KLAS: Third-Party Portals Getting Locked Out By MU 2

Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements are pushing patient portals to the top of the CIO’s priority list — particularly EMR vendor products that offer increased interoperability, according to new data from KLAS.

In the report, a large majority (84 percent) of providers identified EMR integration as their primary portal selection criterion, while compatibility with other systems/devices was the top-requested development focus. The news isn’t great for third-party solutions, which are losing ground to EMR-specific products that are better equipped for the more engaging aspects of MU 2 such as sending reminders for follow-up care and providing specific educational content.

“MU Stage 2 is clearly aiding the EMR vendors in this segment,” said report author and research director Mark Allphin. “However, there are advantages to looking outside your EMR. Many providers are still trying to determine which portal solution will best meet their needs, now and in the future as they continue to engage their patients on a deeper level.”

EMR-agnostic products Medseek and Intuit are taking a hit, according to KLAS, which found that a quarter of Intuit’s users reported plans to leave, and Medseek is losing customers due to unmet product expectations, high costs, or an enterprise EMR strategy.

The top performing portal was athenahealth, earning high marks with the ease of uploading patient information and the portal’s flexible platform for educational content and patient messaging (via email, phone, or text). In addition, athenahealth and Intuit were the only vendors to rate above average in critical patient engagement categories.

Opportunities remain, however, for more vendors to make a move, as a large number of providers are still determining which portal solution will best meed their needs, the report noted.

Other vendors featured in the research include Allscripts (Jardogs), Cerner, eClinicalWorks, Epic, Greenway Medical, NextGen, and Vitera.