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How to Compare EMR Vendors
April 13, 2010 By: Kevin Miller
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While procuring an EMR system, it is important to take a judicious decision by carefully comparing different EMR vendors. However, before establishing this comparison, it is important that you must define, document and review your existing workflow and the processes involved in your medical practice that you would like to automate with implementation of an EMR system.

Before meeting the different vendors and comparing them, you should visit at least one or two practices that are using the software you are considering. In order to compare the different EMR vendors, the following steps should be taken:
Knowing your Vendor is Important
It is important that you know your vendor well as investing in an EMR is a large investment in terms of money and time. Therefore evaluate the different vendors on the basis of the track records of their companies. Evaluate how many practices and physicians are using the company’s software. You should also evaluate a vendor and compare him with other vendors in terms of the training support that will be provided by the vendor for the next five to ten years. You should discuss with doctors who have already used this EMR software about their experience regarding the software and the services provided by the vendor.
Criteria to be Used to Evaluate Different EMR Vendors
The different EMR vendors should be evaluated on the basis of set criteria. These criteria should include cost physician license, existing clients using the particular EMR software, etc. The vendor should be preferred if he himself is the developer of the software when compared to the other vendors who are re-branding the software after procuring it from other vendors. It is also important to evaluate whether the system provided by the vendor is client/server based or ASP based. The templates that are pre-loaded along with the EMR software and inclusion of the practice management software are yet other important criteria. The vendors should also be compared on the basis of the HL7 compliance feature of the software systems offered by them. CCHIT certification and frequency of software updation should also be considered as important criteria while comparing the different vendors.
Always Perform a Cost-Benefit Analysis While Comparing EMR Vendors
It is important that you should conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis before you finally select an EMR vendor. This is important because a vendor may be offering a relatively more economical option but the EMR software offered by such a vendor may not be equipped with all the features. This evaluation step will also play an important role when you are in the negotiation stage with your vendor.
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