Selecting an Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a complex process that should be a combination of a medical and business decision.  Every practitioner should carefully analyze the needs of their practice and may need some outside help to make this decision. 

 

Once a choice is made, a plan of implementation needs to be created.  If the decision does not work out, it takes time and resources to change direction.  Most practices suffer from “inertia” – the resistance of any physical object to any change in its motion.  In other words, the tendency to keep moving in a straight line at a constant velocity.  The highest ranked factors for selection should be ease of use, clinical utility, and financial considerations.  Pick a vendor that is willing to assist your team through the whole process including migration, workflow, and training of the new product.

 

Basic feature requirements:

 

1. Certified for meaningful use to offset costs-(includes easy reporting functions to avoid government "claw backs").

2. Walk up usability-(the ability to perform various functions with minimal training).

3. Intuitive navigation-(logical, consistent, and labeled).

4. Content designed specifically for the clinical area (specific charting for the Emergency department, urgent care, and/or family practice).

5. Integrated practice management - (scheduling, coding, and billing).

6. E-prescribing

7. Patient Health record (clinical data repository) that tracks Problem list, Allergies, Past Medical History, medication reconciliation, Family History, Social History.

8. Ease of training-(3-4 hours vs. longer than 12 hours).

9. The program does not need multiple "work-a-rounds".

10. The use of scribes and voice-activated technology are additive, not a necessity!

 

This is the tip of the iceberg.  Xpress Technologies products are designed with the end-user in mind as well as the success of your business in mind!