Cerner vs athenaClinicals

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Our analysts compared Cerner vs athenaClinicals based on data from our 400+ point analysis of EHR Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Cerner Software Tool
athenaClinicals Software Tool

Product Basics

Cerner is a cloud-based EHR software used by health organizations of various sizes and specialties to streamline their operations and provide greater healthcare. It offers charting, documentation, revenue management and health analytics. These capabilities ensure up-to-date patient information and accurate diagnosis and treatment.

It caters to more than 40 specialties, with task automation and simple recording that enables healthcare professionals to focus more on patients. Physicians are able to see more patients on a given day, increasing overall revenue without sacrificing the quality of care.
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AthenaClinicals EHR, by athenahealth, helps healthcare organizations maximize productivity and efficiency by handling repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Physicians use this product to manage appointment scheduling, medical documentation, patient information, diagnosis, health analytics and more.

The system allows physicians to spend more of their time focusing on the patient and less time dealing with tedious clerical work. This vendor connects over 160,000 providers and 100 million patients to help provide the most informed, accurate and quality treatment possible.
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Product Insights

  • Increase Productivity and Efficiency: Spend far less time charting and documenting data and focus more on the patient. Leverage health analytics and other tools to provide more accurate diagnoses and treatment. Real-time updates keep information accurate. 
  • Patient Experience: Offer convenience and help patients save time through a user portal. They can check lab results, edit personal information on mobile, check in online prior to a visit and communicate with their providers. 
  • Usability: Report and look up patient information with ease via navigation that’s user-friendly. 
  • Full-Service Support: Cerner provides 24/7 customer support and can assist with installation and implementation. 
  • Clinical and Financial Integration: Facilitate communication between billing and clinical teams with integrations that streamline processes. Track financial performance as well as store and retrieve documents electronically. 
  • Health Network: Integrate with other systems to connect clinical, operational and financial data using Health Network Architecture, an intelligent and extensible platform. 
  • Cerner Millennium: Securely connect every aspect of care to the patient using Cerner Millennium, a comprehensive electronic health record. Aggregate and normalize data across vendors and platforms using HealtheIntentSM. 
  • CareAware: Leverage interoperability between medical devices, healthcare applications and EHR systems using CareAware, a device connectivity platform. 
  • Developer Support: Collaborate with third-party and client developers by using Cerner Open Developer Experience, which encourages open communications and provides API documentation, guidelines and access to tools for app development. 
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  • Faster Documentation: AthenaClinicals EHR processes paper documents and transfers them to the EHR automatically. Information no longer needs to be entered and re-entered on paper, which saves physicians time. 
  • Quick Installation/Usability: The system's easy-to-use interface and individual training courses make athenaClinicals a breeze to implement. While most EHR systems take months or even more than a year to go live, athenaClinicals can be implemented in nearly half that time. 
  • Focus on Patients: AthenaClinicals handles numerous tasks and technical issues that may otherwise conflict with providing the highest quality patient care. Authorization management is also available for smaller practices, allowing physicians to focus more of their efforts on what’s most important — the patient. 
  • Mobility: With healthcare professionals becoming increasingly busy, athenaClinicals EHR enables physicians to work while they’re out of the office. Practitioners can send out notifications, request medications and exchange messages with their patients online. 
  • Low Cost: Unlike the majority of EHRs, athenaClinicals has zero hidden fees and does not charge for upgrades. 
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  • Clinical Documentation: Narrative, auto text and voice recognition, and speech-to-text support makes charting and documentation easier and more efficient. Any relevant patient data like medications or diagnosis is automatically included. 
  • Mobile Apps: Providers can review patient charts, request orders and refills, review diagnostics and check clinical results using their mobile. Voice dictation helps physicians with easy documentation. 
  • Built-In Templates: A variety of prebuilt templates limit the amount of time physicians need to spend on documentation. 
  • Health Analytics: Provides insights to help enhance clinical, financial and population health strategies, which help in identifying long-term and daily operational improvement opportunities. 
  • Patient Portal: Patients can exchange messages, request refills, view clinical information and check out evidence-based data on over 3,000 topics to further their education. 
  • Sepsis Surveillance: Developed by Cerner in 2010, the St. John Sepsis Surveillance tool looks for patient data and notifies clinicians of patients who are at risk of sepsis before they are diagnosed. 
  • Revenue Cycle Management: Offers solutions to improve workflow and control costs leading to more revenue. Insurance can be verified automatically while faulty claims can be dealt with before submission. 
  • Cybersecurity: Helps protect sensitive health data against insider threats and cyberattacks by ensuring only necessary staff has access to it. 
  • Scheduling Management: Automates the appointment scheduling process from both centralized and decentralized booking locations within a department or facility. It also:
    •  Manages scheduling across multiple facilities and scheduling a series of appointments. 
    •  Validates medical necessity at several points in the workflow. 
    •  Prevents adverse appointment and procedure interactions. 
    •  Supports moving appointments within a single view. 
  • Patient Kiosk: A self-service solution for patients to check in for and manage appointments. They can view and update demographics and insurance information, as well as complete registration forms. Also supports storing signed forms in patients’ electronic health records. 
  • PowerChart Touch: Enables physicians in either acute or ambulatory settings to access and review their patient’s clinical data and current orders on smartphone or tablet. 
  • Enterprise Master Person Index: Minimizes duplicate records, enabling end-users to find the correct person. 
  • Ambulatory Organizer: Shows a daily patient schedule, the time a patient checked in, the reason for their visit per the intake form, and required documentation. Also indicates outstanding tasks. 
  • Tap-and-Go Authentication: Enables clinicians to use a single username and password to gain access to several key applications on clinical workstations. Scanning a badge automatically logs them in to their virtual desktops to gain rapid, no-click access to medical records as they change locations. 
  • Ambulatory Registration Management: Automates the workflow and process of registration, admittance, transfers and discharges. Offers a Master Person Identifier (MPI) and facilitates collecting co-pay or payments on outstanding balances. 
  • Analytics: Uses data across the integrated health system to examine enterprise and population health content. Identifies, applies and measures analytics-based, strategic initiatives such as cost and utilization, pharmacy spend, and practice management to reduce duplicative efforts. 
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  • Clinical Efficiency: Users can access clinical information from numerous sources instantly. Secure text messaging is used to help make informed decisions when it comes to treatment. 
  • Patient Portal: Athenahealth’s patient portal tool, athenaCommunicator, lets patients view their health history, schedule appointments, sign forms, pay bills and more. Patients can also receive automated notifications and reminders regarding upcoming appointments, test results and more. 
  • athenahealth Network: With the nation’s most connected healthcare network, athenaClinicals can compare a clinic's health performance with that of other providers, as well as automatically providing clinical recommendations based on patients’ activity on the network. Information is exchanged between over 250,000 points of care, such as urgent care, specialties, labs, pharmacies and more. 
  • Intelligent Workflows: AthenaClinicals EHR learns from the network the more a client uses the program and simultaneously provides relevant patient information during the point of care. 
  • Interoperability: Many EHR solutions are quite limited when it comes to sharing patient information. With athenaClinicals on the other hand, practitioners can exchange important patient data with a number of other care sites and add it into a patient’s chart, making it so that physicians have all the patient information they need. 
  • Integration: AthenaClinicals EHR is integratable with many athenahealth services and solutions to help with every aspect of a health facility’s business. These integratable features include medical billing, care coordination, medical reference apps and more.
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Product Ranking

#42

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#2

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User Sentiment Summary

Good User Sentiment 369 reviews
Good User Sentiment 815 reviews
73%
of users recommend this product

Cerner has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 73% when considering 369 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

76%
of users recommend this product

athenaClinicals has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 76% when considering 815 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

4.1 (16)
3.7 (14)
3.5 (216)
3.7 (26)
3.8 (130)
3.8 (754)
n/a
4.5 (4)
3.6 (7)
4.2 (17)

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Data Security: All users who mention safety and data noted data security as an important advantage.
Collaborative: The product’s collaborative nature helps support multiple medical facilities, as reported by all users referring to this feature.
User-Friendly: About 73% of users referencing usability mentioned that the product is easy to use and navigate.
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Easy to Use: Many users find athenaClinicals intuitive and easy to navigate, even for those new to electronic health records. They appreciate the straightforward design and clear labeling, which makes it simple to find the information they need quickly.
Comprehensive Features: athenaClinicals offers a wide range of features that cater to various practice needs, from scheduling and billing to patient management and clinical documentation. Users appreciate the ability to manage all aspects of their practice within a single platform.
Strong Customer Support: athenaClinicals is known for its responsive and helpful customer support team. Users praise the availability of support resources, including phone, email, and online chat, which makes it easy to get assistance when needed.
Integration Capabilities: athenaClinicals integrates seamlessly with other healthcare applications, such as lab systems and pharmacy software. This integration streamlines workflows and reduces the need for manual data entry, saving time and improving efficiency.
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Updates: Updates take a lot of time and don’t happen frequently, according to 93% of users who mention this aspect.
Time-Consuming: Repetitive clicking reduces the speed of work, according to about 74% of reviews mentioning this aspect.
Customer Support: Strong customer support is often unavailable and can have delayed response times, as noted by 80% of users referencing support.
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Limited Customization: Some users have reported that athenaClinicals' customization options are limited, making it difficult to tailor the system to their specific workflow needs. For example, some users have found it challenging to create custom reports or modify the user interface to better suit their practice's unique requirements.
Steep Learning Curve: The software's interface can be complex and require significant training to master. This can be particularly challenging for new users or those transitioning from a different EHR system. For example, some users have reported difficulty navigating the system's menus and understanding the various features and functionalities.
Technical Issues: Some users have reported experiencing technical issues with athenaClinicals, such as slow loading times, system crashes, or data syncing problems. These issues can disrupt workflow and lead to frustration for users. For example, some users have reported encountering errors when attempting to access patient records or submit electronic prescriptions.
Customer Support: Some users have expressed dissatisfaction with athenaClinicals' customer support. They have reported long wait times, difficulty reaching a representative, or unhelpful responses. For example, some users have reported being unable to resolve technical issues or get timely assistance with billing questions.
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Navigating the world of healthcare IT solutions can feel like venturing through a labyrinth, with countless options promising efficiency and improved patient care. Cerner, a prominent name in the industry, offers a suite of tools designed to streamline healthcare operations. But how does it truly stack up against the competition, and is it the right fit for your organization? Let's delve into the experiences of users who have implemented Cerner in their practices to uncover its strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases. Cerner consistently receives praise for its comprehensive suite of features, encompassing electronic health records (EHR), practice management, revenue cycle management, and population health management. This integrated approach allows healthcare providers to manage various aspects of their operations within a single platform, promoting efficiency and data continuity. Users particularly appreciate the robust functionality for clinical documentation, order entry, and decision support, which can enhance patient care and streamline workflows. However, some users find the interface to be complex and require extensive training to navigate effectively. Additionally, the system's customizability, while advantageous for tailoring it to specific needs, can also contribute to its complexity. Cerner distinguishes itself through its extensive industry experience and large user base. The company has a long-standing presence in the healthcare IT sector, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and adaptation to evolving industry needs. This extensive experience translates into a deep understanding of healthcare workflows and challenges, which is reflected in the design and functionality of Cerner's solutions. The large user base also fosters a sense of community and facilitates knowledge sharing among healthcare organizations using Cerner. However, it's important to note that Cerner's pricing structure can be a significant consideration, particularly for smaller practices. The cost of implementation and ongoing maintenance may require careful evaluation to ensure it aligns with budgetary constraints. Cerner is best suited for large healthcare organizations with complex workflows and a need for a comprehensive, integrated healthcare IT solution. Its robust feature set, scalability, and industry expertise make it a valuable asset for hospitals, health systems, and academic medical centers. Smaller practices may find the system's complexity and cost to be prohibitive, and may prefer more streamlined solutions tailored to their specific needs. Ultimately, the decision of whether Cerner is the right fit depends on an organization's size, budget, and desired level of functionality.

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AthenaClinicals is a cloud-based EHR software known for its robust features and intuitive interface, but user reviews over the past year have been a mixed bag. A standout feature is its comprehensive patient portal, athenaCommunicator, which empowers patients to schedule appointments, view health records, and communicate securely with providers. This not only enhances patient engagement but also streamlines administrative tasks for practices. Another strength is athenaClinicals' integration with a vast network of healthcare providers, athenaNet, facilitating seamless data exchange and care coordination. This interoperability is crucial in today's healthcare landscape, allowing providers to access a more complete patient history and make informed decisions. However, some users have reported that the software can be clunky and difficult to navigate, particularly for those unfamiliar with EHR systems. Additionally, while athenaClinicals offers extensive reporting capabilities, some users have found the sheer volume of data overwhelming and difficult to interpret without dedicated support. Overall, athenaClinicals is best suited for practices seeking a feature-rich EHR solution with a strong emphasis on patient engagement and care coordination. Its robust patient portal and integration with a vast provider network make it an excellent choice for practices looking to streamline workflows and improve communication. However, practices with limited technical expertise or those overwhelmed by extensive data analysis might find athenaClinicals less user-friendly and may require additional support to fully utilize its capabilities.

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