Top 25 Questions To Ask Before Selecting An EHR
Electronic Health Records or Electronic Medical Records, commonly known as EHR are no longer a luxury. They’re more than a necessity for the smooth functioning of the clinic.
You must use the right service provider to seamlessly operate your clinic and get better results. According to a survey, across all the hospital types and clinics, more than 95% already have certified EHR technology.
Of course, some might be efficient and some might not. It depends upon the features you require and your patients’ requirements.
There are several questions that need to be answered and several parameters that need to be concerned.
In this guide, we’ll provide you with all the variations of the questions that you need to ask the vendors before selecting an EHR software.
So, let’s begin!
What to look for in an EHR system?
1. Cost:
When selecting an EMR system, the factor in cost plays a vital role. A few software companies might charge you on the basis of the number of entries. That may turn out costly in your pocket. While others charge you on the basis of your service quality.
No doubt, the latter is the better choice to go for.
2. Ease to use:
If the software is not easy to use and it isn’t delivering value to the practitioner’s life then there’s no use to that.
The proper EMR system can increase patient involvement and satisfaction while saving your practice time and money; the incorrect one might cause disruptions.
3. Cloud-based hosting & Implementation and training
The majority of significant EHR suppliers provide a cloud-based alternative, which means that aside from your own computers, your office has no servers or other gear to operate.
Also, It’s crucial to understand your vendor’s strategy for getting your system up and running because the implementation of an EMR system can take a few weeks to a few months.
4. Integration & Customer service
EHRs’ useful features include e-prescribing and ordering laboratory tests and results electronically. However, not every lab, hospital, or pharmacy will be properly configured to interface with every EHR system.
5. ONC EHR Certification
EHR certifications are also important for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement payments, as well as whether a practice is eligible for incentive payments or penalized for using medical software.
More on EHR, do you know the benefits of an EHR system?
Benefits of an EHR System
- 1) Tracking becomes easier: Medical speech-to-text tools are frequently included in EHR systems to help with note-taking. You can prioritize hands-on patient care with these tools and let the EHR translate your conversations into notes. Also, you can keep a track of your encounters managed accordingly.
- 2) Access to charts and notes is now easier: The days of combing through overstuffed file cabinets are over with EHR systems. Instead, you can quickly access a digital interface that simplifies the search for and retrieval of charts and notes.
- Better patient care results from increased access. In accordance with HIPAA regulations, medical software stores patient records.
- 3) Increased awareness of potentially hazardous drug interactions: Most EHR systems will notify you if you prescribe medications that may have dangerous interactions with one another.
- Non-computerized charting and note-taking methods cannot provide this proactive safety feature.
Now, we have curated a list of the top 25 questions that you need to ask before acquiring EHR software for your clinic.
Top 25 Questions That You Need To Ask Your EHR Vendor
- 1) Tell us about your business. How long have you been in operation? How many clients do you have?
- 2) What can you tell us about your product? What features and functions does it provide? What kind of reporting capabilities does it provide? Have you got a lab interface? Do you have an electronic prescription?
- 3) Do you have a Patient Portal, a Practice Management System, and an HIE?
- 5) Does your product meet all of the requirements for meaningful use?
- 6) Is your product ICD-10 compliant?
- 7) How effective is the product for our medical specialty?
- 8) Do you have any templates that are tailored to our industry?
- 9) How do you deal with technical support? How much do you charge for technical assistance?
- 10) What is your method of implementation? How much time will it take?
- 11) Will your product be compatible with our current practice management system (PMS)?
- 12) Is your product compatible with the EHR of our local hospital(s) and the EHR of other large practices in our area?
- 13) What is the process for converting our existing paper records to EHR? Or, more specifically, how will our current electronic records be transferred into your system?
- 14) How do you ensure the safety of our patient's medical records?
- 15) How do you deal with software updates?
- 16) How many training days do you offer? How frequently do you provide ongoing training?
- 17) Have you worked with similar practices to ours?
- 18) How simple is your product to use? Is it simple to use?
- 19) Do you have a list of recommended hardware?
- 20) Do you offer hardware, networking, and other technical support?
- 21) What kind of warranty do you offer?
- 22) Can you show us a product demonstration?
- 23) What are the expenses? What is the cost of the initial physician license? Is there a discount for additional doctors? Is there a discount for non-physician users?
- 24) What is the total cost of implementation, taking into account hardware, networking, software licensing, installation, training, and so on? What is the monthly maintenance fee? Are there any additional fees? What is the total cost of ownership over the course of five years? How do you determine ROI?
- 25) Could you please send us a proposal?
What’s the best solution?
Confused by this whole pile of questions? No, it is not necessary to ask each one of them. You select your set of questions based on your needs and country of operation. However 1 important aspect of EHR that you should not miss is data security. It’s mandatory to do a thorough analysis of these service providers. A little breach in their data can cause you a load of trouble.
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