- There are many options in the EHR market. Choosing the right Electronic Health Record can be daunting and time consuming. The question most practices ask is "How do I wade through the excessive information and find an EHR that will work for my office?" In fact, most certified EHR's offer essentially the same bells and whistles. But, what makes an EHR exceptional is its functionality in the real world setting of your practice.
Here are some key things to think about when purchasing and EHR...
- Define your needs. Know what systems work well in your current workflow and which ones you would like to improve.
- An EHR will change your workflow bud defining key workflows that work well will allow you to seamlessly integrate those into training and beyond.
- Can you customize the system to meet your workflow? If the EHR is to template heavy customization will be nearly impossible.
- Customization is a factor for some practices. However, templates pin doctors down to one style of charting with little room for change. Aprima is a template free EHR that is customized for your practice.
- Can the vendor provide a demo customized to your practice? If locality is important does the vendor have local resellers to help install and train your staff.
- Can the vendor provide reference and other resources for your clinic?
- Will it interface with current systems your practice currently uses?
- Is all the cost documented? EHR systems are complicated. Often, vendors will price a base package that looks attractive. When lab interfaces and other integration's are priced in the costs go up substantially. Look for vendors that are upfront and clear about pricing?
- Will you receive upgrades, customer service and training?
- Training is the most important part of the implementation process. If your staff isn't trained right the first time more than likely, you'll be looking for a new EHR. Invest in training upfront for a successful install.
- Ask the potential vendor how upgrades are done. Do you have to pay for major upgrades? How many times do upgrades happen?
- Where does your data reside? How will your data be kept safe? If you choose to leave will you be able to access your data?
ECFS can help you improve your practices efficiency with EHR. ECFS partners with Aprima to bring you a world class, award winning EHR product. Our team of professionals is committed to helping your practice meet is implementation and attestation goals.
- Define your needs. Know what systems work well in your current workflow and which ones you would like to improve.
