Dental EHR Vendor Selection

Transcription

1 Dental EHR Vendor Selection Considerations, Tools & Tips Danielle Goetter, Health System Quality Specialist NYC REACH NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene April

2 PCIP was founded in 2005 as a bureau of DOHMH Mission Improve the quality of care in medically underserved areas through health information technology (HIT) Successes Nearly 16,000 providers joined PCIP and the Regional Extension Center (NYC REACH), including nearly 9,000 primary care providers. Access to data for over 3,000 providers at over 700 practices. 2

3 Basic Benefits of switching from Paper Records to an EHR Encourage accuracy in documentation Increase practice efficiency Improve quality of care Improve care coordination for your patients Increase cost savings and practice profitability 3

4 The Selection Process Define your needs and EHR Criteria Narrow your choices Actively Shop Compare and Evaluate Choose! 4

5 Choosing the Right EHR Vendor Approx. 700 unique certified EHR systems Approx. 550 software vendors Each practice has individual needs NYC REACH has resources to help! 5

6 Determine Your Specific Practice Needs Analyze your current work flow Efficiencies/difficulties How can an EHR help you with practice management? Establish your EHR criteria Customer support from vendor Practice Management options Do they have templates that work for dentistry? Is this vendor popular in your specialty? For what reasons? Is this system compatible with your imaging systems? Initial appointment setting Patient check-in at front desk Dental Hygienist Visit Dental Consultation Patient check-out at front desk 6

7 The Selection Process Define your needs and EHR Criteria Narrow your choices Actively Shop Compare and Evaluate Choose! 7

8 Narrowing your choices Certifications Office of the National Coordinator Meaningful Use Dental compatibility Success with similar practices Ask your colleagues! Practice size Patient volume Location Language 8

9 Cost Considerations Implementation Costs Ongoing EHR Fees Feature-specific Fees IT Costs (hourly vs. fixed fee) Other Data migration Implementation support Training Purchasing hardware EHR license (per provider) & monthly fees Data hosting Maintenance and support Ad-hoc training Patient Portal Custom Reports Set-up of office network & devices Trouble-shooting & ongoing support Billing clearinghouse Interfaces (imaging, labs, devices, HIE) Lost revenue during implementation/training 9

10 Considerations for Dentists For specialists shopping for the right vendor, the following are some important factors to explore: Before implementing, make sure that the EHR you are considering has: Appropriate template options for your dental visits Imaging & testing functionalities, per practice needs Contact your professional society to locate resources they have for choosing the right vendor to fit your specialty type 10

11 Vendor Considerations Consider asking your vendor about: Did they receive a 2014 Certification for Meaningful Use? Is the EHR a separate module, or is it an integrated system? Security Risk Assessment what can they offer to keep you protected? Billing components are they ready for ICD-10? Interfaces - with your x-rays, imaging software or preferred labs? Are is system able to run special reports for Meaningful Use, ACOs, and other quality-related programs? Contract terminations and considerations: What if the vendor goes bankrupt, or discontinues your module? Can you get your data back? What if they ask you to make an upgrade in the future that is too costly? What are the costs associated with data migration if you leave this vendor? 11

12 The Selection Process Define your needs and EHR Criteria Narrow your choices Actively Shop Compare and Evaluate Choose! 12

13 Vendor Demonstrations Before your vendor demonstration, be sure that: All key members on your practice can be present. You should choose an EHR that fits the people who will be using it most! You are prepared to identify your practices needs Have a checklist explaining the features and specifications you are looking for Develop a typical clinical scenario ahead of time and have the vendor show you the process Requests that the vendor walk you and your staff through specific tasks (visit documentation, loading an x-ray, etc.) 13

14 ONC Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) certifies EHR systems for compliance with the Meaningful Use standards EHR vendors may have multiple products, or multiple versions of a single product When selecting an EHR vendor, providers can select from a wide range of prices, functions, customer support, hosting options, etc. There have now been two rounds of EHR Certifications You must have a 2014 Certified EHR 14

15 2014 Certified EHRs Specific to Dentistry DigiDMS Open Dental DentiMax EHR Dentrix Enterprise Dovetail MacPractice DDS Eaglesoft Clinician XLDent MU Umbie DentalCare Total Dental TeamLINKS Carestream Dental (Amazing Charts) QSI Dental (NextGen) MediaDent (Greenway) 15

16 The Selection Process Define your needs and EHR Criteria Narrow your choices Actively Shop Compare and Evaluate Choose! 16

17 Compare & Evaluate Company Integrity Cost & Benefit Look & Feel Features & Functions 17

18 Tools & Resources from NYC REACH: Vendor Comparison Worksheet NYC REACH offers a Vendor Comparison Worksheet to assist providers while they compare different vendors. Use the worksheet to keep track of EHR specifications and compare! 18

19 NYC REACH Member Resources Member Digests Tips on how to meet the measures Important changes and deadlines Upcoming classes and events Tailored for small and large practices Sent via , available in resource library Please contact us at if you are not receiving your Digest 19

20 Resource Library 20

21 Thank you! Questions? Interested in joining NYC REACH? NYC REACH New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene