EHR/PM Integration Biggest Satisfier for Ambulatory Software Suites, KLAS Finds
•February 9, 2026
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Why It Matters
Understanding the premium placed on integrated EHR/PM suites helps healthcare leaders make strategic vendor choices that boost efficiency and patient care quality. The findings also signal where vendors must innovate—especially in patient‑engagement and telehealth—to stay competitive as the market increasingly favors comprehensive, interoperable platforms.
EHR/PM Integration Biggest Satisfier for Ambulatory Software Suites, KLAS Finds
Integration across clinical and financial workflows is the single biggest driver of satisfaction among ambulatory care organizations evaluating their EHR and practice management platforms, according to a new KLAS Research report that for the first time examines ambulatory EHR and PM solutions together as comprehensive suites.
The February 2026 report, Comprehensive Ambulatory EHR & PM Suites 2026, surveyed 176 organizations with 11 or more physicians and found that 71 % of respondents cited integration, interoperability, and clinical coordination as the top outcome realized from adopting comprehensive solutions from their core EHR/PM vendor. Workflow efficiency followed at 51 %, and having a single vendor or unified data source ranked third at 48 %.
Organizations reported that the most tangible operational benefits emerge when multiple solutions from the same vendor are adopted and well aligned. Frequently mentioned outcomes included improved data flow between clinical and financial systems, fewer manual workarounds, better visibility into patient information, and efficiency gains from reducing movement between disparate platforms. Respondents also noted that consolidated suites simplify upgrades and support by reducing coordination challenges and limiting finger‑pointing between vendors.
Epic and athenahealth Set the Pace
Epic EpicCare Ambulatory EHR & Resolute PM earned the highest score for driving tangible outcomes (approximately 8.5 on a 1–9 scale) and money’s worth (approximately 8.3), while athenahealth athenaOne scored comparably on money’s worth (approximately 7.8) and tangible outcomes (approximately 7.7). Both vendors received “product has needed functionality” scores well above the market average: Epic at 7.5 and athenahealth at 7.1.
Respondents described meaningful differences in how each vendor delivers breadth. athenahealth is most often viewed as a services‑enabled platform purpose‑built for ambulatory care, offering revenue‑cycle‑management services as part of an integrated package with flexible configurations that scale from small practices to large organizations. Epic is positioned as a technology‑centric, enterprise‑wide platform commonly adopted by large, multispecialty ambulatory care groups and health systems seeking a single integrated solution across complex environments.
Epic Community Connect customers benefit from the underlying technology but report more variability than direct Epic customers, as their experience depends on host organizations’ decisions around implementation, governance, and tool selection.
Gap‑Filling Drives Third‑Party Adoption
Across all vendors, patient engagement (66 %), ambient speech (57 %), and patient intake (57 %) were the most common areas where organizations turned to third‑party solutions. Missing functionality was the most frequently cited reason for third‑party adoption overall (60 %), followed by superior third‑party functionality (42 %) and immature solution or quality issues (39 %).
The dynamics differ sharply by vendor. Epic and athenahealth customers generally described third‑party tools as targeted or temporary enhancements. Customers of NextGen Healthcare, eClinicalWorks, and Greenway Health more frequently relied on third parties to close core gaps in telehealth, credentialing, patient intake, and patient engagement—areas where those vendors’ solutions were seen as lacking in depth, usability, or workflow alignment. Greenway Health earned the lowest functionality score at 4.9, with customers pointing to limitations in key workflows that affect daily operations.
Altera Digital Health occupies a distinct position following its split from Veradigm. The company no longer offers a PM solution with its EHR, making reliance on third‑party PM and patient‑facing capabilities a structural necessity for its customers.
The KLAS‑Bain 2025 report found that six in ten healthcare organizations default to EHR‑native solutions first, reinforcing the strategic importance of comprehensive suite capabilities for vendor competitiveness.
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