Just Six Companies Lead the EMR Market

Only six companies earn over half of the revenue in the electronic medical record (EMR) market, according to Kalorama Information (New York, NY, USA), an independent medical market research firm.

These companies, according to the report, in terms of revenue earned in 2011, were Cerner, McKesson, Siemens, GE Healthcare, Epic, and Allscripts. Again, according to the report, this could quickly change, as there are opportunities for smaller EMR products to grow, making the leadership of the USD 17.9 billion EMR market more fluid than it might appear at first glance. Kalorama information suggest that Epic (Verona, WI, USA) and Allscripts (Chicago, IL, USA ) will be of particular interest to those watching the EMR industry over the next few years.

“I think the firms to watch among the six are Allscripts and Epic as they compete with each other for customers and seek to cement their position as top EMR choices,” said Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. “The other four companies are obvious leaders that have long-standing relationships as hospital vendors given their experience in patient management and other areas. All of these companies are well-positioned to earn revenues not only from software sales, but from customizing, consulting, and training as well.”

Kalorama Information reports there is a slight “mindshare” problem in the EMR market; all companies need to work better at building brand awareness with physicians and other healthcare providers, as survey data continue to see scattered results for user favorites. There is still consumer confusion about brands, and still plenty of demand for companies that can deliver an integrated suite of products, though local and niche players that develop specific applications may be eliminated. Of particular note in the coming years could be Web-based EMR companies.
“Web-based is very appealing to small hospitals, rural hospitals, and doctors’ offices because of cost. Smaller companies can focus on one subset of doctors or really seek to improve the usability factors to compete with large concerns,” added Mr. Carlson. “Many vendors are rolling out new and innovative products and many more are in the works. As more installations occur, so do opportunities for additional revenues.”

Among the smaller companies mentioned in the report are NextGen, Athenahealth, eClinicalworks, Abraxas, Ingenix, Integritas, Intivia, iSalus, Keane, Visonta, Advanced Data Systems, AllMeds, AmazingCharts, Aprima, ChartLogic, CliniComp, CPSI, Greenway Medical, Healthland, HMS, CureMD, and others.

Related Links:

Kalorama Information

Epic

Allscripts