Three Ways To Investigate Your EMR System Vendor

Federal Stimulus money is finally on the table for doctors and small clinics to purchase and benefit from an EMR system. And because of this, hundreds of new electronic medical records vendors have come out of the woodwork, each looking for doctors' business. The doctor that is looking to go "paperless" has a number of decisions to make, frankly, and immediate cost is just one of them.

Let's face it... Shopping for an EMR software system is a decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. You're dealing with how your practice is managed here, and selecting the EMR provider that works best with you can be determined early, during the quote process. There is no "silver bullet" for choosing the best EMR system vendor, but these three things are critical:

1. Experience - Make sure the vendor you're looking for has at least five years of experience in the industry. The issue with the recent Federal Stimulus and EMR vendors is that companies have literally "created" their EMR product within the past two years mainly to profit from the government money. These EMR software applications can be shoddy in construction, and poorly supported. Get testimonials, and look at the company's history once a proposal has been received.

2. Training - First off, how rigorous is your EMR vendors ' electronic medical record training staff. Have they been with the company for a long time? Is there a number of different avenues through which your staff can be trained, or is there a single solution that means your staff must travel (a huge expense). An EMR system vendor is only as strong as its training team, and if something seems iffy, find out about it before it's too late.

3. How Do They Support You? - Particularly once your EMR software has been initially installed, support will be critical to your staff's ability to learn. If solving an issue with your software bogs you down every time one occurs, you'll soon be running for the hills. Is your vendor's support team available 24/7? Are there support costs you should know about? Ask the vendor for recent support references to ensure that you'll be OK when a problem occurs.

Keeping up with a changing EMR industry is not your job. But, being cautious about your medical records software consultant pays for itself over time. Finding the best EMR system company is all about patience, and ensuring your practice is properly served.

Need to know more about finding the right EMR system? Go to http://www.electronicmedicalrecords.org for a selection of electronic medical records purchase tips and tricks.