Many people have been coming to my site to figure out how they should select an EMR for their clinic. That’s such an important part of the process and hopefully something I write helps people to be more successful in that process. My favorite searches are those that say something like “top 10 EMR companies” As if Google will somehow send them the very best list of EMR companies out there. I’ve considered posting a list like that myself, but I just think there are more than 10 that are worth considering and they each have their pros and cons. How can I rank 2 EMR where one has better document management, but the other has better appointment integration. Plus, I think each clinical practice is so unique that what might be the top EMR for one practice might not even make the top 10 for another practice.

HIMSS has taken a different approach in creating their Healthcare IT Buyer’s guide. This guide they’re basically just a listing service for various healthcare IT companies including EMR and EHR companies. While I certainly think a listing of this nature is valuable (that’s why I started the EMR and EHR matrix of companies on the wiki) the problem I have with the list created by HIMSS is that you have to pay $395 a year in order to appear on the list. No wonder they only have 47 of the 300+ EMR/EHR companies. Plus, they even manipulate the placement on the list. Check out the pricing for better placement:
1st Place $1,500
2nd Place $1,250
3rd Place $1,100
4th Place $850
5th Place $500

Sounds like a good way for HIMSS to make money, but not a very good tool for those selecting an EMR. Instead, there are a bunch of free EMR selection tools out there that don’t have this bias in their listings. Try out those and you’ll be much happier with the results.