Selecting an Electronic Medical Records System for Your Practice

Picking the Right EMR Software

Once you’ve made the decision to buy an Electronic Medical Records software, selecting one may seem like a daunting task. It’s not a decision that should be taken lightly, as selecting the right EMR system can streamline your business, help eliminate errors and improve office efficiency. On the other hand, if you pick a system that is too difficult to use, or doesn’t meet your needs, it can be a headache for yourself and your entire staff.

The first step in EMR implementation is to conduct an assessment of your current practice and its goals, needs, and technical readiness. With an accurate view of your level of preparedness, your practice can choose a system that meets the specific needs of your practice.

Define Your Medical Software Needs

Before evaluating vendors, you must evaluate your practice. Think about the size of your practice, how many people will be using the system, and what goals you hope to accomplish when switching to an EHR system.

• Coding – Are you capturing all codes for visits, and are the codes current? Outdated codes mean lost revenue and compliance risk. Look for an EMR system that offers coding assistance and annual updates.

• Medication management – According to the Institute of Medicine, medication errors are responsible for a majority of the avoidable errors in healthcare today. Look for a system that can check drug-to-drug interactions and drug allergies and that has the capability to check plan formularies and prescribing patterns.

• Quality improvement – EMR systems can help track health maintenance issues for chronic disease patients; for example, they can send out reminders to diabetic patients for follow-up care. Select a system that can monitor the health maintenance of chronic care patients.

• Patient satisfaction – Some EMR systems offer a patient portal with secure messaging and the ability to link to quality information online. This increases patient satisfaction and enhances compliance.

• Meets Meaningful Use standards – Choose a software system that is capable of supporting eligible providers with meeting the Stage 1 and Stage 2 Meaningful Use measures.

• Define implementation support – Make sure you choose a system that offers 100% USA based technical support. Ask questions about the type of training you will receive on your EMR system, what is the availability and determine whether they are effective communicators.

• Server options – Determine whether the system offers a traditional client server, and whether they offer cloud-based options.

• Vendor’s stability and/or market presence – It’s always a good idea to get recommendations from other doctors who are using the same EMR system. Choose a company that is stable, and has withstood the test of time.

American Medical Software has over 33 years of excellence in the medical software industry and a tradition of developing and providing the greatest value in medical office software available. In addition, AMS is 100% USA based, and priority support and web training is provided.

If you are looking for the best medical office software, please give us a call at 800-423-8836 or contact us today.

Sources:
https://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/ehr-implementation-steps/step-3-select-or-upgrade-certified-ehr

http://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=64036#.WMX4HxLytsM