Choosing an EHR & Practice Management Vendor is About More Than the Software

Getting your money’s worth out of your EHR & Practice Management vendor is crucial to making sure your practice is provided with a solution that can keep all clinical, operational and financial processes running smoothly. However, finding the right vendor is about a lot more than just software. You need to take a close look at the kind of company you are choosing as well. Selecting a vendor is a commitment to a long-term relationship, and like in any relationship, choosing the wrong partner can mean frustration and trouble down the line.

It’s About Integrity & Reliability

A lot can be revealed about a company during times of crisis, and we all saw this firsthand with the outbreak of COVID-19. As lockdowns went into place, many practices felt abandoned by their healthcare IT providers as they encountered problems and their phone calls to their vendors’ support teams went unanswered. Providers and practices should be able to rely on their IT providers, no matter what.

This is why it is so important to consider more than just software when it comes to selecting a health IT vendor. When things go wrong, you need to know that you are working with a company that is going to continue supporting your practice when the chips are down. This means knowing what to look for beyond just the software.

What Else to Look For

When searching for an EHR and Practice Management vendor, it’s important to consider more than just what kind of software they offer. Use the following checklist to make sure you are choosing the right EHR and Practice Management provider:

• Industry Experience – Be sure to choose an established vendor with proven experience in the industry.
• Specialty Specific – You need a solution customized to your specialty, not a generic solution that will require your practice to adjust to its limitations.
• Cloud-Based – A cloud-based solution is scalable and cost-effective while simplifying data management and offering remote access from anywhere.
• Fully Integrated – With the power of a fully integrated EHR and Practice Management platform, your practice will experience the benefits of a synergistic and unified system.
• ONC Certified – Only a properly certified vendor can ensure your practice gets the most out of its MIPS attestation.
• Regulatory Ready – Your solution should come with features that simplify and streamline regulatory compliance, such as automated MIPS data capture.
• US-Based Customer Support Team – Avoid the frustration and delays caused by inattentive, outsourced customer support.
• Tested Data Security – Choose a vendor who is committed to data security and has completed a successful examination under independent audit.
• Professional Services Offered – In addition to software, your vendor should also offer services to improve your practice’s operational performance.
• High Customer Satisfaction & Retention Rates – Customer satisfaction with a healthcare IT company is often reflected by how many practices have chosen to keep the solution.
• End-to-End Solution – Your EHR and Practice Management solutions should offer a wealth of features that provide full coverage of all of your practice’s needs, such as ePrescribing, telehealth, analytics, revenue cycle management, simplified compliance and more.

To learn more about how Nextech can serve all the needs of your practice (not just with software) and help you create a long-term strategy for overall success, fill out this form and a member of our team will be in touch soon.