EMR systems are a blessing for medical practitioners. By maintaining electronic records of patient information, medics can access integrated information from any location, and search data easily. EMR system has its advantages. It ensures records are accurate by minimizing errors due to illegible handwriting, and streamline insurance and billing processes.

There are many EMR software packages available in the market, designed for specific kinds of practices and practice sizes. You must first standardize the needs of your practice for effective comparison. Then, research and compare EMR software systems and vendor services to make an informed decision.
 
Two basic types of EMR systems

Electronic Medical Records systems can be broadly categorized into client server and web based systems. Client server systems are used in practices that only need the services in-house. They come with features that are more comprehensive, are more stable and easier to maintain and customize. You do need to take regular backups and port them to offsite computers, but you also have complete control on the EMR system. Staff having computer expertise more easily handle client server systems.

Web based Electronic Medical Records systems and the database are hosted on the vendor's site. Users can access the application from anywhere. Installation, maintenance, backup, security implementation through firewalls and SSL protocol, network protection, uninterrupted power supply, are some benefits of this setup. Medical practitioners pay a small setup fee and ongoing monthly fees to online providers. The pain point with these systems is an internet connection outage.

What are the basic features of EMR software?

EMR systems have a number of features depending on their complexity. Features and functions of most EMR systems include:

• creation, updation and easy management of patient records
• search facilities
• display of complete patient charts
• compliance with HIPAA regulations
• provision to share data with medical practice management (MPM) software (HL7 protocol)
• handling prescriptions and passing them to pharmacists
• reporting functions to access complete patient information – medical history, diagnosis, treatment, cost of treatment, visits, etc.
• intuitive data entry
• popup tools, contextual help for user's assistance

How to evaluate EMR software?

EMR software is marketed as "easy to use", "multifunctional" and other adjectives to appeal to customers. However, you should take the following steps to evaluate the suitability of the software for your practice needs:

• Visit practices similar to your size and type to see which EMR system they are using. Ask questions to get an honest opinion of the system's good and bad points.
• Have your team use sample EMR software to test common office operations. Vendors may provide test accounts for you to verify the software' features and functions. Do this for many EMR systems to get realistic comparison results.
• Ask the vendor how the EMR system achieves HIPAA compliance.
• Does the software accept all the procedures and diagnosis codes relevant to your practice?
• How many concurrent users can the system serve – doctors, billing and insurance personnel across offices?
• What are the types of patient charting styles offered?
• Can medical records be managed and viewed in more than one way?
• Does the system also record information of x-rays, doctor notes, lab reports, etc.?
• What are the data entry methods supported – handwriting recognition, speech recognition, touch screen, keyboard and mouse entry?
• How user friendly is the software interface?
• Does the system accommodate switching between multiple functions without affecting data integrity?

How to evaluate vendor services?

With an EMR system purchase, a medical practice can also avail the software vendor's services. Ask vendors these questions:

• What level of support will they provide after installing the EMR system?
• How long will it take to set up trainings on software usage?
• Do they provide web based trainings?
• Will separate trainings be provided for doctors and other staff?
• Do they have a large installed base? This ensures software will be updated and improved periodically.
• Will they assist in porting data from paper records or a client based system to the web based EMR system?
• How will they handle contingencies and system failures?
• Do they have live support and support personnel available 24x7?
• Do they guarantee response times for support calls?
• Will they provide and install hardware such as laptops, desktop PCs, tablet PCs and PDAs?
• Will they help port data to a new system if you have to stop using their software?

How is EMR system data populated?

EMR system vendors help practices move from paper records to an electronic records system. Paper records can be scanned and uploaded into the database. Document conversion companies help by doing a bulk conversion of the records via high speed scanners.

Data from client server systems can be easily ported and used with web based EMR systems.

What do EMR systems cost?

EMR system costs vary across vendors. The pricing of web based EMR systems is influenced by the concurrent users and total number of practitioners. Vendors offer leases and credit periods for easier payments. Customizing web based systems is costly and complex. It is better to purchase a system that already includes the needed features and functions. Standard pricing of EMR systems may include:

• a per user charge that ranges from $1000 to $15000
• cost of hardware
• cost of installing software on multiple computers
• setup fees of around $1000
• fixed monthly fees starting from $50
• monthly minimum fee
• per usage fees, that adds up to a reasonable monthly total
• software upgrade costs
• cost of additional services such as support, training, data transfer and exit fees

Client server EMR systems need an upfront payment to purchase software, hardware and set up of the system.

Acquiring an EMR system is a major purchase decision. Conduct a thorough study of EMR systems and vendor services, and compare prices to get the best deal.