Top 10 Most Popular Hospital Inpatient EHR Systems in US

Enterprise EHR systems such as Epic and Cerner dominate the inpatient industry, but specialty vendors hold their own, especially among CAHs.

Editorial Staff

Published: 09 Mar 2022

The wide range of hospitals and clinics across the care continuum investing in EHR technology has fostered a healthy amount of diversity in the inpatient EHR system market.

Enterprise EHR vendors such as Epic and Cerner continue to dominate the industry year over year, but small and specialty vendors can still hold their own.

The gradual increase in EHR adoption among critical access hospitals (CAHs) and specialty care facilities, including behavioral and mental health, have carved out a niche for health IT companies willing to focus on the unique needs of particular organizations.

Larger hospitals are more likely to implement advanced EHR systems like those offered by Epic and Cerner, but 80 percent of CAHs and rural hospitals reported using at least a basic EHR system.

The following are the top 10 inpatient EHR systems based on data from Definitive Healthcare:

Epic Systems

Hospitals often select Epic for their EHR implementations due to its usability and departmental functionality. Over the years, Epic has been the biggest mover of EHR market share. In 2009, Epic captured around 5 percent of the EHR market share and now accounts for approximately 34 percent of the inpatient implementations.

Cerner

Cerner has found success in the public sector, scoring EHR implementation deals with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

The EHR vendor recently announced an acquisition by tech giant Oracle, which officials say will advance health IT usability for decreased clinician burden.

MEDITECH

Since 2009, MEDITECH’s market share has decreased by nearly 13 percentage points. However, the vendor still ranks third in terms of the overall market share.

The vendor recently made its web-based EHR system and practice management solution, Expanse Ambulatory, available to independent and physician-owned practices without the need for an Expanse EHR in a hospital setting.

Evident, a CPSI Company

Evident’s solutions aim to address the specific needs of rural organizations. Its solution provides rural facilities with the functionality of a large enterprise system while also reducing complexity and cost.

Allscripts

Massachusetts-based Allscripts currently offers six EHR solutions that aim to meet the needs of various healthcare organizations. For instance, the company designed its Practice Fusion EHR specifically with independent practices in mind.

MEDHOST

MEDHOST provides healthcare solutions to more than 1,000 healthcare facilities across the country. It also provides hosting, outsourcing, marketing, and consulting services to assist clinicians and hospital leadership.

Netsmart Technologies

Netsmart offers EHR solutions for behavioral health, social services, and post-acute care facilities. In 2018, Netsmart launched a cloud-based EHR system to meet the needs of home health and senior living care providers.

athenahealth

The cloud-based EHR vendor has found success in meeting the needs of community hospitals, rural hospitals, and CAHs. These healthcare organizations notoriously struggle to keep up with other care settings in advanced EHR use.

Two private equity firms recently acquired the vendor in a $17 billion transaction. This move is set to help the company advance its offerings to improve healthcare delivery, officials said.

Harris Healthcare

Harris Healthcare offers software and services to improve patient care safety, quality, and efficiency by streamlining clinical processes, increasing physician productivity, and enabling positive health outcomes.

Indian Health Service

Indian Health Service is focused on meeting the physical and mental needs of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Its EHR offering captures clinical and public health data to optimize health outcomes for its patient population.