Evaluating EMR Solutions. A Guide for Physician Practices

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1 Evaluating EMR Solutions A Guide for Physician Practices

2 Evaluating EMR Solutions A Guide for Physician Practices In this guide: The changing landscape of the healthcare industry Key considerations when choosing an electronic medical record (EMR) solution Tear-out worksheet: Evaluating EMR solutions to fit your practice

3 The changing landscape of the healthcare industry Healthcare is one of the few remaining paper-based industries that can benefit significantly from adopting new technology. Small practices, just like larger ones, have much to gain since increases in efficiency can translate directly into improvements in quality of care. EMR systems that provide digitized patient information, clinical decision-making tools, and secure messaging foster more productive medical environments. They help staff collaborate, and they help decrease costs associated with paper records. Converting from a paper-based to an electronic system offers significant benefits, but with hundreds of EMR systems on the market, finding the right one can be challenging. This guide can help. 1

4 Key considerations for choosing an EMR solution When considering an EMR solution, evaluating a number of specific criteria will help ensure you choose the right system, get the right training, and return to full patient load successfully. These criteria include certifications, ease of use, cost/value comparison, training, and reliability. Certifications EMR certification programs help physicians and other providers ensure they are investing in secure and reputable healthcare IT solutions. Focus on EMR solutions that have been rigorously inspected by independent organizations to ensure your system is operable at a level that will work for your practice. EMR solutions that have passed CCHIT certification have met the highest standards for security, functionality, and interoperability. 1 Only systems that are ONC-ATCB certified allow qualified providers to collect Meaningful Use incentive funding. 2 If I were to give advice to a physician looking for an electronic medical records system, I would say focus on what you need for your office Find a system that has local support. Find a system that is easy not only for the physician to use, but for the staff to use. Jordan Pritikin, M.D., Chicago Nasal and Sinus Center Usability EMR systems that are easy to use mean less effort for your staff and less impact on your practice s day-to-day operations. Usability considerations include: Will the EMR system smoothly integrate into your practice s workflow? Will the new system slow you down? If it has an intuitive look and feel similar to the software you use every day, it will be much easier to adopt quickly. Can you make changes independently within the system, or will custom programming be required? Will the EMR system shift responsibility from ancillary staff to the doctors? Cost/Value Comparison Many providers may be encouraged to evaluate hospital-subsidized systems, but it s important to think about whether a hospital system addresses all the needs of your practice. Consider the long-term costs and overall value. Cost/value considerations include: Who will own your patient data the hospital or your practice? What is the total cost of owning the solution beyond the upfront cost (e.g., training, support, and staff overtime)? Training Adequate and effective EMR training will ensure your staff understands how to best use your new system. Training considerations include: What type of training will be provided for your practice? Poor training is one of the top reasons that EMR systems fail. A combination of on-site and virtual training will maximize the success of your implementation. Is your practice offered a fixed block of training time, or is it flexible based on your needs? Is training sufficient to quickly get your practice back to full patient load after implementation? 2

5 Support Every practice needs reliable, timely support should any technical issues arise. Support considerations include: Is technical support provided for software, hardware, or both? Does the EMR vendor provide local support, phone support, or both? If support is local, do they guarantee they will be onsite in a reasonable amount of time? If you are only offered telephone support, do you know where support personnel are located and what hours they are available to provide assistance? Reliability Does the EMR solution you are evaluating come from a company that is committed to the healthcare market for the long-term? Is it built on reliable technologies like the Microsoft Windows platform? Microsoft and its extensive partner network are committed to finding technology solutions that help improve the operations of healthcare organizations and the delivery of patient services. The Microsoft partner ecosystem develops, supplies, and supports a broad variety of healthcare application needs, including EMR systems, practice management systems, clinical applications like chronic condition management, and many others. An array of partner solutions and support organizations are readily available, and the size and strength of the Microsoft partner ecosystem offers a real value-add. Additional Measures for a Successful Transition In addition to the above buying criteria, practices can benefit from preparing their staff for the transition to a new system. Take the time to brief your staff on the upcoming change, and consider involving them in the purchasing process. Considerations for a smooth transition include: Is the staff engaged in the selection/implementation process? Participation increases adoption and excitement. Does everyone understand the goal(s) for the EMR solution? For implementation? Is the staff completely trained? Have they practiced multiple scenarios? Have the physicians at your practice dedicated time outside of patient hours to get to know the new system? Has your practice identified distractors and worked to limit their impact? Availability and uptime have the potential to impact clinical decisions and reduce quality of care if patient information is not readily available to providers via reliable systems. 3 IDC Health Insights,

6 Partner Spotlight: glostream and gloemr The nice thing about the implementation process is that they were onsite. We have 9 people in the office; we wanted everybody involved in this. We knew there was going to be resistance when you make change and [glostream] literally sat with each person individually at their desk and really walked them through every step of the process. glostream is a Microsoft Partner that provides doctors with certified electronic medical record solutions sold and supported through a nationwide community of local technology partners. glostream applications are secure and easy-to-use, and are integrated with Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel. With an intuitive and easy-to-use dashboard, gloemr offers electronic prescribing, secure messaging, integration with labs, a full document management system, and clinical decision-making tools. gloemr also provides Microsoft Word-based note templates that are easy to personalize, and voice recognition technology to speed up the clinical documentation process. And with Microsoft Reporting Services, you can create customizable reports for analysis into practice outcomes and analytics. glostream solutions are sold through a local technology partner who can be onsite and work with you in-person, should you need assistance. For more information, you can info@glostream.com, or call You can also visit glostream online at Julio Sosa, M.D., Julio M. Sosa, M.D., P.C. Sources: 1 CCHIT.org, 2 CCHIT.org, 3 IDC Health Insights, Industry Brief: Leverage Uptime and Availability to Improve Productivity with EMR/HER (2011), page 2, 4

7 Worksheet: Choosing an EMR solution to fit your practice Use this worksheet to evaluate any EMR solution and ensure you find a system that fulfills your needs. Name of EMR solution you are evaluating: Certifications Is it CCHIT certified? Is it ONC-ATCB certified? Usability Will the EMR system smoothly integrate into my practice s workflow? Will the EMR system slow me down? Can I make changes to the system independently, rather than depending on outside support for this? Will the EMR system shift responsibility from the ancillary staff to doctors? Can I continue to use my forms and letterhead? Cost/Value Comparison Will I own my patient data, or will someone else? Am I comfortable with the total cost of the system? Training Will my staff receive adequate training? Am I getting a combination of onsite and virtual training? Am I comfortable with the pricing structure? Is the training sufficient to get me back to full patient load quickly? Support Is it clear whether the technical support includes software, hardware, or both? Does the system come with local support, phone support, or both? If local, am I guaranteed that support personnel will be onsite in a reasonable amount of time? Do I know where offsite support personnel are located and when they are available to help me? Internal Readiness Has the staff engaged in the selection/ implementation process? Does everyone understand the goal(s) for the new EMR system? For implementation? Is the staff ready for this change? Has my practice identified distractors and worked to limit their effect? Reliability Is the system I m considering built on stable platforms that will be supported in the long-term, like Microsoft Windows and Windows Server? Who will provide my practice with technology support? Is a Microsoft partner available to support the implementation? Notes: Tear along here 5

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