Cerner vs Epic: What Will be the Best EHR System to Manage Patient Data?

When it comes to Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems, Epic and Cerner dominate the healthcare landscape. These two platforms have been at the forefront of revolutionizing how hospitals and clinics manage patient data, streamline workflows, and improve care delivery.

However, the most common question in everyone’s mind is – Cerner vs Epic: which is the best EHR system to manage patient data?

We’re certain you’re also wondering the same, which is why you’re reading this blog. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. As an experienced healthcare app development company, we have created this blog, which dives into a detailed comparison, highlighting features, usability, scalability, and specific challenges. Our experts have reviewed these two EHR systems and drawn a list of its advantages and drawbacks.

Although, before heading to any phase of comparison, let’s first get into some of the important statistics.

Epic vs Cerner Market Share & Overview – Some Lucrative Figures

• The Global Electronic Healthcare Record market size is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.43% from 2024 to 2030.
• The Cerner EHR market share in the US is around 25-27%. But is available and used in many other geographic locations as well like North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
• On the other hand, Epic covers the major user base in the US with a market share of 30-35%.
• Estimated annual revenue in the previous year for Epic and Cerner was reported to be USD 5 billion and USD 4.3 billion, respectively.

Why is it Crucial to Choose An Appropriate EHR System For Your Healthcare Organization?

Choosing the right EHR system is not just all about a technological choice; it works as the heart of your healthcare system. An appropriate EHR system directly impacts patient outcomes, operational workflows, and compliance with healthcare regulations. Furthermore, a mismatched system leads to inefficiencies, increased costs, and even compromised patient safety.

The three major aspects for choosing the right EHR system are as follows:

Now let’s move further into the major differences between Epic and Cerner.

What is the Difference Between Epic and Cerner?

Cerner and Epic – are leading Electronic Healthcare Records known for their extensive set of features which makes it easy to deal with the data of healthcare organizations.

Here, we’ve showcased some of the major differences between Epic and Cerner. This helps you understand and make an informed decision for your hospital.

1. Cerner vs Epic: User Types and Size

Epic: Made for medium to huge healthcare organizations, university medical centers, and extensive hospital networks. High patient volumes and intricate workflows are managed seamlessly by its strong capabilities. Besides, healthcare organizations with substantial budgets and committed IT staff will find it more suitable.

Cerner: Provides services to a wider range of clients, including big networks, regional hospitals, and small clinics. Because of its flexible and modular design, this EHR is used by healthcare organizations of all sizes, particularly those with tight budgets looking for cloud-based healthcare solutions.

2. Epic vs Cerner: User Interface and Usability

Epic: Provides customized workflows with a clear, user-friendly interface. Clinicians give it a high rate for usability because of its simplified design, which lowers the learning curve for new users. But when it comes to advanced features, they face challenges in their navigation for user-friendly interfaces.

Cerner: Cerner’s interface may feel outdated and need more training, despite its functionality. Nonetheless, it emphasizes flexibility, meeting the needs of various user preferences in a variety of organizations. Besides, Cerner’s new EMR and EHR systems are HIPPA-compliant software that offers a secure messaging application interface.

3. Cerner vs Epic: Pricing and Deployment

When examining Cerner and Epic, major differences in price and deployment models arise, notably regarding initial investment, recurring expenses, and infrastructure requirements. Here’s a closer look with approximate numbers:

Epic

Cost:

• Epic is known for its exorbitant prices. For huge healthcare organizations, the first implementation expenses might be anywhere from USD 120 million to USD 500 million.
• Annual licensing costs for each user usually range from USD 1,200 to USD 2,000, contingent on the required modules and customizations.
• Typically, annual maintenance and support fees account for 15–25% of the overall implementation costs.

Deployment:

Epic mostly offers on-premise deployments, which means that for continuous management, a large investment in hardware, data centres, and IT staff is required. Although Epic offers cloud options, they are less popular and often only work with smaller installations.

Cerner

Pricing:

• Cerner offers a more budget-friendly approach to initial implementation, with costs starting around USD 10 million to USD 40 million for small-to-medium organizations and exceeding USD 100 million for larger entities.
• Licensing fees are between USD 500 and USD 1,000 per user per year, making it a more attainable option for smaller organizations.
• Maintenance fees are often around 12-18% of the overall costs, depending on the implementation scale.

Deployment:

Cerner places a strong emphasis on cloud-based deployments, especially through its Cerner Millennium and PowerChart solutions, which help reduce initial infrastructure expenses. Cloud solutions also facilitate quicker deployment timelines, usually taking between 6 and 18 months, unlike Epic’s typical duration of 1 to 3 years.

In short, if we say Epic EHR offer tremendous opportunities but requires significant financial resources. On the other hand; Cerner EHR comes with a cost-effective solution for small and medium organizations but with a strong base on cloud efficiency.

4. Epic vs Cerner: Interoperability

Epic: Has received criticism for its restricted openness with external systems, yet excelling in internal interoperability within its own ecosystem. Data interchange with partner providers is supported through its “Care Everywhere” feature.

Epic EHR has used the following tools for its interoperability:

IRIS Data Platform: Customers get bigger datasets for management.

Epic Interconnect: It is a tool that streamlines the data of users.

Cerner: Leads the way in interoperability with its FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) support and open standards. Because of this, Cerner is a top option for businesses that value smooth cross-platform data sharing.

To maintain its interoperability; Cerner EHR has come up with the following tools:

Oracle Health Seamless Exchange: Delete duplicate health data by comparing information about patients via this tool.

Cerner Ignite APIs: Boosting data management with third-party integrations.

Cerner Interoperability Ticker: Tool to monitor medical data exchange.

5. Epic vs Cerner: Analytics and Reporting

Analytics and reporting are critical for modern healthcare systems, enabling better patient care, operational efficiency, and compliance with regulatory standards. Both Cerner and Epic offer robust capabilities, but their approaches differ.

EPIC Core Features:

• Epic’s Cogito Analytics Suite powers its analytics and reporting functionalities. It provides real-time dashboards, clinical and financial data insights, and predictive modelling.
• Tools like SlicerDicer enable self-service analytics for non-technical users, allowing clinicians and administrators to create custom reports and visualize data without IT involvement.
• Advanced predictive analytics support population health management, including early detection of at-risk patients and optimizing care plans.

Cerner Core Features:

• Cerner’s HealtheIntent Platform is a leading-edge tool designed for population health management. It aggregates data from multiple sources, including EHRs, devices, and third-party systems.
• Provides actionable insights with a focus on value-based care and care coordination.
• Offers predefined and customizable reports on clinical outcomes, patient engagement, and financial performance.

Key Differences: Epic vs. Cerner in Analytics and Reporting

What are the Pros & Cons of Epic and Cerner?

Epic and Cerner, are both highly used EHR systems across the globe, but both of them come with their pros and cons. Let’s get into it.

Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems

Pros:

• Highly intuitive and user-friendly design that reduces the physician learning curve and improves overall user experience.
• Advanced patient portal with robust features for scheduling, communication, and personal health record management.
• Superior data exchange capabilities across different healthcare systems and platforms.
• Preferred system for many academic medical centers with advanced research integration features.

Drawbacks:

• Epic’s extensive functionality makes it complex to implement and adopt.
• Vendor lock-in nature makes it tough to get into another EHR system.
• It is one of the most expensive EHR systems on the market.

Cerner Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems

Pros:

• This EHR system has a user-friendly interface which is easy to learn and implement.
• Cloud-based infrastructure is flexible and supports diverse health environments.
• Strong data analytics capabilities which help in patient care and efficiency.
• Cerner comes with strong interoperability with other EHR systems.

Drawbacks:

• It is less customizable than Epic which is not suitable for the complex needs.
• Cerner has been known to experience technical issues, which disrupt workflow and patient care.
• Less refined specialty-specific workflows compared to Epic’s comprehensive offerings.

In Summary: Cerner vs Epic

The table below showcases the key differences which help you to choose the best EHR system for your healthcare operational and strategic needs.

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How Excellent Webworld’s Helps You to Integrate EMR/EHR?

Being an experienced, healthcare and telemedicine app development company, we specialize in simplifying the complex process of integrating EMR/EHR systems.

Whether you’re adopting a new system or upgrading an existing one, we manage the process to ensure minimal disruption.

We have hands-on experience enabling seamless data exchange between EMR/EHR systems, third-party applications, and devices. This ensures healthcare providers access accurate and up-to-date patient data, regardless of the platform.

Most importantly, we prioritize adherence to industry standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and HL7, safeguarding sensitive healthcare data while maintaining compliance.

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Article By

Mahil Jasani

Mahil Jasani began his career as a developer and progressed to become the COO of Excellent Webworld. He uses his technical experience to tackle any challenge that arises in any department, be it development, management, operations, or finance.