VisionWeb's I.O. View [SPONSORED]: Advice to Follow When Shopping for EHR Software

Everyone has an opinion when it comes to EHR software. Is it worth the investment? Should I bother with Meaningful Use? Should it integrate with my practice management system? Should I move to the cloud? With so many options available these days you really need to refine what your practice is looking for when it comes to EHR software.

We've searched the web to find some of our favorite resources and advice for how you can help narrow down your options and what to look out for.

Questions to Ask Your Vendor from the AAO
While is can be easy to like certain EHR software the moment you see it, you need to make sure that you're asking the right questions so that in the long run you're getting the best software for your practice. You'll want to ask questions about the company and the software itself so that you can get a good idea of what lies ahead. Some questions to ask might include finding out if the EHR is interoperable with a practice management system, terms for upgrades and new releases, and what type of technical support the vendor offers. But that's only a few, check out all of the AAO's recommended questions.

Demo Do's and Don'ts from Healthcare IT News
Once you narrow down your options a little bit and you're ready to see some demos, there are a few things to remember during the demo phase of purchasing new software. Here's a quick recap of demo do's and don'ts from Healthcare IT News. Before demo do's and don'ts are lists of requirements and shortlists too!

Demo Do's

• Stick to 3-5 demos. That way you don't have too many to remember or too few to compare.
• Have a script. Make sure you know ahead of time what you want the vendor to cover in the demo.
• Have a standardized scorecard for comparing vendors.
• Insist on having an individual vs. a group demo.

Demo Don'ts

• Get distracted with flashy features! Vendors are going to show off the latest and greatest features of their product.
• Forget to take good notes. It will make the comparing process much easier and help you come up with the best choice for your practice.

Deciding Between Cloud and Client Servers from the Review of Ophthalmology
When it comes to practice management and EHR software for your practice, you can choose between having your data hosted on an in-house client-server, or in the cloud. Every practice is going to feel differently about whether or not they want to take their data to the cloud, but it's important to know the facts before making that decision. What's right for one practice isn't right for all practices. Review of Ophthalmology put together an article about what you should be comparing when deciding between client-server and cloud-based software. A few key points they discuss are costs, security, and the pros and cons of each.

Features to Look for from MedCity News
When shopping around for different software systems for your practice you need to make sure that you know what you're looking for before you dive in. Figure out where your practice is the most inefficient and what features you need from EHR software to help improve your processes. Some important features MedCity News mentions are system integrations, Meaningful Use certification, free updates, ease of use, eLearning, mobility, data privacy, and much more. It's definitely a good place to start if you aren't sure what you're looking for when it comes to a new system for your practice.

Whether you are heading out to another trade show or just window shopping for a system online, make sure you use this list to ask all the right questions and gather the necessary information from your EHR vendor before making your big purchase!

This piece was contributed by the Uprise blog. Uprise is a cloud-based practice management and EHR solution by VisionWeb. View the original post here: The Best Advice from the Web When Shopping for EHR Software.