Once again, D.C.’s in Wisconsin have been surveyed by the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association with regard to the EHR / chiropractic software they use. And the results might surprise those of you who rely on the hype that abounds in magazine ads and on websites.
Over 100 responses came in for this survey, which includes systems noted at the end of this blog entry. The first thing I noticed was that ECLIPSE users dominated the responses with close to 20% of the total. There was only one response from a Platinum customer. Apparently, chiropractors in WI remain blissfully unaware that Platinum (as decreed on Platinum’s website) is the “#1 chiropractic software worldwide.”
Chiropractors reported costs and rated Support & Ease of Use separately on a 7 point scale where a “7” reflected high praise and a “1” … well, you can guess. It gets interesting when you look at these scores and compare them with how much the doctors paid for each system. (For the record, we’re not based in or near WI and had no ties to or knowledge of this survey.)
Let’s compare a few systems. But first, we’ll ignore costs for the 5 ECLIPSE offices which noted “free upgrade” in the Cost column – the only free upgrades noted in the entire survey – because that would simply skew the results in our favor. So, here’s the table for three systems:
| System | Average cost | Support | Ease of Use | ||
| Average score | Lowest score | Average score | Lowest score | ||
| ACOM/Rapid | $14,190 | 4.75 | 1 | 4.5 | 1 |
| ChiroTouch | $11,085 | 5.08 | 3 | 5.16 | 1 |
| ECLIPSE | $2,500 | 5.53 | 4 | 5.53 | 4 |
Support was rated on 7 point scale with “1” being “Horrible” and “7” being “Terrific”
Ease of use was rated on a 7 point scale with “1” being “Difficult” and “7” being “Easy”
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the lowest cost system is also the highest rated? Also, I only included systems with 9 or more responses. Otherwise, it becomes more difficult to place results in any sort of context. So, with the largest # of reported results, when it came to unhappy chiropractors giving their systems a low score, note that ECLIPSE users were generally a happy group.
Now, let’s discuss those “free upgrades” that 5 chiropractors noted in the cost column. We believe this survey was about Meaningful Use and the $44,000 most doctors crave. Why was ECLIPSE the only software that doctors didn’t have to pay a premium for – even if they already owned it – in order to qualify for Meaningful Use funds? Other companies in this survey often preface news releases by noting their leadership and citing instances where they’re “giving back” to the profession. This is a perfect example – in an independent survey – of how we give back to the profession every day by intentionally keeping prices low. And of course, though we shy away from words like “leader,” ECLIPSE was certified months in advance of the October 1st, 2011 deadline that allowed ECLIPSE users to receive an $18,000 payment during the first year of the program… a claim that products like ChiroTouch can’t make.
To the best of my knowledge, ECLIPSE is the only system that’s been independently reviewed over a course of decades by multiple generations of chiropractors: in 1988 by NYSCA, and in 2001 and 2011/2012 via WCA surveys. Shouldn’t that tell you virtually everything you need to know before you buy a system?
When ECLIPSE debuted in 1985, Logicomp, Parker (Yes… that Parker) and PDR were the hot systems to buy nationwide. Every chiropractor knew this. And each proclaimed itself to be the best chiropractic software available. One of my professors at NYCC enthusiastically endorsed PDR. The Parker rep even flew his own plane to NJ to provide a product demo. And I’ll bet you’ve never even heard of them… because as big as they were… they’re now all out of business. ECLIPSE has demonstrated that it can stay current in your office for your entire career. How many of your colleagues are still on their first computer system?