EPD provider SAP-Cerner withdraws from the Netherlands. That is why the Zuyderland Medical Center and Maastricht UMC+ have to look for a new electronic patient system and the choice becomes even smaller.
Zuyderland and Maastricht UMC+ have an electronic patient file (epd) from SAP-Cerner. That company recently announced that it will stop in the Netherlands before 2026.
Epic
Maastricht UMC+ recently announced on its website that it is switching to Epic: ‘The signing of the cooperation agreement was preceded by a European tender procedure, in which Epic emerged as the most suitable supplier for Maastricht UMC+.’ When asked, a spokesperson indicated that stopping SAP-Cerner was the main reason for switching. ‘But other considerations are now also being added, such as openness and collaboration, with new solutions in Epic it is better possible to exchange data with other organizations in the healthcare chain.’
44 million
A spokesperson for Zuyderland reports that they will decide before the summer what their new EPD will be. The hospital has already reserved 44 million euros in the budget for the switch. In 2021 it held another major update of the current epd. For this, the hospital had to personally contact thousands of (former) patients by telephone.
Providers
There have been concerns for some time about the limited choice of EPD suppliers in the Netherlands. For example, former minister Bruno Bruins stated in response to parliamentary questions (2019): ‘This market is indeed characterized by a limited number of providers and alternatives. At the moment, together with the healthcare field, I am looking at how I can support joining forces in the negotiations with the EPD suppliers.’ In mid-2022, Minister Kuipers said something similar: ‘I am investigating how VWS can help and strengthen healthcare organizations in their negotiating position.’
Guard dog
A market survey by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in 2021 shows that there were only four players on the Dutch market at the time: Cerner/SAP (ishmed/IS-H), ChipSoft (HiX), Epic (Epic) and Nexus (Nexus). The watchdog has now started a further investigation. The spokesperson cannot say when that research will be published and to what extent the loss of SAP-Cerner will be included in this, but said that they are “following developments in the market”.
