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Does your EHR have Headlight Wipers?

Are you looking for the wrong things in your EHR?

In case you don’t know what headlight wipers are, check out this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPDQzJ9FelU

Of course EHRs don’t have headlight wipers, but when it comes to how providers and their staff evaluate and purchase an EHR, sometimes it appears they’re focused on the minutia (like Headlight Wipers) and not the end goal – an easy to use, well supported EHR that makes your daily life easier, not harder.  If you live in Florida do you really need a car with headlight wipers?  If you’re a busy practice do you really need an EHR with some cool seldom used a feature if the overall design and support are mediocre causing you to waste time?

I am reminded of a demo I once did for a Pediatrician.  He asked (among many questions), “does your EHR create growth charts for Trisomy 21 children?”.  Being pretty new at the time and honestly not knowing the answer immediately, I bought a little thinking time by asking the physician, “good question, do you see a lot of children with Trisomy 21?”.  His answer?  “No, very rarely but I was just curious”.  

After many years in this business and watching hundreds of demos and interactions with providers and staff looking for a new EHR the vast majority of purchasers appear to be focused almost exclusively on features with price running a close second.

However, just “Google” Reasons Physicians Dislike EHR, and you’ll find a host of surveys and opinions with the following typical reasons:

  • Time-consuming data entry
  • User interfaces that don’t match workflow
  • Limits face-to-face patient time
  • Information overload
  • Poor vendor support
  • Difficult to implement

Did you see a SINGLE feature or functionality on that list?  Are you looking for a new EHR due to some of the reasons above?  If so, are you making the same mistake again by focusing on the wrong things?