Meaningful Use Confidence is High but Gaps Still Exist

New KLAS report looks at how ambulatory EMRs stack up against expected meaningful use requirements.

Orem, UT, January 6, 2010 — Eighty-five percent of healthcare providers believe their ambulatory electronic medical record (EMR) software will enable them to meet the 2011 meaningful use deadlines being considered by the federal government, according to a report from KLAS.

For Ambulatory EMR: On Track for Meaningful Use?, KLAS interviewed more than 1,400 providers about 26 EMR vendors – in order to assess each solution’s readiness to meet meaningful use requirements, based on the guidance provided by the HIT Policy Committee in July 2009. Among the study respondents, the vast majority believe their EMR will help them meet the proposed government requirements, with Epic, NextGen and athenahealth customers expressing the most confidence, and SRSsoft and Amazing Charts clients expressing the least.

Despite the confidence, however, providers also noted a number of functional areas that are still lacking. Foremost among these were EMR reporting tools, patient access to medical records and the ability to share key clinical data.

Reporting will obviously play a vital role in a provider’s ability to meet the proposed meaningful use standards, yet more than 17 percent of providers say reporting is difficult or impossible with their current tools – and another 24 percent report needing specific technical expertise to manipulate the tools provided,” said Mark Wagner, director of ambulatory research for KLAS and author of the new report.

“To help their clients meet the substantial reporting requirements for meaningful use, many vendors will need to increase the number and complexity of their canned reports, provide a standalone reporting application or add a third-party tool that can pull the required data,” Wagner added.

The KLAS study also looks closely at the EMRs that excel or struggle with other proposed requirements, such as the digital transmission of pharmacy orders. Of all the products in the report, only Allscripts Enterprise had 100 percent of interviewed clients able to digitally transmit qualifying orders. Greenway and e-MDs earned the highest marks for functionality in this area, while MED3000 was considered the most challenged.

Also important in the discussion of digital pharmacy orders is the pharmacy itself. While there are performance differences from one EMR to another, the biggest obstacle to date has been a pharmacy’s ability to receive digital transmissions. Most large pharmacy chains are now using systems that can receive transmissions, but many smaller or independent pharmacies lack either the means or the inclination to go digital. Unless meaningful use requires these pharmacies to accept digital transmissions, it could be up to providers to either put pressure on noncompliant pharmacies or discontinue using them.

The following vendors are highlighted in the new KLAS ambulatory EMR report: Allscripts, Amazing Charts, Aprima (iMedica), athenahealth, Cerner, CHARTCARE, DoctorsPartner, eClinicalWorks, Eclipsys, e-MDs, Epic, GE, gMed, Greenway, HealthPort, Ingenix, LSS, McKesson, MED3000, MedcomSoft, NextGen, PracticeOne, Praxis, Sage, Sevocity and SRSsoft.

To learn more about the ambulatory EMR market, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of participating vendors, the report Ambulatory EMR: On Track for Meaningful Use? is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com/reports

About KLAS
KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS’ mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com or call 1-800-920-4109.