Cerner Vs Epic Pros And Cons : Which One To Go For in 2025?

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Oracle Cerner and Epic have emerged as the top contenders in the EHR (electronic health record) domain. They offer cloud-based solutions to streamline the processes of healthcare organizations. Both software innovations improve patient communication, charting, and billing (revenue generation). However, with multiple features available, they have their own set of shortcomings. Let’s take a look at a side-by-side comparison of Oracle Cerner vs Epic pros and cons to help you make the right choice.

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic: Which Option is Better?

The choice between Oracle Cerner EHR and Epic EHR depends heavily on the specific needs and size of the healthcare organization. Large, integrated health systems often favor Epic, while Oracle Cerner may be a better fit for smaller organizations or those with budget constraints. 

Both systems offer customization, but Epic is known for its extensive customization capabilities and high degree of interoperability. While Oracle Cerner EHR may be more flexible in terms of deployment options and offer a more budget-friendly approach for smaller organizations.

The Difference Between Oracle Cerner Vs Epic: Pros and Cons

Epic and Cerner are major EHR systems and are lauded for their benefits; however, their focus and target market significantly differ. Epic is generally useful for large healthcare systems and is known for its comprehensive features and customizable nature. Oracle Cerner offers more versatility, serving small practices as well. 

However, there are certain areas where their capabilities differ, such as:

• Epic incorporates CRM, while Oracle Cerner does not.
• Oracle Cerner provides consulting, but Epic does not have this facility available.
• Oracle Cerner provides users with real-time data, but Epic does not.

Epic

Epic is one of Oracle Cerner software’s competitors. This EHR solution holds a strong market share in almost 31% of the healthcare industry. 

Pros

Many of the largest healthcare organizations choose Epic software because of: 

Interoperability: Epic EHR offers smooth and secure data exchange within its own and other systems through its Care Everywhere network and Carequality.

Comprehensive Set of Functions: Epic provides multiple kinds of specialized tools and features, making it well-suited for varying clinical specialties. 

Strong Patient Portal: Epic’s MyChart offers patient engagement tools like appointment booking, online messaging, and virtual visits. 

Customization: Epic is customizable, so organizations can tailor the system to suit their specific workflows and preferences. 

Cons

Cost: Epic has high implementation and ongoing costs, making it a significant investment.

Complexity: The extensive complexity of functions leads to steeper learning for new users. 

Implementation Complexity: Implementing Epic can be a lengthy and complex process, requiring significant resources and careful planning. 

Target Market: Epic serves large, integrated healthcare systems like hospitals. 

Oracle Cerner 

So, what is Oracle Cerner software? It is a more popular choice in clinical and ambulatory care. The solutions they provide are quite similar: revenue cycle management, interoperability, mobile access, artificial intelligence, and telemedicine services.

Pros

Some of the most common advantages of choosing Cerner: 

Less Costly: Cerner is more affordable than Epic, making it a better choice for organizations with a low budget. 

Versatility: Cerner can be implemented in various healthcare settings, from small practices to large hospitals. 

Cloud-Based Flexibility: Cerner’s cloud-based infrastructure offers flexibility and scalability for diverse healthcare environments. 

Cons

Less Customization: Cerner vs Epic offers less customization flexibility, which might be a drawback for organizations with complex needs. 

Implementation Timeline: Although the implementation is generally faster than Epic’s, Cerner’s timeline can be lengthy for large organizations.

Target Market: Oracle Cerner software is suitable for a wide range of healthcare providers, including small and mid-sized practices, hospitals, and specialty clinics.

3 Things You Don’t Know About Cerner And Epic

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic Pros And Cons: Customer Support

Here are a few advantages and disadvantages of Epic EHR system compared to Oracle Cerner software.

Epic Customer Support

Pros

• Epic provides a team of technical experts who offer assistance through its contact number.
• Its support team follows up with the users within 24 hours of query submission.  
• Users are kept up-to-date regarding the latest trends through its periodic newsletters.
• Even with Epic system updates, the changed information is shared with users by sending semi-annual email newsletters. 

Cons

• Epic may not be very receptive to user-requested changes.
• Some of the system’s operations require the support of a lot of its internal employees in the setup, making its customer support expensive.

Oracle Cerner Customer Support

Pros

• Oracle Cerner software has a CSR team committed to helping users with technical solutions in response to their queries for the best customer support. 
• Oracle Cerner provides better customer support through its eService in the portal, which is available 24/7. 
• For the system’s in-house implementation, Oracle Cerner provides technical know-how training to the existing staff.

Cons 

• Oracle Cerner’s customer service sometimes becomes slow, and customers wait longer to get replies to their queries.

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic: Difference in User Interface

Oracle Cerner

Oracle Cerner provides a user-friendly dashboard that gives easy and secure access to the EHR. Its user interface design is responsive to mobile devices, which patients find quite easy to understand. 

It has a “Chart Search” function, which helps users search for different options. However, a user-friendly interface design does not ensure ease of use. Many users say that the Oracle Cerner system takes more time to perform a simple task, so it is not intuitive. 

Epic

Epic’s developed system has many functionalities that can be accessed in multiple ways, making it hard for people with no technical expertise to scroll between numerous options. It requires the assistance of the IT team for setting it up and troubleshooting.

However, before installation, you have a margin to elaborate on what templates you want the system to have and how customized it should be for your team. So, as a healthcare organization, Epic gives you a competitive edge to decide how you want your EHR system’s UI to look.

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic: Nursing

Both EHRs do well in nursing since their performance depends on how an organization sets them up. However, many nurses state that Epic is the first choice of hospitals where they work because this software is relatively user-friendly. Oracle Cerner vs Epic does not allow them to look up anything else, making locating pages confusing. 

Since Epic takes less time than Oracle Cerner to complete a task, nurses prefer to use the Epic system when they have patients with severe conditions or a heavy workload. Nevertheless, both play a crucial role in nursing. 

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic Merits And Demerits: Pricing Model

So, how much does Oracle Cerner cost? Is it more than Epic or less? In a nutshell, pricing everything depends on what features you choose and the number of users who will access the system.

Most healthcare providers from large organizations choose Epic, but there is no information on the specific amount since the actual costs have not yet been revealed.  However, the market news indicates Epic is relatively more expensive than Oracle Cerner. Besides its other expenses, additional costs include healthcare compliance consulting and HIPAA compliance audit services.

Epic

Epic’s pricing for cloud-based EMR systems typically starts from $200 per user per month for small clinics and can exceed $35,000 per month for large organizations; this depends on the features and scale of implementation. This range may include setup and training costs; however, some organizations may pay separately for training, which can add $1,000–$5,000 per provider.

In case of self-hosted Epic EMR, the price for physician licenses ranges between $5,000–$7,000 per user, and for other clinical staff, $3,000–$5,000 per user. They offer read-only access costing $500–$1,000 per user. For large hospitals and clinics, total implementation can start at $500,000 and reach into the millions, depending on the complexity and size of the deployment. Annual maintenance is typically 15–20% of the initial licensing fees.

Oracle Cerner

Oracle Cerner EHR vs Epic is generally less expensive. The standard cloud-based Cerner EHR pricing starts at $25 per user per month. For mid-size hospitals, total implementation costs typically range from $2 million to $5 million, with smaller practices seeing lower costs. However, neither Oracle Cerner nor Epic offers a free trial or a free version; therefore, you do not get to test the system before purchase.

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic Strengths and Weaknesses: Implementation And Installation

Implementation and installation costs of Epic or Oracle Cerner are in millions of dollars but Epic’s price for both actions is much higher than other EHRs.

Since implementing an Epic EHR is challenging, you cannot do it without an IT team. So, the major cost of installing Epic is driven by the need for a competent IT staff. Before installing and implementing Epic, organizations need to establish and communicate their goals, strategies, and planning within their organization. With so many things to consider, Epic implementation becomes an uphill task but their top-notch and comprehensive EHR solution is worth it. 

On the other hand, Oracle Cerner vs Epic uses Model Experience. It collects best practices and strategies to provide the best recommendations for better implementation and installation. Its consulting team helps organizations understand their EHR and confidently adopt their new system, which also answers the common question, what does Oracle Cerner do?

Cerner Vs Epic Pros And Cons: Which is More User-Friendly?

User-friendliness is the most important factor that can contribute to the success of any EHR in the market, be it Epic or Cerner. Here’s a comparison of Oracle Cerner and Epic to find which one is more user-friendly:

Oracle Cerner

Oracle Cerner has a simple and user-friendly interface. It includes a patient portal that incorporates a protected, HIPAA-compliant messaging application. Oracle Cerner provides patients with a safe platform to communicate with their providers, with options to ask questions and stay in touch with them. 

Since the system is user-friendly, patients find it easy to get online prescription refills and schedule virtual appointments. Nurses also prefer using Oracle Cerner for charting because it’s easy to use. However, certain pages in the portal at times baffle users, who find it hard to navigate.

Epic

Epic has put a lot of effort into designing and developing its EHR. Epic’s patient portal not only enables patients to schedule appointments but also allows them to view their health records securely. Moreover, it provides insight into how much a certain procedure may cost them. 

Even though Epic has a user-friendly interface, many users report the system as cumbersome. Due to the large number of functionalities it incorporates, it often becomes hard to navigate the options. Healthcare organizations require a simple EHR system, and Epic’s complex design may make things difficult for healthcare users.

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic: Integrations And Interoperability

Healthcare organizations require interoperability and integration to share databases with various other healthcare systems. The systems, Oracle Cerner and Epic, are privately funded EHRs that promote fast healthcare integration resources. They help myriad systems connect and exchange data.

Oracle Cerner offers built-in integration and interoperability features. It strives to provide the best integration and has built three different platforms. In connection with other external systems, it provides operational, clinical, and financial data. 

The Epic system helps organizations achieve integration between all their internal systems. It integrates the websites of healthcare organizations with its EHR and enables its patients to perform the following functions: 

• Make appointments online
• Request prescription refills
• View their test results
• Access their data anytime

When it comes to interoperability, here is how both EHR systems differ:

Oracle Cerner

Oracle Cerner offers interoperability in multiple ways. One way is through CommonWell Health Alliance, the first and most popular non-profit industry trade association that Oracle Cerner co-founded with its other six competitors. 

Using its set standards and policies, CommonWell Health Alliance enables the members to access and share their patient data easily. In addition to this, Oracle Cerner facilitates Oracle Cerner Ignite APIs to enable integration between third-party applications and the EHR. Reference Lab Networks also helps Oracle Cerner users send data to various “acute and reference labs” without requiring them to make connections with each lab. There are other Oracle Cerner competitors as well which can be looked into.

Epic

Epic enables interoperability in three distinct ways. First, organizations can connect through EpicCare Link, which allows non-Epic users to view patient information from an Epic user. It is like Dropbox or Google Drive, which gives users access via a shareable link.  Connecting Epic to the Carequality network is another way to share data. Since it is a public-private network that lets healthcare providers connect, it enables data sharing across the United States. 

The third way is connecting to Share Everywhere. This is another interoperability feature that patients can use to share their health information with external providers. This feature allows providers to view patient data without using an EHR to connect to Epic.

Oracle Cerner Vs Epic Advantages And Disadvantages: Charting

Epic Mychart:

This emphasizes streamlined workflows, enhanced coordination, and personalized care, with a strong focus on efficiency and documentation. 

Cerner Charting (PowerChart):

Powerchart focuses on user-friendly access to patient information, with customizable interfaces and tools for efficient documentation.

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Folio3 Digital Health aids healthcare organizations in seamlessly integrating Epic and Oracle Cerner EHR solutions to ease their challenges. Our software integration enhances diagnostic precision and improves patient care. Connect with Folio3 to strengthen your healthcare system with cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs.

Closing Note 

A crucial aspect of EHR success lies in its ease of integration with other healthcare systems. HL7 is a standardized messaging protocol that facilitates this integration. Companies offering HL7 integration and medical software development create solutions that incorporate HL7 to enhance the interoperability of healthcare applications.  Tech makes things easier, but the market is becoming competitive with the increased demand for software solutions. This leads to more application development for healthcare organizations in the industry. 

In this competitive market, where every best healthcare mobile app development company is bringing innovative solutions, two top-rated EHR solution companies are Epic and Oracle Cerner. Both provide EHR systems, EHR device integration, and UI design in healthcare. By understanding the pros and cons of Epic vs Oracle Cerner, healthcare organizations can choose which software suits them best according to their requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Oracle Cerner losing to Epic?

Though Oracle Cerner and Epic are competing innovatively to be on the top, Oracle Cerner saw a decline in its market share, as around 31 of the hospitals using it turned towards Epic in 2020. 

Is Cerner the same as Epic?

Oracle Cerner and Epic are the best examples of excellent customer service in healthcare, offering health information technology and EHR solutions. However, the organizations they serve are of distinct sizes and specialties, and their workflow experiences also differ vastly. 

Are Epic and Oracle Cerner competitors?

Yes, Epic and Oracle Cerner are big competitors in healthcare. Both offer EHR solutions that cater to many large healthcare organizations.

What is the difference between Epic and Cerner charting system?

Both Epic and Oracle Cerner offer telehealth services, including virtual consultations through online appointment booking. Epic provides more functions for online estimates and pricing. On the other hand, Oracle Cerner’s interface is somewhat difficult to manage. Although its design looks unique, its workflows are a bit harder to navigate without proper training.

Is Oracle Cerner Better Than Epic? 

Both options, Oracle Cerner and Epic, are exceptional electronic health record services, so you cannot go wrong by choosing either. 

Is an Oracle Cerner to Epic transition possible?

Yes, transitioning from Oracle Cerner to Epic is possible and is happening fast. Many healthcare organizations are making the switch due to higher satisfaction rates, improved functions, and a better overall experience.

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