Healthcare organizations often struggle with selecting appropriate electronic health records (EHR). Your initial search may reveal more than 300 companies claiming to make EHR.
The availability of a vast number of EHR vendors can be very overwhelming and you would easily settle for those that you have heard about. You need a proper plan while selecting EHR unless you want to renounce your control to the vendors.
Establishing a systematic EHR selection process makes the process less daunting. An EHR efficient process allows the healthcare organization to alleviate problems that may arise from selecting an EHR that does not align with the organization’s strategy.
A partially flawed or failed EHR selection process can introduce several issues, including reduced quality of care, administrative inefficiency, poor user satisfaction, and reduced productivity. It also predisposes the organization to long-term and short-term financial losses.
This article will provide a basic guide to facilitate successful EHR selection and decision-making. An effective EHR selection process entails information gathering and incorporating feedback from all key stakeholders to create a list of the EHR features that would best serve the organization.
By observing a systematic and logical EHR selection process, you’ll make a superior decision regarding your EHR choice. The following segment provides all the essential steps that should be followed to select the most appropriate EHR for your organization.
Step 1: Identifying your key decision-makers
You will need a team of decision-makers to make an informed decision about EHR selection and purchase. Selecting a committee with well-defined roles in the EHR selection process would be appropriate.
A ‘physician champion’ committed to the process is recommended. The physician should be willing to learn more about the EHR selection process and promote the idea to the rest of the team members.
To ensure seamless buy-in, including the most influential personalities in the selection committee is key. The most influential people are not necessarily those with prominent titles but those who more people tend to listen to even without the presiding authority.
Step 2: Assessing your EHR needs and setting EHR goals
You should focus on the limitations or inefficiencies in the organization and how EHR implementation would help to counter them. Identify the high-priority needs and EHR features that align with those needs. You should set “SMART” EHR goals you intend to accomplish with the EHR implementation.
Step 3: Preparing a Request for Proposal
A Request for Proposal (RFP) introduces your organization to the prospective EHR vendors. You should include details about your resources and priorities regarding EHR functionality. Serious vendors will respond to your RFP and you can easily compare their products.
Step 4: Selection of the RFP recipients
With more than 300 EHR vendors, developing some criteria to determine your RFP recipients is prudent. Some factors to consider include the favorability of the EHR’s published ratings, the appropriate practice size, and the EHR having a history of interfacing with your practice management system (PMS). Send the RFP to vendors who meet this criteria.
Step 5: Reviewing responses and narrowing the field
While reviewing the vendors’ responses to your RFP should focus on picking the top contenders who align with your EHR needs and organizational strategy. Your top choices should demonstrate their system to the selection committee and compare the products made.
Step 6: Attending vendor demonstrations
During the vendor demonstrations, use a rating form to rate each vendor. Some key functions to look out for include the ability of the EHR to allow users to find information, write prescriptions, manage health maintenance reminders, view labs etc.
Step 7: Scrutinize the vendor’s list of references
A good reference list should include a senior management person, an information technology (IT) person, and physician users. Contact some of these references and ask them about the product.
Step 8: Comparing and ranking vendors
After reviewing the RFPs, attending demos, and conducting reference checks, you should use this information to compare and rank the vendors and narrow down to at least two or three for site visits.
Other key areas to consider when comparing vendors include their characteristics (service, training, and implementation support provision); total costs for support, software, and hardware, and the product functionality.
Step 9: Conducting site visits
You should plan visits to organizations with the same configuration and size as yours to establish how the systems perform. Bring along physicians to help establish how the product works with patients.
Ask key personnel such as IT and back-office personnel relevant questions and determine whether the product meets your predetermined expectations.
Step 10: Making the final decision
After the site visits, you should have adequate information to select your top two vendors. The runner-up should be as a back-up option in case negotiations with the top contender don’t go well.
Step 11: Discuss your decision with key stakeholders
At this point the focus is to sell the selection committee’s recommendations and vendor choice to the rest of the team. The vendor should be invited to give another demo to the entire organization and the team’s concerns and questions addressed before solidifying the organization’s commitment to the EHR.
Step 12: Contract Negotiation
An ideal EHR contract takes 10 years. In case of an unforeseen termination, the consequences should be explicitly stated. The role of the vendor, as well as current and future costs, should be spelled out. You should consider using an experienced software contracts lawyer to facilitate this step.
Overall, while the process is complex and the decisions are tougher, you wouldn’t want to select a EHR that would fail you. This guide will help you make informed decisions to select the appropriate EHR for your practice.
