The Covid-19 pandemic did not significantly dampen the global EMR purchasing arena, with activity remaining strong in 2020, a new report from KLAS Research shows. Epic took the lead among EMR vendors, executing 66 contracts outside the U.S., followed closely by Dedalus, with 59 contracts.
The report is based on hospital EMR purchasing activity worldwide — that is, executed contracts — that occurred between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020. The report does not include data on EMR purchasing in the U.S.
Though Epic led the way in terms of overall contracts, Florence, Italy-based Dedalus gained the highest number of new contracts outside the U.S. last year with 20. Cerner also saw growth in 2020, with 11 new organizations choosing its platforms for a total of 42 contracts last year. Cerner’s contracts were also the most geographically diverse of any vendor, spanning 10 countries. [Click image to enlarge]
In terms of regional activity, EMR purchasing in Europe remained mostly unaffected by the pandemic, seeing only a small decrease in activity, according to the report. The United Kingdom, in particular, experienced high levels of purchasing activity — in fact, 2020 was the country’s most active year since 2016. The largest purchasing decision came from Northern Ireland, where Epic was selected to cover over 5,500 beds. [Click image to enlarge]
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
On the other hand, EMR purchasing in Asia and Latin America was most impacted by the pandemic.
Purchases in Brazil slowed dramatically last year, falling by 50%, the report shows. Brazilian company MV continued to be selected most in the country, and Philips maintained its second-place position.
Meanwhile, EMR purchases in Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean were sporadic. Philips was selected in Argentina and Colombia for the first time, and Cerner was selected by two organizations in Chile and the Caribbean.
Similarly, validated contracts in Asia were about half the number KLAS usually sees in the region, according to the report.
EzCaretech led EMR vendors in Asia after being selected by two organizations in its home country of South Korea, resulting in the vendor covering over 2,300 beds. A large, standalone private hospital in Malaysia selected Cerner, becoming the first i.s.h.med client in the country. Two private hospitals in India selected Napier Healthcare. Epic was not selected by any hospitals in Asia.
Photo: invincible_bulldog, Getty Images, KLAS Research
