BY Catherine Lightfoot, CPA, CHBC, Director of Healthcare at EEPB
Is your practice looking to change your EMR? There are many reasons a practice could be due for a change. Maybe you have become dissatisfied with your current system. Maybe you have outgrown the system you are using. Maybe the software company merged or was bought out and you are no longer satisfied with the support. Whatever the reason, changing your EMR system is a big endeavor and one you cannot afford to get wrong. Here are ten things to consider when purchasing a new EMR.
- Look at multiple products for making a decision. While it may be time consuming to review multiple options. You need to understand what different systems and functions are available for consideration.
- Review specific demonstrations of how functions are done. You should have a well-represented team of users from all aspects of the company in these meetings. For example, don’t allow a sales manager to tell you the system is “user friendly”, let them demonstrate this. Also, know that a few extra clicks or screen changes to accomplish a particular task may be acceptable in one specialty, but not yours. Be sure the system is “user friendly” for how you operate.
- Request and check references for both the software and the vendor support. Ongoing support will be critical to success of a new EMR implementation. Is technical support available by telephone or must it be requested online? Do you have your own designated representative? Is the support team located in the US or overseas?
- How is the training conducted? Approximately how long will the expected training take? Is the training instructor led or does it depend on online videos? If on site training is available, is it included or an additional cost?
- Is there a period of technical support included with your contract? If so, how long? Does your team feel like this will be sufficient? For example, the fourth quarter is your busiest time, implementing a new EMR in August with two months of technical support is not going to be very helpful.
- What options are there for customizing templates and reports for your practice? If the software is customizable, will the vendor include customization as part of the implementation process, or will the practice have to learn to do this on their own?
- Does the system produce the reports your practice is accustomed to and needs to run the practice? If the answer is yes, review these reports with the team. A report may be called the same, but not be laid out in a manner that is useful for your team.
- Will you need to update hardware to run the new software?
- Is the vendor current with state and federal regulatory requirements? As of July 1, the Florida Electronic Health Records Act requires that the offsite storage of protected health information be physically maintained in the continental U.S., its territories or Canada. This is just one example. Florida is the first state to require this. Who will follow?
- Are all costs included in your contract? Would you need to purchase additional components to go with the software licenses? This should be very clear in your contract.
The decision on which EMR you are using could improve the profitability of your practice or severely hinder it. Excessive training time is not only time consuming but a morale buster to an already overwhelmed staff. Hopefully, this list will give you better guidance on how to evaluate the choices you have for an EMR to get the right one for your practice.