from competitors last year.