Customer Opinions Fall After eClinicalWorks Settlement

When EHR vendor eClinicalWorks agreed to a $155 million settlement over charges that it falsified claims for federal incentive payments, it probably thought the damage would be mainly financial. Months later, though, it’s paying a steeper price in more precious currency: customer opinions. A new report from KLAS Research reveals that 66% of eClinicalWorks customers say their opinion of the company is lower than it was when the settlement was announced in May (with 26% saying their opinion of eClinicalWorks “significantly worsened”). Perhaps even more disturbing for the company, around 20% said they weren’t surprised by the developments; another 32% said their opinion hasn’t changed. Some of those disenchanted customers a voting with their feet; 34% say they are walking away to find another EHR vendor, though most of them admit they were already planning to ditch eClinicalWorks. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that eClinicalWorks violated federal law by misrepresenting its software’s capabilities and by paying kickbacks to some customers in exchange for promotional consideration.