Epic is a polarizing topic in healthcare. Some sing the company's praises, while others do quite the opposite, but it seems everyone has an opinion on the EHR vendor. Peer60 partnered with HIStalk to discover what Epic's actual users think of the product in the report "Epic: The Cold Hard Facts."
Here are 11 key points from the report.
1. The survey includes responses from more than 200 healthcare executives, including:
• 96 CIOs
• 39 CMOs
• 32 CNOs
• 22 CEOs
• 13 CFOs
2. CEOs were the most influential when it comes to the decision to buy Epic, followed by CIOs. Nearly no respondents reported CFOs as being the most influential figure in the decision-making process.
3. More than half of CEOs agreed Epic has given their organization a competitive advantage. Just 25 percent of CEOs strongly disagreed that Epic has given their organization a competitive edge.
4. CIOs had varying attitudes about how Epic has lived up to expectations. Just more than half (53) percent of CIOs reported the EHR was better than expected, while 45 percent reported the system met expectations. The remaining 2 percent said Epic was worse than expected.
5. For CIOs considering starting the job hunt, 80 percent would prefer their next employer be an organization using Epic.
6. Epic implementations with epic budgets often make headlines, but just 15 percent of the survey's respondents report spending more than expected on their Epic implementations. More than half reported hitting their budget target, while one-fourth of respondents said they came in under budget.
7. CFOs are largely convinced of Epic's benefits; 7.4 out of 10 reported Epic's tangible benefits outweigh its costs.
8. Though the majority of administrative and financial executives appeared on board with Epic, clinical leaders were less convinced. Just 20 percent of CMOs reported seeing a significant improvement in care after an Epic roll out. CNOs had a more generous attitude with 40 percent reporting significant improvements on the clinical side of the aisle.
9. Clinician satisfaction with Epic was lukewarm compared to executive approval. On a scale of one to 10, CMOs and physicians rated their satisfaction at 6.1. CNOs and nurses reported slightly higher satisfaction at 7.1.
10. CIOs in the report rate the system's ability to work with non-Epic systems inside and outside of their organizations as a seven on a scale of 10. CMOs do not have nearly as high of an opinion of the system's interoperability with a rating of 4.4.
11. Though the surveyed executives had varying attitudes about Epic, the response to the question "Would you choose Epic again?" was overwhelmingly "yes." Just 2 percent of CIOs said they would not, while no CEOs said they would choose another system. There was a little more division on the clinical side with 16 percent of CMOs and 12 percent of CNOs reporting they would not choose Epic again.