Electronic Medical Record Survey Results: Medscape Exclusive Readers' Choice

Leslie R. Kane, MACC

October 06, 2009

Introduction

The best advice on choosing the right electronic medical record (EMR) system comes from physicians who are using one, who know what's good or bad about it, and now -- perhaps sadder but wiser -- either recommend or regret their choice. To help you learn from other physicians' experiences and avoid making mistakes, Medscape surveyed readers to get their opinions on the EMRs that they have used. We also asked readers to rate their EMRs on 12 key features:

Ease of data entry;
Overall ease of use;
Reliability;
Easy to learn;
Vendor training program;
Vendor customer support;
Ease of EMR implementation;
Interactivity with other office systems;
Value for the money;
Physician satisfaction;
Staff satisfaction; and
Patient satisfaction.

More than 3700 readers responded to the survey. The EMRs that readers evaluated included Allscripts, Epic, Misys (now Allscripts), Centricity, e-MDs, eClinicalWorks, Practice Partner, Sage, Greenway, Amazing Charts, and others. Epic was the most used EMR among physicians responding (11.3%), followed by Allscripts (9.1%), Centricity (7.0%), e-MDs (5.2%), NextGen (4.6%), eClinicalWorks (4.0%), and others (see Table 2 of article). Misys (2.7%) joined with Allscripts in 2008; their combined usage would put Allscripts in the number-one spot. Many respondents use a variety of less well-known EMRs, including some custom-made systems. Amazing Charts, an EMR for small practices, garnered an enthusiastic rating, with 100% of its users recommending it. By contrast, only 53.8% of physician users would recommend Cerner. Of note, all physicians using Amazing Charts were in practices with 1 or 2 physicians. Cerner, which scored lowest, was used primarily by physicians in hospitals and large groups.

It should be noted that an EMR that is right for one physician's practice may not be the right choice for you, and vice versa. Medscape's survey also brought out intriguing information about EMR cost per physician, physician practice size and EMR use, length of time physicians researched before buying, whether those who dislike their EMRs plan to make a switch, and how long the implementation process took. Readers also gave insightful -- and in some cases, emotional -- advice for physicians considering an EMR. Keep reading for more details about physicians' EMR choices.

Who Answered the Survey?

More than 3700 Medscape readers answered the 16-question survey, which was posted and available on Medscape from April through July 2009. Respondents included 1800 physicians, 516 nurses/advanced practice nurses, 61 physician assistants, 167 medical students, 659 other healthcare providers, 393 pharmacists, 43 individuals in health business/administration, and approximately 65 others. Physician responders worked in these specialties: family medicine -- 10.9%; internal medicine -- 10.1%; emergency medicine -- 7.4%; pediatrics -- 7.3%; psychiatry/mental health -- 6.8%; surgery, general -- 6.2%; anesthesiology -- 6.0%; gastroenterology -- 4.6%; ophthalmology -- 3.8%; pathology -- 3.3%; infectious diseases -- 3.1%; dermatology -- 3.1%. Specialties with less than 3% respondents included vascular surgery, pulmonary medicine, critical care, neonatal/perinatal medicine, cardiology, and others. Where did the physician respondents work? The majority (38.9%) were employed in hospitals; the second largest segment were in a group practice (26.0%); about a fifth (19.6%) were in solo practice; 5.1% of respondents worked in a public clinic; and 10.4% checked "other," which included a VA hospital, academic institution, and being retired.

1 2 3 4 5

Next Section

Cite this: Leslie R. Kane. Electronic Medical Record Survey Results: Medscape Exclusive Readers' Choice - Medscape - Oct 06, 2009.

Table 1. Physicians: Are You Currently Using an EMR?
Size of Practice	Yes, I use an EMR	No, but I plan to buy one within a year or two	No, and I don't plan to buy one
1-2 physicians	27.5%	26.1%	46.4%
3-5 physicians	39.4%	30.8%	29.8%
6-10 physicians	40.0%	31.9%	28.1%
11-25 physicians	47.6%	24.4%	28.0%
25-100 physicians	51.0%	24.0%	25.0%
> 100 physicians	52.6%	27.7%	19.7%
Total percentage, all practice settings	37.9%	24.8%	37.3%

Table 2. Which EMR System Are You Using?
EMR System	Percentage of Respondents Using
Epic	11.3%
Allscripts	9.1%
Centricity	7.0%
e-MDs	5.2%
NextGen	4.6%
eClinicalWorks	4.0%
Cerner	3.7%
Practice Partner	3.4%
VA CPRS	3.4%
Misys (now Allscripts)	2.7%
MediNotes	2.7%
Amazing Charts	2.5%
Sage	0.9%
Emdeon	0.6%
Greenway	0.6%
Other	38.3%

Table 3. Would You Recommend Your EMR to Other Physician Practices?
EMR System	YES Physician Users	NO Physician Users	YES All Respondent Users	NO All Respondent Users
Amazing Charts^a	100.0%	0.0%	100.0%	0.0%
Misys (now Allscripts)	88.9%	11.1%	81.3%	18.8%
MediNotes	88.9%	11.1%	91.7%	8.3%
Practice Partner	81.8%	18.2%	81.8%	18.2%
eClinicalWorks	81.8%	18.2%	76.9%	23.1%
e-MDs	81.3%	18.8%	78.9%	21.1%
Epic	80.0%	20.0%	78.2%	21.8%
Next Gen	78.6%	21.4%	72.2%	27.8%
Centricity	69.6%	30.4%	74.4%	25.6%
Allscripts	65.4%	34.6%	67.6%	32.4%
VA CPRS	63.6%	36.4%	66.7%	33.3%
Cerner^a	53.8%	46.2%	45.8%	54.2%

Note: Greenway, Sage, and Emdeon had too few users to be included in this chart.
^aAll physicians using Amazing Charts were in practices with 1 or 2 physicians. Cerner, which scored lowest, was used primarily by physicians in hospitals and large groups.

Table 4. Average Score for Each EMR From All Respondents (1 = Poor; 5 = Excellent)
	Allscripts	NextGen	Misys (now Allscripts)	e-MDs	eClinical Works	Epic	Centricity	MediNotes	Practice Partner	VA CPRS	Amazing Charts	Cerner
Number of Respondents	485	19	16	19	16	56	43	13	9	12	8	13
Areas of Performance
Ease of data entry	3.17	2.58	3.63	3.26	3.33	3.32	3.10	3.73	3.44	3.08	4.00	2.69
Overall ease of use (intuitive)	3.03	2.53	3.53	3.47	3.31	2.95	3.10	3.50	3.33	3.25	4.43	2.46
Reliability	3.32	3.11	3.47	3.32	3.31	3.49	3.28	3.67	3.44	3.42	4.13	3.00
Easy to learn	2.96	2.84	3.47	3.22	3.29	3.00	2.90	3.08	3.56	3.08	4.29	2.38
Adequacy of vendor training program	2.87	2.50	2.93	3.05	3.06	3.02	2.98	3.62	3.13	3.20	3.88	2.50
Vendor customer service	2.98	2.78	3.07	3.06	3.47	3.17	2.86	3.38	2.88	3.30	3.88	2.25
Ease of EMR implementation	2.95	2.47	3.20	3.16	3.38	2.96	2.89	3.08	3.00	3.22	4.50	2.38
Interactivity with other office systems	4.65	2.44	3.14	2.89	3.13	2.79	2.56	3.38	2.89	3.00	3.25	2.31
Value for the money	3.04	2.58	3.07	3.05	3.15	3.04	2.94	3.08	3.00	3.88	4.75	2.50
Physician overall satisfaction	2.98	2.74	3.20	3.33	3.13	2.96	2.95	3.25	3.44	3.42	4.50	2.46
Staff overall satisfaction	3.00	2.68	3.27	3.32	3.27	2.94	2.93	3.36	3.44	3.44	4.50	2.58
Patient satisfaction	3.13	2.67	3.40	2.94	3.15	2.82	3.12	3.25	3.50	3.56	4.00	2.78
Overall Average	3.17	2.66	3.28	3.17	3.25	3.04	2.97	3.36	3.25	3.32	4.17	2.53

Table 5. Physician Satisfaction Scores
	Poor	Fair	Good	Very Good	Excellent
Allscripts	26.9%	19.2%	23.1%	30.8%	0.0%
Epic	11.4%	22.9%	37.1%	17.1%	11.4%
Centricity	4.5%	22.7%	40.9%	27.3%	4.5%
e-MDs	0.0%	20.0%	46.7%	26.7%	6.7%
NextGen	7.1%	42.9%	14.3%	28.6%	7.1%
eClinicalWorks	16.7%	8.3%	33.3%	25.0%	16.7%
Cerner	30.8%	23.1%	23.1%	15.4%	7.7%
Practice Partner	0.0%	11.1%	44.4%	33.3%	11.1%
VA CPRS	8.3%	16.7%	25.0%	25.0%	25.0%
Misys (now Allscripts)	12.5%	0.0%	50.0%	12.5%	25.0%
MediNotes	11.1%	22.2%	0.0%	66.7%	0.0%
Amazing Charts	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	50.0%	50.0%

Table 6. Time Taken for Researching EMR
	Up to 3 Months	3-6 Months	7 Months-1 Year	> 1 Year
Physicians who use an EMR	24%	22.8%	12.9%	40.3%

Table 7. Length of Time for Implementation
Less than 6 months	40.5%
6 months to 1 year	25.4%
More than 1 year	22.2%
Still not implemented	11.9%

Table 8. If You're Not Satisfied With Your EMR, Are You Considering Switching to a New EMR?
No; I've already spent too much on it	50.0%
Not now, but maybe in the distant future	32.8%
Yes, within the next 2 years	17.2%

Table 9. How Much Was Your Initial Cost Per Physician to Purchase and Install Your EMR System?
Size of Practice	Up to $10,000	Between $10,001 and $35,000	Between $35,001 and $49,999	More than $50,000	I don't know
1-2 physicians	42.0%	31.9%	8.7%	2.9%	14.5%
3-5 physicians	20.0%	17.8%	6.7%	17.8%	37.8%
6-10 physicians	21.9%	21.9%	3.1%	9.4%	43.8%
11-24 physicians	21.1%	28.9%	2.6%	13.2%	34.2%
25-100 physicians	3.6%	10.7%	3.6%	10.7%	71.4%
> 100 physicians	0.0%	5.0%	15.0%	5.0%	75.0%
Total percentage of those owning an EMR	20.6%	19.6%	5.1%	8.0%	46.6%

Comments

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.