One factor that I think that most clinics don’t consider enough when selecting an EMR is the size and focus of the EMR vendor. I’m not even going to sit here and advocate that you select a small, medium or large EMR vendor. Instead, my suggestion is that you find an EMR vendor whose size matches your clinic’s culture.
Let me explain. Some clinics have a nice sized budget and want the ability to customize an EMR like crazy. Many of the large EMR vendors provide customization beyond what you can imagine. The problem is that this often costs a lot of money. However, if you have the money and want it customized to your exacting specification, then maybe a large vendors right for you.
On the other hand, maybe your organization’s culture is such that you want to be able to help mold the product development and help the EMR vendor to be on the cutting edge of what you think’s important for you and your patients. In this case, it might make more sense for you to select a small EMR vendor who’s looking for clinics to essentially be partners in helping to drive the development of their EMR software. This can be a lot of fun to see happen as your suggestions and input are realized in future releases.
In other cases, maybe you just want to find an EMR that just flat out works. It doesn’t take too much time and money to customize to your needs, but has almost all the features that you’re likely to need. You are willing to make some reasonable workflow modifications and adapt as needed to make the EMR work effectively. A mid size EMR vendor is likely to be a good fit for this type of clinic.
The fact is that each clinic has a different culture and so does the EMR vendor. One major part of the EMR vendor’s culture relates to the organization’s size and the maturity of their EMR software. Matching up the size of the EMR Vendor with your organizational culture can be one of the smartest things you do when selecting an EMR.
Side Note: If you like this type of content, then you’ll like the EMR selection e-Book that I’m writing. In fact, maybe I’ll include some of the above content in the book. Hopefully I can finish it soon.
I absolutely agree with this article. As a small to medium size service provider I believe smaller is better. Not just because that is my category, but because you will work with someone that has a vested interest in keep you as a client. Also I think too many practices discount the disruption that the changes in work-flow make.
At Media Spiders we develop our web based (now on a flash drive as well) document retrieval system specifically around your work-flow, eliminating or at the very least minimizing the changes you your offices current procedures.
I am also an advocate of outsourcing the scanning. It allows you to do your job and minimizes your liability.