Transcript Document

Electronic Medical Records
Some Things to Think About
Bill Atkins, Exec. Vice President
Health Management Consultants, LLC.
Columbia, Maryland
410-715-0011
www.hmconsult.com
A Few Critical Questions
Practice readiness
– Is your practice ready to change?
The most critical factor in successful EMR
implementation is the people
– What are your staff’s technology skills?
– What are the impacts on your work flow?
– What is the resistance to change?
– What are the expectations of your patients?
Requirements Analysis
What are your objectives?
– Critical for comparative analysis of EMR
products and vendors
– System features and functionality
• Medication management and RX writing
• Document management (imaging)
• Customization and adaptability
• E&M coding support, CPT and ICD-9 (ROI)
• Support for the DOQ-IT initiative
• Medical equipment interfaces
Requirements Analysis
• Template building
– Can you create and edit templates or must
this be done by the vendor? ($$)
• Messaging and routing of information
• Remote access capability
• Federal regulations and national standards
– Will the software become out of date or
does the vendor have a compliance
strategy? What is the vendor’s level of
participation in standards organizations?
Requirements Analysis
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Ease of use / intuitive design
Work flow management
Preventive medicine
Interface for your PMS
Link with labs (Quest, LabCorp, etc.)
Product update policy
Software support and training
Your EMR will be Mission Critical
Available 24/365 unlike PMS
– Imagine a life threatening situation without
access to your clinical information.
– Imagine your waiting room full of “impatients”,
your server is down and technical support is 2
hours away.
Your EMR will be Mission Critical
• Mission Critical Requires
– Business quality hardware - RAID-5 server(s),
etc.
– Guaranteed and frequent backups and offsite
storage
– Uninterruptible power supply
What to Look for in an EMR Vendor
What are the resources and support practices of the
vendor?
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Do you get an answering machine or a real person?
What is their availability? (Hours of Support)
Do they provide onsite training and support?
Do they provide project management to ensure success?
Is it an established company?
For More Information
or a Free Consultation
John Stoever, Sales Manager
Health Management Consultants, LLC.
Columbia, Maryland
410-715-0011
www.hmconsult.com