Choosing an EHR
Choosing the right EHR is dependant on a variety of factors, including
practice goals, office size, technological capabilities and expertise,
and cost, among others. By carefully considering practice needs in the
selection process, practices can maximize the benefits of an EHR.
* Special note on certification: The ACC highly encourages
members to choose an EHR certified by the Certification
Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). CCHIT has
developed a set of testing criteria for ambulatory EHRs that focus on
the functionality desired for the primary setting. The testing criteria
include functionality, security and interoperability measures. The benefit
of a CCHIT-certified system is that you know the application will meet
certain standards.
Below are additional questions to consider when deciding which EHR vendor
to choose:
- Does the EHR allow you to meet your goals
for adopting an EHR? Check to make sure the EHR you ultimately
select will be able to meet the goals you set prior to meeting with
vendors.
- Have other cardiovascular practices used the EHR you are considering?
Given the cardiology-specific metrics that need to be recorded, it’s
important that any EHR you choose be able to meet these needs. This
can be achieved by buying software that comes with some cardiology-specific
modules, or by customizing the EHR’s templates to suit your needs.
Also, practices should ask other practices that use the software about
their experiences. Check the company’s references!
- How easy is it to customize the software? No matter
what software you buy, some degree of customization will almost certainly
be necessary. Customization will allow you to change the templates to
ask for normalized data rather than text, cardiology-specific data or
data important only to the practice.
- Does the software have the ability to interface with local
laboratories and hospitals? To decrease the amount of time
spent duplicating order forms and other paperwork, practices should
look for software that can interface with the labs and hospitals that
they most often use. If an EHR cannot be found that interfaces with
all, practices should consider purchasing separate interfaces to make
the interconnectivity possible.
- Does the software work with your technology infrastructure?
Think about how the requirements of the EHR software fit with
your current and future technological capabilities. For example, many
practices with remote offices opt to use a “thin-client environment,”
where the EHR is loaded onto a central server, which can be accessed
from any computer by logging on to the server. Practices can then choose
whether to install computers in every room, or use laptops or tablets.
- Is the EHR an application service provider (ASP)?
Unless you have very specific needs, choosing a vendor with an EHR as
an ASP is easiest. The ASP vendor hosts the servers, maintains the software
and takes care of all the IT issues that occur with the operation of
a large software application.
- What will be the total cost of the EHR? The cost
of the EHR software alone is not the only cost to consider when choosing
an EHR. Just as important are the installation costs – including
hardware, training, implementation and consulting – and maintenance
and support. In addition, some practices have reported experiencing
a loss of productivity for a few months while staff adjust to using
the EHR system. For more considerations, visit the Contract
Negotiations section.
A PDF of this document also is available.
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