EPIC vs. Cerner

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

jjcayce123

Full Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
104
Reaction score
90

Members don't see this ad.
I took a job at a hospital that recently "upgraded" to Cerner from McKesson. I never used McKesson but my god Cerner is absolute garbage. I came from a hospital that used EPIC which was amazing. Did anyone else go from EPIC to Cerner and if so are there any aspects of Cerner that you actually like better than EPIC?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

njac

Senior Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Messages
11,774
Reaction score
6,211
Cerner and Epic are only as good as their build. I’m currently using a garbage version of Epic - if I hadn’t used an excellent version elsewhere and knew what to ask from IT it would be horrific.

What are you missing in Cerner now? Believe it or not I like that the orders don’t verify until you hit the “complete” - sometimes you come across an interaction or an issue in the middle of a stream of orders and it gives you a chance for a quick double check.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

gwarm01

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
2,720
Reaction score
3,745
Cerner and Epic are only as good as their build. I’m currently using a garbage version of Epic - if I hadn’t used an excellent version elsewhere and knew what to ask from IT it would be horrific.

What are you missing in Cerner now? Believe it or not I like that the orders don’t verify until you hit the “complete” - sometimes you come across an interaction or an issue in the middle of a stream of orders and it gives you a chance for a quick double check.

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Many people don't realize this. Two hospitals using the same EHR can have a drastically different user experience based on how the system was conceptualized, designed, and implemented. It takes strong stewardship and deliberate planning to do it right, and even then there are always going to be quirks.

You make a good point about Cerner's order filing system. I find it annoying when I am trying to test a medication build, but thinking back it was always frustrating when I would verify something in Epic, realize there was a mistake, then have to cancel that order, track down the labels, re-enter etc.
 

jjcayce123

Full Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
104
Reaction score
90
It must be the build then...everything with epic was so clean and easy. Everything was in one screen and easy to navigate. Cerner is always popping up new windows and having to go back and forth between med manager and power chart is a complete pain. Not to mention it takes a millions clicks to do a damn thing
 

jjcayce123

Full Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
104
Reaction score
90
A pharmacist that I worked with who was PRN at my old hospital to keep state retirement also worked at a very large academic hospital that used Cerner. When I told him that I was leaving and that I would be on Cerner he related EPIC to driving a brand new Mercedes and Cerner was like driving a used Chevy Malibu.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

projektreverb

Full Member
5+ Year Member
Joined
May 28, 2018
Messages
1,393
Reaction score
1,370
The hospital I did all of my rotations at was one of the original EPIC hospitals. Loved using EPIC, granted I was only a student and there was a lot of things I couldn’t do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

jjcayce123

Full Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
104
Reaction score
90
consider yourself blessed for that experience.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

njac

Senior Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Messages
11,774
Reaction score
6,211
I don’t disagree that Med manager vs powerchart is annoying.

However, the hospital where I worked that used McKesson required 5+ pieces of software to get the same info (all with different password requirements and expiration times...), so it’s all relative.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 

jjcayce123

Full Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
104
Reaction score
90
I never used mckesson....cerner sucks...and its visual appeal is like windows 95
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

gwarm01

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
2,720
Reaction score
3,745
Cerner's administrative tools are pretty clunky and unintuitive. Whoever designed them has a poor grasp on how humans function.

It's still better than Meditech.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Top