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12 (Relatively) Easy Steps to Choosing an EHR or EMR
The twelve-step program that is the cure for the EHR EMR selection process.
By following these steps you should:
- Determine quickly if EHR is or is not right for you (now).
- Stay within your budget.
- Minimize wasted time seeing boring demos of systems that won't meet your needs.
- Maximize your opportunity for success.
1) Write down your Practice Goals (where do you want your practice to be in 3-5 years?). How does EHR fit? - EHR helps me achieve by practice goals by ______.
2) Write down your Personal Goals (where do you want to be personally in 3-5 years?). How does EHR fit? - EHR helps me achieve my personal goals by _______.
STOP - If EHR does not fit into your goals consider whether or not now is the time to be thinking of implementing EHR. Perhaps you should address your other needs first.
3) Based on the above what are the most important things you need from your EHR and vendor? Some items to consider:
- Quick charting
- Coding tools/easy to code
- Patient Education
- CCHIT certification
- Interfaces with specific systems (hospital, lab, practice management, equipment)
- Ease of use/Easy to learn
- Ability to use remotely - from home, hospital, etc.
- Ability to add new users (additional providers and staff)
- Ability to cancel or transfer the EHR contract
- Customer Support - responsiveness and availability
- Interaction with other providers - referrals
- Patient communication
- Chart organization
- Health maintenance tracking/follow-up tracking
- Infrastructure and Hosting
- Use of Specific Technology - such as Macs
4) Prioritize the above from highest to lowest. If more than 10 criteria are on your list remove those over #8.
5) Determine your purchase budget and ongoing budget. How much do you have to spend initially and each month/year? This becomes criteria #1.
6) What is your ROI goal? Do you want a system that will pay for itself? If so, by when? This becomes criteria #2.
Combined with your answers from #4, you now have at most 10 criteria.
7) Review sources for a list of potential EHR systems such as:
- Systems recommended by peers
- Your medical society
- www.CCHIT.org
- Web services such as Software Advice, EHR Consultant and Buyer Zone
- www.KLASresearch.com (Medical Software rating service)
8) Make a list of 5-10 EHRs that look like possible fits to your criteria
9) BEFORE getting demos review the vendor's web site and/or contact the vendor and get information about your criteria.
- You should be able to obtain all the information at this stage you need except that which requires a demo. Demos are time consuming and a waste of your time if the system doesn't meet your budget or other key criteria.
- Make sure price quotes include ALL equipment, maintenance, 3rd party, etc costs - everything you need to run the EHR. Include the cost of all the items in your criteria, such as interfaces.
- Drop EHRs that don't fit your budget and ROI goals - unless you are willing to increase your budget or change your ROI goal.
- Be wary/consider dropping vendors that will not provide the information you request.
- Be willing to also share information - a quality vendor cannot adequately help you if they don't understand your needs.
- Rate the remaining products on each of your criteria using a numerical process that will create an overall order/priority.
- Drop all but the top 2-4.
10) From each of your top 2-4 vendors ask for a list of at least 10 existing customers - and you choose who you want to call. Call 2-3 customers of each vendor. After the calls drop any vendor that you don't believe will meet your needs.
11) Conduct Demos on your remaining top 2-4 possible systems. Have your criteria in front of you during each demo. After this point you should have ALL the information for each criteria. If you do not, contact the applicable vendor(s) and obtain the information.
12) Re-rate your top products using all the criteria and choose your system. When in doubt or a decision is close, see if your top choice(s) will let you "drive" or play with the system and/or chose the EHR that is easiest and least expensive to stop using.
