Choosing the right Electronic Health Record (EHR) software for your healthcare organization can feel like navigating a complex maze. With many factors to consider, from features and cost to user feedback, making an informed decision can be challenging.
Let Us Help You Decide, with our Meditech vs Epic EMR guide, to determine which EMR is the best for your practice.
Why Are These Two Software Solutions Worth Your Attention?
According to recent figures from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the use of electronic health records among U.S. hospitals has risen substantially over the past decade.
Specifically, while only around 72% of hospitals had adopted this technology 10 years ago, statistics now show that nearly all (96%) utilize electronic health records in their day-to-day operations.
Meditech has over 50 years of experience developing robust systems tailored to healthcare organizations. MEDITECH Expanse promises to meet your organization's diverse needs with a reputation for user-friendliness and a comprehensive suite of clinical, financial, technical, and operational solutions.
With 13.2% of U.S. hospital EHR market share, Meditech has made itself into one of the leading EHRs in the industry.
Meanwhile, Epic, with a history spanning over four decades, has established itself as a reliable choice. Known for its telehealth capabilities, patient portal, scheduling, and billing features, Epic offers many tools to enhance patient engagement and streamline revenue management.
Having 37.7% of U.S. hospital EHR market share, Epic is the leading software at the moment.
In its 2023 performance and market share overview, healthcare research firm KLAS gave top vendor Epic Systems its highest ‘A’ rating, while awarding competitor Meditech a ‘B’ grade for its offerings and market presence. Now, let's delve into the specifics of these software solutions and see how they stack up against each other.
Why Meditech Expanse?
At its core, MEDITECH is a user-friendly EHR solution that empowers providers to protect patient data, streamline communication, and reduce administrative burdens.
It enables seamless remote communication with features like ‘Expanse Virtual Care’ and the ‘Patient and Consumer Health Portal’. Additionally, its ‘High Availability SnapShot’ ensures uninterrupted access to patient data during system downtime.
MEDITECH comprises essential functionalities, including telehealth capabilities, practice management tools, billing systems, and more. The software also excels at automating collection processes and maximizing reimbursement potential, ultimately boosting your organization's profitability.
It goes the extra mile with MEDITECH Features, such as its Patient and Consumer Health Portal, offering a wide range of patient-centric features.
For example, patients can request virtual appointments, refill prescriptions, make online bill payments, and even sync their health data with medical devices. In addition, with pre-registration options, demographic updates and QR code check-ins, MEDITECH ensures a streamlined patient experience.
To further enhance accessibility, MEDITECH provides mobile tools and apps like the ‘Expanse Virtual Assistant’ for physicians and the ‘Expanse Point of Care’ software for nurses. These applications enable quick access to relevant information, allowing healthcare professionals to provide efficient care.
Epic has solidified its position as a trusted healthcare software solution, particularly for large hospitals. This comprehensive platform improves patient engagement, automates revenue and coding processes, manages health insurance operations, and generates predictive insights.
Epic integrates with external pharmacies, facilitating fast and cost-effective e-prescriptions and lab result delivery. The software also offers telehealth capabilities for patient monitoring, peer-to-peer consultation, and ongoing care.
The MyChart Bedside feature also allows in-patients to communicate with their care team and stay informed about their schedule. Billing and claims management have become a breeze with Epic.
The software offers automated claims processing, premium billing invoicing, and data management features. You can also customize Epic features, such as patient charts and templates to align with specific needs.
On the mobility front, Epic provides mobile apps such as Epic Haiku for smartphones, Epic Canto for tablets, and Epic Haiku & Limerick for iPhone and Apple Watch users. These applications allow convenient access to test results and health information.
Furthermore, Epic’s advanced artificial intelligence and analytics capabilities centralize clinical, operational, and financial data in a single data warehouse.
Now that we’ve set the stage let’s dive deeper into the details of Meditech Expanse Vs. Epic, helping you make an informed choice for your healthcare organization’s EHR needs.
In this section, we will put the software head-to-head to see how they stack up. We are going to look at the following parameters:
Features
User experience
Integration
Cost and pricing
Implementation and support
Scalability and customization
Security and compliance
Customer support and updates
Feature Comparison
MEDITECH Expanse: With its comprehensive suite of clinical, financial, technical, and operational solutions, MEDITECH stands out for its versatility and user-friendly interface. It covers all the essential features healthcare organizations require, from telehealth capabilities to practice management tools. MEDITECH is a robust solution for organizations seeking a well-rounded EHR system.
Epic: It excels in patient engagement features, offering a patient portal and customizable patient charts. It also provides reliable telehealth capabilities, scheduling, AI-powered analytics, modules for specialties, and more. Epic proves to be a strong choice for large hospitals aiming to enhance patient interactions and streamline administrative tasks.
Who Wins: Both MEDITECH Expanse and Epic offer valuable features. However, Epic offers a more advanced set of tools, making it a better choice for large hospitals. The winning edge is its robust telehealth capabilities.
User Experience
MEDITECH Expanse: Relative to Epic, MEDITECH Expanse lacks a user interface. However, it scores high in accessibility and convenience with its suite of mobile apps and pre-visit questionnaires.
Epic: Epic delivers a well-designed user experience, offering customization options and an interface designed with usability. Users generally find the system intuitive and user-friendly.
Who Wins: Epic is the clear winner here due to its superior user experience. This sentiment is backed by over 50% of users giving the software a 5-star rating on Software Advice compared to only 15% for MEDITECH.
Integration Capabilities
MEDITECH Expanse: MEDITECH supports integration with various healthcare systems and offers APIs for seamless data exchange. This enables smooth interoperability and connecting with external systems and databases.
Epic: Epic boasts robust integration capabilities, including integration with external pharmacies, lab systems, and immunization registries. These integrations enhance data sharing and streamline workflows.
Who Wins: Both MEDITECH Expanse and Epic showcase strong integration capabilities. Furthermore, both offer open APIs that enable easy exchange of data.
Cost And Pricing
MEDITECH Expanse: MEDITECH Pricing follows a transparent pricing model tailored to organization size and specific needs. It includes licensing costs, implementation fees, and ongoing maintenance expenses. The cost starts from $49 per month for a single user. For large Hospitals (over 500 beds), its Estimated Cost is around $7 - $20 million initial setup, plus $1 - $2 million annually.
Epic: Epic price is often tailored for large hospitals and may involve higher implementation costs and licensing fees. Assessing the scalability and long-term financial implications when considering Epic is crucial. Clinics and hospitals may have an average cost of around $500k. The cost of Epic can range anywhere between $200 to $35,000 per month for smaller units but can go over $500,000 (for larger hospitals and clinics).
Who Wins: The winner in terms of cost structure depends on your organization’s size and budgetary constraints. MEDITECH Expanse may be a more budget-friendly choice for SMBs, while Epic might suit the needs of larger hospitals with the necessary financial resources.
Implementation And Support
MEDITECH Expanse: MEDITECH Expanse provides comprehensive training resources and implementation support. The implementation timelines can vary depending on the organization’s specific requirements. MEDITECH offers guidance throughout the process to ensure a smooth transition.
Epic: Epic implementation can be a bit time taking as the comprehensive system requires close collaboration between the healthcare organization and Epic experts. The software also offers extensive training resources and support for post-implementation needs.
Who Wins: Both MEDITECH Expanse and Epic offer implementation and support services to assist healthcare organizations. However, the winner, in this case, would be MEDITECH simply because their implementation timelines are shorter than Epic. Furthermore, MEDITECH has additional costs based on the number of records you want to migrate to.
Scalability And Customization
MEDITECH Expanse: MEDITECH Expanse is scalable and can cater to the needs of different organization sizes. It offers customization options to tailor workflows and functionalities according to specific requirements.
Epic: Epic is highly scalable and primarily designed for larger hospitals. It provides customization options for patient charts and templates to accommodate specific workflows and specialties.
Who Wins: Epic easily wins this round as it is primarily built for larger organizations. That said, it can be customized to meet the specific needs of small and mid-sized healthcare organizations.
Security And Compliance
MEDITECH Expanse: MEDITECH prioritizes data security and compliance with HIPAA regulations. It implements robust security measures such as data encryption, user access controls, and audit trails to protect patient information.
Epic: Epic emphasizes data security and HIPAA compliance. It incorporates encryption and adheres to regulatory standards to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of patient data.
Who Wins: Both MEDITECH Expanse and Epic prioritize security and compliance. With a focus on data encryption and access controls, both solutions offer robust protection for patient information.
Customer Support And Updates
MEDITECH Expanse: MEDITECH Expanse provides responsive customer support channels and regular updates. They address user queries, release bug fixes, and continually introduce new features to enhance the software.
Epic: Epic offers reliable customer support, ensuring assistance for user inquiries and concerns. They also provide regular updates, bug fixes, and new feature releases to improve the system.
Who Wins: MEDITECH Expanse and Epic are committed to customer support and regular updates. The winner depends on the level of responsiveness and reliability that aligns with your organization’s expectations and support requirements.
What's The Final Verdict?
Considering MEDITECH Expanse vs Epic, both are comprehensive healthcare software solutions with strong features for enhancing patient engagement and automating administrative tasks.
There are areas where one software stands out more than the other. For example, MEDITECH Expanse is better for small to mid-sized organizations, while Epic is primarily designed for large hospitals. Both offer robust security measures and reliable customer support. However, Epic does have the upper hand when it comes to user experience and scalability.
The decision between the two ultimately depends on the organization’s specific needs, whether they prioritize patient experience or cost, and the level of customization they require. Finally, it is essential to weigh all the factors before deciding.
It’s crucial to consider the above-mentioned factors to make an informed decision and ask questions to ensure the EHR system meets your organization’s needs and requirements.
Decide Based On Reviews On Softwarefinder
After a careful reading of all the aspects mentioned above, a quick review of user reviews might be all you need. Real time users have a better opinion of how a software works for them and where it is lacking. We at SoftwareFinder have Epic reviews as well as MEDITECH reviews from all over and you must look at them for making an informed choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Security and Compliance
Both are good, but Epic is better for large hospitals due to its advanced features. MEDITECH is more suitable for smaller organizations due to its affordability.
Why is MEDITECH the top choice for hospitals?
It is the top choice because of the MEDITECH cost. It is more affordable for mid-sized hospitals and has everything needed for clinical and operational workflows.
Is MEDITECH an outdated EHR?
No, MEDITECH is not outdated as it continuously innovates and offers modern features with a user-friendly interface suitable for organizations of all sizes.
Which is more expensive, MEDITECH or Epic?
Epic is generally more expensive due to complex implementation and licensing costs, making it more suitable for large hospitals with big budgets. MEDITECH is more affordable for most organizations. In terms of Meditech vs. Epic cost, MEDITECH is the clear winner.
