For those who have not yet chose an EHR system, negotiating a strong EHR contract is paramount.
There is usually no turning back after enlisting an EHR vendor.
A good start for negotiating an EHR system contract involves assessing clinic- or hospital-specific needs. This is best done internally but hiring an initial EHR consultant may be beneficial when time is of the essence, as is so often the case with many health care providers' hectic schedules. An EHR consultant can help assess the providers' needs by talking with staff, key administrative leaders and decision makers within the organization as to exactly what they want their EHR system to accomplish besides the obvious importance of adhering to recent electronic health records technology laws or lessening medical errors.
If your agency does not use an EHR consultant, there are other helpful resources, such as the EHR Assessment and Readiness Starter Assessment, made available by MassPro, an organization dedicated to advancing healthcare quality. The survey will rate EHR preparedness based on test answers and suggest useful tools enabling organizations to move quickly in the direction of EHR readiness.
To read more strategies about how to negotiate a strong EHR contract, please read the full article by Kaye Eisele.