Key Questions to Ask Your Prospective EHR Vendor: Guest Post

Are you looking for a new electronic health records (EHR) system for your organization? Whether you’re starting from scratch or switching from an existing EHR system, there are important questions executives and mental health clinicians should ask themselves prior to making a final decision.

The First Step: Finding Your Fit

The first step to finding your ideal EHR software solution is narrowing your choices to a list of providers that have experience in your healthcare niche. There are a variety of companies that specialize in behavioral and mental health EHR, for example.

Discuss your organization’s unique EHR needs and challenges internally and present them to your prospective EHR partners. Do they currently and successfully serve clients with similar needs?

It’s also important to gauge the size of the support team your potential EHR partner will provide. If your organization is open on evenings and weekends, will you have access to a customer support help line at those times?

The Next Step: Selecting Your Product

Once you’ve narrowed your search to a handful of software companies, you should decide which features you require or anticipate needing in the future.

For example, do HCPs in your organization travel for appointments? If so, identify which EHR solutions have mobile functionality.

Another consideration is the layout of the platform – do you have a small administrative staff that would benefit from an integrated setup? Or would your staff prefer separate modules for functions such as appointment scheduling and referral management?

The Final Step: Installing Your Solution

Before signing on the dotted line with a new EHR provider, make sure you’ve agreed to a specific timeline for implementation. Ask about previous success stories with similar organizations to ensure your practice is fully equipped for the transfer.

For more questions to ask your prospective EHR vendor, consult the infographic below.

About the AuthorMegan Ptaszenski, Marketing Manager at Core Solutions. Core is a progressive leader in the EHR software industry, transforming the health and human services experience for behavioral health providers, consumers and state agencies.

For more EHR tips, check out this post by Maelissa Hall.

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