January 16, 2012
As a doctor shopping around for an EHR software solution, there's a button on most sites telling you to schedule a demo. "Oh great," you might be thinking, "I have enough going on as it is, why is doing the demo that important?" According to Anthony Bates, Sales Coordinator for Bizmatics, Inc., going through the product demonstration is the most important step in purchasing an HER solution. How satisfied would you be with an EHR whose template doesn't fit your practice or takes too many clicks to efficiently move through an exam? The demo is the test drive of the full EHR solution. "It's like buying a car," advised Bates, "take it out on the road and see what it does."
After you've submitted a demo request, the vendor's sales coordinator will contact you to set up an appointment for your online demonstration. With doctors' time constraints in mind, demos are generally performed via GoToMeeting rather than meeting in person. Having information ready about yourself and your practice greatly helps your rep choose the best solution for you. Bates suggests telling your rep whether you already have an existing EHR implemented and if so, which vendor, or if you're still working with paper charts. It's also important to tell vendors if you are looking for an all-in-one solution and if being Meaningful Use compliant is important to you. For the wellbeing of your practice, important questions you should be asking your vendor is if they are if they are certified for Meaningful Use as well as ICD 10 and 5010. It's also a good idea to ask the vendor where the product is going in the next 6 months, according to Bates, and do ask for references.
Going through the demonstration process before deciding to purchase your EHR solution gives you a feel for whether or not you're going to be happy with both the software and the vendor. By choosing not to do a demo, you're missing the point of implementation. If the EHR doesn't do what you want and isn't Meaningful Use compliant (if you wanted one that was), what was the point in spending the money on it? "It's like a marriage: you have to work together – it's a long-term investment," said Bates, referring to the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. A doctor will most likely stay with the same vendor throughout the life-span of the reimbursement. "Who wouldn't stick to something that helps make them money?" he chuckled. Incentive payments continue for six years after attestation, so depending on how good of a fit the software is with your practice means six years of using a product you either love or hate – so choose wisely to pick the best EHR for your organization.