Cerner EMR vs. Epic EMR – which one’s the right choice for your healthcare practice? Medical setups struggle a lot when it comes to choosing the right EMR product for their facility. However, that does not mean you will have to go through the same. We have prepared this article to help walk you through the both vendors. These are big, costly software solutions, which is what leaves you with a little room for forgiveness when deciding the one that will suit your organization’s needs.
Despite the fact that most EMR vendors offer similar solutions, they still have some key differences. Let's now compare two of the biggest players in the EMR industry: Cerner and Epic.
Key differences between Cerner EMR and Epic
Cerner and Epic both offer electronic health record (EHR) solutions and are makers of health information technology, but they provide majorly different workflow experiences and cater to healthcare organizations of different sizes. You should keep in mind the size and nature of your practice to decide which software to go with. After having compared the reviews for both systems, we can say that Cerner seems to be a more popular option among medical practices.
While Epic is best-suited for large hospitals, Cerner EMR Reviews vouch for the fact that it owns a good percentage of the market share of health setups with 100-250 beds. As of now, Epic is also striving to appeal to independent practices and small hospitals alike.
In terms of the functionalities offered, you will find both Health IT solutions to be fairly similar. They both offer Artificial Intelligence, revenue cycle management, interoperability, telehealth, population health management, and mobile access.
Implementation – Cerner Vs. Epic
Both of these software vendors seem to have a bad reputation when it comes to EMR implementation. Reviews for Epic EMR show that users often end up spending millions of dollars on their installations. However, it still has a slight edge in terms of offering ease of use and navigation.
Cerner, on the other hand, offers task list convenience as it compiles all items for charting into one list. This helps users to easily document their implementation process.
Interoperability – Cerner Vs. Epic
The integration with other technologies and connectivity with external databases, is a key factor to consider when deciding between two EMR software. If a system supports interoperability, it lets users share information with other software. Here's how we stack up Cerner vs. Epic when it comes to sharing patient data.
In order to support interoperability with third-party systems, Cerner has built three platforms. This ensures that all of your clinical, operational, and financial data is connected. Whereas, Epic’s lack of integrations and aging technology have been criticized by users.
Cerner is a big proponent of interoperability as its website includes the Interoperability Tracker to let users track healthcare data exchange, pharmacy, and clinical transactions. Unlike its competitor, Epic seems to offer a lower level of interoperability, but is working to make progress in this area. However, users can connect Epic to other EHR systems via direct protocol.
Ease of use - Cerner Vs. Epic
Cerner offers an aesthetically pleasing graphical user interface (GUI), but this does not necessarily ensure ease of use. Users who booked Cerner EMR Demo report long, repetitive workflows for even the most basic of tasks, suggesting the system is not intuitive to use.
Conversely, Epic is not as well-designed as Cerner is, but user reviews for the product suggest that it offers good ease of use. This software is intuitive and their support staff usually figures out how to perform basic tasks without requiring hours of training.
How both vendors have responded to EHR innovations?
The COVID-19 pandemic presented the need for some major technological innovations for both the healthcare industry and the EHR systems. Take a look at how Cerner and Epic managed to respond to these challenges.
Telehealth
With the limits placed on the number of people who could gather indoors to receive care sessions, doctors could no longer attend to most of their patients. But telemedicine solved this problem by letting doctors safely examine their patients without requiring them to leave the premises of their homes.
As a response to this, Cerner collaborated with Amwell, which is a telehealth company, to help its users schedule and conduct remote care sessions.
Epic embedded a new telemedicine system into its platform to allow providers to connect with their patients right from the EHR.
Patient Portals
Patient portals make it easier for patients to schedule appointments, request prescription refills, and communicate with their provider for follow-up questions.
Cerner offers a patient portal that includes a secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging application to let patients securely chat with their doctors and ensure they are following the right steps in their care plan.
Epic’s patient portal does not only allow patients to view their medical records and schedule appointments, but it also enables them to get information on what certain procedures might cost them.
Which one to choose: Cerner Vs. Epic?
Your decision to choose between these two products should be based on the following factors:
Budget
For practices with financial constraints and a tight budget, Cerner would be a better option. Epic might be pricey for most healthcare setups, but it is worth it.
Cerner Pricing starts at $25/month/user.
Epic EMR Pricing includes $1,200 on-time licensing fees.
Practice size
Epic EMR is suitable for larger hospitals, while smaller ones prefer Cerner.
Remote setup
Epic only offers self-hosted servers, while Cerner provides a cloud-based solution that you can use on the go. Cerner is known for its international market and sales. Other than the hospitals, Cerner has expanded into non-hospital fields, like pharmacies.
Final Verdict
Choosing between two of the top-tier EMR software solutions – Cerner EMR and Epic EMR – is not easy. However, booking a demo to test-drive these products might be worthwhile to help you make a wise decision. If you still have questions about which product you should go with, you can take help from experts at Software Finder for a comprehensive demo.
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