business 101

How to Choose EHR Software

John Lee and Katie Ulrich

Finding the right Electronic Health Records (EHR) software is essential to maximizing your practice’s potential. Unfortunately, too many practices regret their decision when it’s too late. To help you make the best decision right out of the gate, here’s a list of 10 tough questions to ask as you’re evaluating software, along with clues to each.

1 How well does the software vendor know optometry?

CLUE: Ask how long the company has been in business, who owns it, and whether its team will be able to assist you in utilizing the software to its fullest.

2 What kind of guarantees does the vendor provide?

CLUE: Look for a written money-back satisfaction guarantee with very few limitations.

3 How intuitive and easy to use is the software?

CLUE: A paid sales representative can make the software look easy; but if a rep will let you access and try it out yourself, he or she tends to be more confident that you will have a positive experience on your own.

4 What kind of support and training comes with the software?

CLUE: Look for a company that will assign you your own U.S.-based support agent. Even better, one with a support staff that also has experience working in a practice.

5 Does the company listen to client feedback in developing its software?

CLUE: Ask if it releases multiple updates and provides easy-to-access customer feedback forms online.

6 How well does the EHR fit your practice’s needs?

CLUE: Look for a vendor that lets you customize its EHR software to follow your practice’s exam workflow; better yet, one that will let each staff member in your practice customize it to follow his or her individual exam workflow.

7 How easy or difficult will it be to begin using software?

CLUE: Look for a company with a high user adoption rate for its EHR (80 percent or more).

8 Is the EHR software company stable?

CLUE: Select a vendor that regularly attends tradeshows, has a well-designed and frequently updated website, and a growing team in sales, support, and development.

9 How fast is the vendor growing?

CLUE: Look for one that adds at least 100 new clients annually. However, too many new clients in a short period of time can also spell trouble. You want to make sure it’ll still be able to take good care of each and every new client.

10 What differentiates the software supplier?

CLUE: The supplier should be able to easily point out three to five things that makes the software different. Then make sure those things line up with your practice’s needs. EB

The authors are with the Williams Group, based in Lincoln, NE.