This week saw the release of the 2024 Best in KLAS report, which ranks provider performance in multiple categories based on evaluations of their own providers and payers.
Epic took the top spot for Overall Software Suite for the 14th year in a row, finishing ahead of MEDITECH and Oracle Health. The industry-dominant electronic health record provider also won 15 other Best in KLAS awards this year, according to the 2024 Best in KLAS Software and Services report.
However, unlike previous years, the 2024 Overall Physician Practice Vendor award did not go to Epic, but to athenahealth, which also earned Best in KLAS awards in the following segments: Ambulatory EHR: Independent (11-75 Physicians), Practice Management: independent (11-75 physicians), and outpatient EHR/PM in small practices: independent (two-10 physicians).
NextGen Healthcare, eClinicalWorks and Greenway Health followed athenahealth for top performance in the physician practice category.
KLAS is committed to serving healthcare providers facing pressures, including financial stress, staff shortages and physician burnout, said Adam Gale, CEO and founder of KLAS Research.
“We want to use our passion for improving healthcare to support those who find the challenges are too great to continue, and we want to provide actionable insights that will ultimately reduce the burden and increase physician success,” Gale said in a statement.
KLAS researchers recognized Impact Advisors as the overall IT Services Firm winner and Best in KLAS for the ERP Implementation Leadership and Financial Improvement Consulting categories. Optimum Healthcare IT, Pivot Point Consulting, Nordic and Tegria followed, all scoring above 90 percentage points in overall IT company satisfaction.
Evergreen Healthcare Partners captured the top overall implementation services company and won the top spot in KLAS in the HIT Advisory Services and HIT Core Clinical Implementation Leadership segments. The company was followed by Huron, Impact Advisors, ROI Healthcare Solutions, CSI Healthcare IT and others.
For the fourth year in a row, Chartis is back at the top of the Overall Healthcare Management Consulting Firm, to which KLAS has also awarded top positions in the Clinical Optimization and Digital Transformation Consulting categories. (Chartisannounced this week that it acquired the consulting firm HealthScape Advisors.)
Guidehouse, ECG Management Consultants and Deloitte followed in the consultant rankings.
KLAS noted that what is most noticeable this year is that many software companies have significantly improved the performance of their healthcare technology products.
For the most improved software product, Lightbeam Health Solutions customers reported “an 18% improvement in satisfaction since last year’s Best in KLAS report,” according to the researchers:
AGS Health’s Extended Business Office Services are up 14% since last year’s Best in KLAS report, which earned the company’s Most Improved Services Solution, according to KLAS,
Finally, small, independent practices (two to 10 physicians) reported a notable 29% increase in satisfaction with eClinicalWorks’ EHR/PM and named the Massachusetts-based vendor the most improved physician practice product.
Every year KLAS retires and adds segments. For this year’s rankings, KLAS added Capacity Optimization Management, Interoperability: Other Validated Software, Member Engagement Tools, Patient Referral Management and Analytics, Patient Self-Scheduling, Post-Acute Patient Analytics: Point-of-Care, Revenue Cycle Analysis, Revenue Cycle: Cost. capture and virtually sit and care.
For payers, KLAS has added payment accuracy and integrity solutions and data analytics platforms.
Inpatient clinical care
340B management systems
Verity Solutions
EHR for acute care: large (>400 beds)
Epic
EHR for acute care: medium (151-400 beds)
Epic
EHR for acute care: small (1–150 beds)
MEDITECH
Automated dosing cabinets
BD
Clinical communication: acute care
Epic
Clinical decision support: care plans and order sets
Zynx Health
Clinical Decision Support: Point-of-Care Clinical Reference
EBSCO Information Services
Data archiving
Triyam
Substance abuse monitoring
Protenus
Infection control and monitoring
VigiLanz
Integration engines
Rhapsody
IV Workflow management
Epic
Medication inventory management
Epic
Pharmacy supervision
VigiLanz
Smart pumps: EHR integrated
ICU medical
Smart pumps: traditional
Baxter
Outpatient and post-acute care
Ambulatory EHR: Owned by the healthcare system
Epic
Ambulatory EPD: independent (>75 doctors)
Epic
Ambulatory EPD: independent (11-75 doctors)
athenahealth
Outpatient Ophthalmology EHR
EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems
Outpatient pediatric solutions
PCC
Ambulatory RCM services (EPD-agnostic)
R1
Outpatient RCM services (EPD-associated)
CompuGroup Medical USA
Ambulatory specialized EPD
Nextch
Ambulatory surgery center solutions
HST routes
Behavioral health
NextGen Healthcare
Clinical communication: outpatient/post-acute care
TigerConnect
Home care | Home health: owned by the health care system
Epic
Home care | Home Health: Independent (>200 ADC)
MatrixCare
Home care | Home care: independent (1–200 ADC)
MatrixCare
Home care | Personal care services and private nursing
WelSky
Hospice: independent
MatrixCare
Long-term care
PointClickCare
Outpatient therapy/rehabilitation
WebPT
Patient intake management
Yosi Health
Management and analysis of patient referrals
Forcura
Practice management: owned by the healthcare system
Epic
Practice management: independent (>75 doctors)
Epic
Practice management: independent (11-75 physicians)
athenahealth
Outpatient EPD/PM small practice: independent (2-10 doctors)
athenahealth
Financial/Revenue Cycle/HIM
Business decision support
Strata Decision technology
Claims management and clearinghouse
Experian health
Clinical documentation integrity
Nuance
Complex claims services
Revcore
Computer-aided coding
Dolby
Credentialing
ASM
Data and analytics platforms
Dimensional insight
Data visualization and reporting
Tableau
Collection services
National collection services
Enterprise Resource Planning
Business day
Financial planning and analysis
Strata Decision technology
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Data Science Solutions
Closed circle
Safety, risk and compliance management in healthcare
Performance Health Partners
Insurance discovery
FinThrive
Patient access
Optimal
Patient accounting and patient management: large (>400 beds)
Epic
Patient accounting and patient management: medium (151-400 beds)
Epic
Patient administration and management: small (1–150 beds)
MEDITECH
Patient financial involvement
Waystar P
Patient financing services
ClearBalance Healthcare
Patient flow
TeleTracking
Real-time location systems
Sonitor
Revenue Cycle: Chargemaster Management
Health catalyst
Revenue Cycle: Contract Management
Experian health
Planning: Nurse and staff
QGenda
Planning: doctor
PerfectServe
Speech recognition: front-end EPD
Nuance
Time and presence
simpl
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.