NEW YORK, June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The electronic records market experienced change in market share in the past 5 years, according to Kalorama Information. While large firms Cerner and McKesson occupy top market share according to the report, the next level was held by Epic and Allscripts. The trends were noted in Kalorama's report EMR 2016: The Market for Electronic Medical Records. The report marks Kalorama's seventh complete study of the EMR industry, and the report is consulted by industry organizations, major healthcare IT firms and investors.

"The trend over the past four years has been an increasing amount of revenue going to mid-size EMR specialist companies and away from IT companies and diversified healthcare companies," said Bruce Carlson, Publisher of Kalorama Information.

Kalorama said that Cerner leads the market slightly over rival McKesson, the result of the company's completed purchase of Siemens Healthcare's EMR business in 2015. Cerner overtook McKesson in 2015 according to the firm's report of that year. But the action was in mid-sized companies. Information Technology leaders GE Healthcare and Siemens have reduced presence in EMR and smaller specialized firms such as Epic and Allscripts have increased share. Verona, WI – based Epic Systems has its share of supporters and critics. However, the company continues to forge ahead landing sizeable contracts to implement their EHR system. Epic has a high price tag but that has not stopped the migration to Epic from such notable organizations such as the Providence Network and most recently CVS Caremark Corp.
Epic moved from sixth to third place in Kalorama's survey since 2012, while Allscripts moved from fifth to fourth in the same period of time. Not only did market share position increase for both companies, but both increased revenues from the previous year and have demonstrated stable growth.

Besides these companies Kalorama noted that the following firms were among the top companies in EMR: Athenahealth, QSI/NextGen, GE Healthcare, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, eClinicalWorks, Greenway and scores of other small EMR companies aimed at physician sales. These firms are competing for a market worth more than $27 billion. Kalorama's market estimate includes not only EMR software but also training and consulting, as these activities generate considerable income in information technology markets

In addition, competitors are combining. Mergers and acquisitions are not new to the health IT market but there seems to be an emerging strategy, which is attempting to reach a greater number of healthcare organizations, providers and patients through synergistic pairing. There has been a flurry of mergers and acquisitions among EMR vendors. Companies are jumping in and out of the market at a rapid pace. This creates concern for consumers who wonder if their vendor will be around after they purchase the product.

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