There is a lot to consider when it comes to choosing the right EMR and EHR software and you should know what tips to use to make the choice. Not only do you want to think about the features that you might want to use, but also the price, customer support and much more. Keep reading on so that you can find out a few more of the top tips that will help you making your final decision.
Features
There are going to be a wide array of features that you would want to have on your system as a physician or even a nurse. Some of these features would include:
- Patient portal
- Dictation for notes and capability of voice to text
- Interoperability
- Specialty based specific templates
- Customized templates
- User portal including free training
- Appointment reminders
- Telemedicine
- Incentive measure reporting and tracking
- Reporting of population health
These are all vital things that any doctor would need to be able to see in a glance, so ensure that these features are listed on what you want in a system.
Go ahead and list down all of the features that you would need in order for you to be happy with the system, which should include if it would integrate with your current software. The experts would be able to help you with picking the right system that would fit your needs, including if you want to go for a cloud-based system.
Price
Another thing to consider is the price and you need to talk to them about your options. However, before you make any final decision you should make sure you are getting a few different estimates so that you can see what the offers are. You need to know what the other companies are going to be quoting you and see if you can find a better deal for the same software.
If you want to have training and if you need help with the installation, then you should ensure that those are included in the costs. Ask for a detailed quote so that you can be sure you know what you are getting into. You need to know about the prices of buying the software outright or even the cost of the cloud-based systems.
Server or Cloud Based
The next thing that you want to think about is whether or not you want to have your own server to maintain or if you want to opt for the cloud-based software. You should know what some of the reasons to go with a cloud-based be like being able to access it from anywhere or even having back-up at all times. You need to think about the cost as well as what the benefits are for both options before you choose.
You also need to think about the maintenance that would be required and that additional cost that might incur. Ask about this since often the cloud-based systems don’t need as much maintenance as the actual servers might, especially if something breaks. You should also look at how much space your clinic would have available, which can help you to decide if you have the necessary space to have an entire server system installed.
Installation Required
Another thing to think about is whether or not any installation at your clinic is going to be required. You want to know if installation is required when it would be done and how long it will take to be complete. You also should find out if they can come to the clinic while it is closed to avoid disruptions during the operating hours, which can cause serious issues or even delays in pulling up required information.
You should also think about how easy it would be to transfer the data from one system to another, especially if you are opting for cloud-based. You need to find out if they would be able to give you a URL with the software already installed or if they would need to install it on your systems. Make sure to ask them everything that you might want to know about installation, including if it would cost anything extra.
Feedback and Recommendations
The final factor that you need to look at when you are trying to determine what type of software to go with are the recommendations and feedback. Make sure that you are talking to other doctors or nurses regarding what software they use and what their experience has been. If you are thinking about going for the cloud-based option make sure to talk to someone who has used it and who might have used it while they were out of office.
The more you are talking to other physicians as well as nurses, then you will be able to see what their experiences were. This will let you know how easy the software is to use and if they thought there needed to be any changes. They can also help you with familiarizing yourself with it beforehand and even letting you get a peek at it before you have it installed on your own system so you can make an informed decision. Getting advice and recommendations is always something you should do, especially when it comes to such a sensitive industry and before investing in something so expensive and time-consuming.
It can be a hard time when you are trying to decide what type of software you are going to opt for and which one would be the best. You need to think about the price of the software as well as the different methods of usage and installation. You also should look at the features that you want and you need to talk to others in the same industry that have used this software. If you want to work with the best company, then go ahead and talk to Softarex EHR & EMR Medical Practice Management Solution and they will be there to help you with any issues you might have.
