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Change Your EHR Software

When Is It Time To Change Your EHR?

  • By Matt Hoenig

More than 80 percent of office-based physicians use some type of EHR technology, based on data provided by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The strategic combination of healthcare and technology is certainly not groundbreaking, but today the conversation has shifted from “do you have an EHR system?” to “does your EHR system work for your particular practice or healthcare organization?”

The reality is that the healthcare landscape seems to be changing constantly and your technology must be built to support said changes. The sheer volume of medical practices replacing their EHR systems has skyrocketed in the last decade. Why? Well, medical practices and healthcare organizations are recognizing that EHR migrations (when done with the right company) can be relatively quick and pain-free.

On top of that, the push to the cloud has been another major motivator given the fact that traditional client/server based systems are too limited and lack the modern day needs of a medical practice and their patients. So, it makes sense to switch to a new EHR when your current system stops suiting your needs.

Today, we break things down to highlight which red flags help to indicate when it’s time to make the switch. So, when is to time to change your EHR? Let’s dig in.

Evaluating the Decision to Change Your EHR

According to the ONC research, the highest percentage of medical practices adopting a new EHR are those with 11 or more physicians. This makes sense from a practical standpoint. The bigger the practice or healthcare organization, the more of a need for a robust, powerful EHR system. However, even solo practitioners are beginning to make the switch. While they couldn’t be more different from a size perspective, small practices are dealing with many of the same challenges in their current EHR system.

As a healthcare professional, it is important to begin the evaluation by breaking down the challenges into urgent versus non-urgent reasons to change your EHR. The following are urgent signs that it’s time to change your EHR…and fast:

  • You discover your EHR software vendor does not have certification for federally mandated programs such as meeting Stage 2 Meaningful Use Criteria
  • Your HER software vendor announces that it will stop updating the current system
  • A merger is occurring between yours and another practice, creating the need to combine multiple EHRs

While the above examples point to scenarios where a quick change to your EHR is crucial, some signs may be less noticeable. The issue here is that many medical practices and healthcare organizations only react to urgent needs. While seemingly non-urgent, some of the less obvious signs can grow to become major challenges when ignored over time.

The following are general non-urgent signs that it’s time to change your EHR:

  • Your EHR system is preventing you from providing quality patient care
  • The EHR system no longer aligns with your practice’s goals
  • The technical issues seem to pile up with no sign of resolution
  • The bills keep adding hidden fees that were not agreed upon when you purchased the program
  • The platform’s workflow lacks flexibility
  • The EHR system fails to provide the necessary customizations to meet your growing practice’s needs
  • Your current EHR vendor offers poor customer service
  • Your EHR vendor is not cloud-based and offers no mobile access
  • Your EHR system does not provide a secure portal or mobile app for your patients to easily access their medical information and schedule appointments

There are a wide range of reasons that justify the need to change your EHR. Before making such a big decision, it is important to not only establish a list of requirements, but to really learn about the new EHR system before locking your practice into a long-term deal. Request a demo and ask a lot of questions to ensure that your existing data will be transferred correctly and that training and support will be available to you and the team.

At MDH Insight, we are solely focused on taking the pain out of EHR data conversions. Our team is dedicated to accuracy, speed, and quality in each and every migration. Are you thinking it’s time to change your EHR? Get in touch with us today to learn more!

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