Many overlook this when it comes to an EHR

After 11 years of being in the medical software industry, I’ve seen many trends and spoken with hundreds of physicians in a variety of medical specialties.  Most of them have common goals of digitizing patient information with progressive technology which can result in streamlining daily operations, getting rid of paper, enhancing the range of charting abilities, as well as decreasing overhead expenses to name a few.  When a practice makes that decision to enter the world of Electronic Health Records (EHR) software, the learning curve journey begins.
My mother used to tell me to “embrace change, be an advocate of something new”–well to this day, I can still be challenged by the change all around me.  This draws me to a uncanny parallel of medical offices implementing Electronic Health Records.  Change 101 begins and those physicians, staff, and billers who spend the time learning the software program, envisioning automated work flows, and possess sheer determination, ultimately enjoy success.  How do they do it?
One of the most important items I believe is continuously overlooked during the research and evaluation process is the actual EHR vendor.  Does this company have similar goals to what your practice needs may be?  Is the vendor’s staff well equipped to lead your medical team toward victory with a successful product launch?  Do they have a roadmap as to how you’ll get from point A to point B?  Will they accommodate a varied implementation schedule since medical offices differ from each other or do you have to succumb to a cookie cutter approach?  And lastly, does this vendor employ passionate employees who really listen and understand the sense of urgency when an end user cannot log-in or claims aren’t being paid?
Just a little over 10 years with this company and working my way up through the ranks, I can confidently say a MediPro YES to all of the questions listed above.  It should be your mission to align your business/medical office with a vendor who exhibits these traits.
I’d like to leave you with this parting thought when it comes to EHR software:
I just spoke with a busy Ophthalmology practice today and they are still conducting 250 paper chart pulls a week.  Just imagine the time saved by being able to electronically access a patient chart with a few clicks.  Now that is what I call “change.”