EMR Vendor’s Direction

In one of the emails I got about my EMR Selection e-Book, someone suggested how important the direction of your EMR vendor is to the EMR selection process. Here’s my take on that subject.

The first issue is that you have to evaluate where your EMR vendor is at in the software development life cycle. Are they still innovating their product or are have they sold so much product that all they’re really doing is fighting fires? Personally, I think you want to find a vendor somewhere in the middle of those 2 extremes. You don’t want someone who is so new that they are missing really important features. However, you do want an EMR software vendor who wants and even needs your help to develop their product. This type of EMR vendor will listen to your support requests and even include many of the features you request into their product. In my experience, those large EMR companies are often so big that they ignore the little guy and mostly focus on the large accounts.

The second part of this issue is finding an EMR software that will grow with you as a clinic. When you first implement an EMR you’ll only be looking at implementing the basic features that are available. However, a few years down the road you’re going to be a much more sophisticated EMR user that will want to get access to your EMR data and to improve clinical processes. Will your EMR support your current “simplified” needs and will they be able to support your future “sophisticated” EMR needs?

Lots to think about when selecting an EMR. This is just one more facet to consider.