Cerner Vs Epic Pros And Cons : Which One To Go For in 2024?

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Executive Summary – Cerner Vs Epic Pros and Cons

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 set of shortcomings. This piece of reading explains their differences, advantages, and disadvantages in detail. So let’s take a look at a side-by-side comparison of Cerner vs Epic.

Overview – Cerner Vs Epic Pros and Cons

Although the two are competitors, both have made significant contributions to the healthcare sector in the electronic health records (EHRs) domain. A crucial aspect of EHR success lies in their 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 Cerner. Both provide EHR systems, EHR device integration, and UI design in healthcare. By understanding the pros and cons of Epic vs Cerner, healthcare organizations can choose which software suits them best according to their requirements.

What Is the Difference Between Cerner Vs Epic?

Epic is one of Cerner’s competitors, but both EHR solutions hold a strong market share across the healthcare industry. In 2020, Epic covered almost 31%, while Cerner held around 25% of the total EHR market share. Many of the largest healthcare organizations choose Epic Software.

On the other hand, Cerner 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 software development to save telemedicine software costs.

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

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

Cerner EMR vs Epic has been working for over 40 years, combining healthcare with information technology to connect more people and integrate more systems. It is focused on developing ambulatory EHR solutions that are ideal for many practices, including specialty practices, urgent care centers, and group medical clinics.

Cerner also ensures HIPAA compliance for software development and enhances the efficiency of organizations. Epic, on the other hand, is a software company that held 54% of medical records in the United States alone in 2015.

Like Cerner, Epic has also developed an Ambulatory EMR platform in the name of EpicCare, which incorporates the 10 components of medical records in a hospital. EpicCare is an ideal EHR solution for large organizations and practices with a multi-location presence. Epic’s solutions work well for hospitals looking for intuitive, secure, and efficient methods of handling electronic medical records.

3 Things You Don’t Know About Cerner And Epic

Cerner Vs Epic Pros And Cons: Customer Support

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

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 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.

Cerner Customer Support

Pros

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

Cons 

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

Cerner Vs Epic: Difference in User Interface

Cerner

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 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.

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. Cerner vs Epic does not allow them to look up anything else, making locating pages confusing.

Since Epic takes less time than 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.

Cerner Vs Epic Merits And Demerits: Pricing Model

So, how much does 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 since the actual costs have not yet been revealed, there is no information on the specific amount.  However, the market news indicates Epic is relatively more expensive than Cerner. Besides its other expenses, additional costs include healthcare compliance consulting and HIPAA compliance audit services.

Possible pricing for Epic cloud-based EMR systems starts from $200/ month and can go as high as $35,000/ month, depending on the features offered. This range usually includes setup and training costs; however, some vendors may charge separately for training. You can add up to $2,000 for this.

For a self-hosted Epic EMR, the price may start from $1,200 to $500,000 for large hospitals and clinics. Besides these prices, you can buy an Epic EMR at an upfront cost of around $1200 to $500,000 or more. Go through the guide, which evaluates Epic’s worth.

Cerner is less expensive than Epic. The cost of Cerner PowerChart Ambulatory EHR may start at $25.00/ year. However, neither Cerner PowerChart Ambulatory EHR offers a free trial nor a free version; therefore, you do not get to test it. Opting for Epic is costly, and Cerner is less expensive. However, since Cerner does not offer a free trial, it is a risky investment. You need to buy it before knowing the system or its suitability.

Cerner Vs Epic Strength And Weakness: Implementation And Installation

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

Since the implementation of an Epic EHR is a challenging job, 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, 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 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. Here’s a comparison of Cerner and Epic to find which one is more user-friendly:

Cerner

Cerner has a simple and user-friendly interface. It includes a patient portal that incorporates a protected, HIPAA-compliant messaging application. 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 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.

Cerner Vs Epic: Integrations And Interoperability

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

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:

Cerner

Cerner offers interoperability in multiple ways. One way is through CommonWell Health Alliance, the first and most popular non-profit industry trade association that 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, Cerner facilitates Cerner Ignite APIs to enable integration between third-party applications and the EHR. Reference Lab Networks also helps Cerner users send data to various “acute and reference labs” without requiring them to make connections with each lab. There are other 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.

Cerner Vs Epic Advantages And Disadvantages: Charting

Charting is used to view and read patient data, including lab results. Cerner makes this process easy by improving accessibility for nurses and saving time so they can focus more on care delivery.

While entering data, nurses can also check patients’ clinical status and ensure that best practices are available for them to get better patient outcomes. Nurses from various large organizations go for Cerner because it is the solution that provides them with all essential information on a single platform.

Cerner charting includes documented data about a patient’s complete care process, procedures performed, diagnostic test results, medications administered, and the feature to communicate with healthcare providers.

Epic charting, on the other hand, includes features like patient history, medical templates, and referrals to help healthcare providers deliver the best clinical care. Epic software makes it easy for nurses to chart and review information.

But which hospitals use Epic software? It is a popular choice in the American healthcare industry. Many top-rated US hospitals, such as Mayo Clinic, Rochester, and Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, choose the Epic EHR System.

Partner with Folio 3 Digital Health to Effortlessly Integrate Epic EMR System With HL7 Interoperability

Folio3 Digital Health aids healthcare organizations in seamlessly integrating Epic and 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

All in all, it is crucial to realize that both systems, Epic and Cerner, have different functionalities, so their use and benefits for a healthcare organization differ depending on their use case. Keep your end goals in mind before selecting the software.

Frequently Asked Questions – Cerner Vs Epic Pros and Cons

Is Cerner losing to Epic?

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

Is the Cerner the same as Epic?

Both, 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 experience also differs vastly.

Are Epic and Cerner competitors?

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

HL7 vs FHIR: What is the difference?

FHIR is a next-generation standards framework developed by HL7. Both HL7 and FHIR support messaging, but FHIR also includes other functionalities like sharing data across various systems. FHIR does this by using open web and restful web service technologies such as RDF data formats and JSON.

Is Cerner Better Than Epic? 

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

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