After discussing in the previous post about EMR systems in general, I’d like to share with you the things that, in my opinion, are important to pay attention to when choosing an EMR system.
First, it is very important that we define which kind of actions we would like to perform using the system:
Are those actions solely medical filing or also administrating actions of collecting, charging, and so forth?
Then, it is important to make sure the system supports our working procedures. In every clinic, institute, or department, there are slightly different working procedures. Though many things are similar, each place prioritizes different things.
That being said, when implementing a technological system, sometimes these working procedures can be slightly modified and improved.
It is, of course, important that all the information we need about the patient is in an accessible, comfortable place, however not too complicated and adapted to the relevant treating professional. For example, the receptionist does not need to see all the information the nurse sees, and then the doctor needs completely different information.
The more relevant the information is to the treating professional, the simpler and more convenient the work procedure becomes.
Another important thing is to what extent the system supports new technologies, how open it is to connect to new technologies, and whether the system has a road map for new future developments.
Usually, when starting to work with information systems that support the heart of business activity, it is not a short-term system. It is therefore important to make sure we do not use an old system that is unable to adapt itself to the constantly developing terms and technology so that we do not find ourselves with a system that can no longer be supported.
When switching to the operational and technological aspects, it is important to notice who is the provider providing us with the service.
It is important to make sure that we have someone to talk to, someone who understands our needs and can provide us with good and sustainable solutions.
It is important to make sure that if there is a need to develop or add certain features, there is a person who is able to provide that work in reasonable quality and timeframe.
And of course, we make sure the price they are charging is a fair price. We of course don’t want to pay a high price but on the other hand, we need to remember that paying a low price might not enable our provider to provide us with good service and properly maintain our systems.
In addition, we want to have the option to disconnect from our provider in a way that will cause the least damage. We don’t want to be dependent and bound to one provider, since if we decide at one point to switch to a different provider, we wish for the transition to be as fluent and the least painful as possible.
Those were some points that should be considered when choosing a computerized electronic medical record system. In the next posts, we will elaborate on different aspects such as where we should install the system, important points about information security and privacy, and more.
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