Step 3: Select or Upgrade to a Certified EHR
Selecting an EHR system is a critical decision and a significant planning task. There are different opinions regarding when the selection of an EHR system should be made in the planning phase. Some practices go through the planning process and develop the selection criteria they wish to use. Other practices begin by selecting an EHR system and then conduct planning to support the selected EHR system. Most practices develop an initial plan to identify their key goals, select an EHR system that supports these goals, and then finalize their plan after the selection.
After establishing the practice’s objective(s) and planning how EHRs will affect workflows, the leadership team and staff can determine what to look for when considering and selecting an EHR system. The following are several considerations for EHR software comparison that the Regional Extension Centers (RECs) have found useful over the past several months:
- Understand if and how a vendor's product will accomplish the key goals of the practice. Essentially, a test drive of your specific needs with the vendor’s product. Provide the vendor with patient and office scenarios that they may use to customize their product demonstration
- Clarify start-up pricing before selecting an EHR system (hardware, software, maintenance and upgrade costs, option of phased payments, interfaces for labs and pharmacies, cost to connect to health information exchange (HIE), customized quality reports)
- Define implementation support (amount, schedule, information on trainer(s) such as their communication efficiency and experience with product and company)
- Clarify roles, responsibilities, and costs for data migration strategy if desired. Sometimes, being selective with which data or how much data to migrate can influence the ease of transition
- Server options (e.g., client server, application service provider (ASP), software as a service (SAS))
- Ability to integrate with other products (e.g., practice management software, billing systems, and public health interfaces)
- Privacy and security capabilities and back-up planning
- Linking payments and EHR incentive rewards to implementation milestones and performance goals
- Vendor's stability and/or market presence in region
- Cost to connect to HIE
- Consider costs of using legal counsel for contract review verses open sources through medical associations
National Learning Consortium Resources
The following resources are examples of tools that are used in the field today, and that are recommended by “boots-on-the-ground” professionals for use by others who have made the commitment to implement or upgrade to certified EHR systems.
Learn more about the National Learning Consortium
The material in these guides and tools was developed from the experiences of Regional Extension Center staff in the performance of technical support and EHR implementation assistance to primary care providers. The information contained in this guide is not intended to serve as legal advice nor should it substitute for legal counsel. The guide is not exhaustive, and readers are encouraged to seek additional detailed technical guidance to supplement the information contained herein.
Reference in this web site to any specific resources, tools, products, process, service, manufacturer, or company does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Name |
Description | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Contracting Guidelines and Checklist for EHR Vendor Selection |
Guidelines to structure and complete EHR implementation contracts with vendors. Includes guidelines for writing a contract, a checklist for vendor negotiations, and a template to establish goals for vendor selection. * Persons using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, contact ONC at onc.request@hhs.gov. |
[DOCX - 1.03 MB] |
| Demonstration Scenario, Evaluation, and Vendor Questions |
Toolkit to understand the vendor capabilities for EHR implementation through established scenarios, evaluation criteria and questions. * Persons using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, contact ONC at onc.request@hhs.gov. |
[DOCX - 1.06 MB] |
| Reference Checking For EHR Vendors Worksheet |
Worksheet to structure and facilitate conversations with references for vendor systems that are being considered for an EHR implementation. * Persons using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, contact ONC at onc.request@hhs.gov. |
[XLSX - 293.86 KB] |
| Request for Proposal (RFP) Template for HIT |
Template to help structure requests for vendors to send proposals on the specific health IT a practice is interested in acquiring. * Persons using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, contact ONC at onc.request@hhs.gov. |
[DOCX - 1.06 MB] |
| Vendor Evaluation Matrix Tool |
The Vendor Evaluation Matrix tool is a general evaluation that rates the basic functionalities of an EHR using a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). |
[XLSX - 457.67 KB] |
| Vendor Meaningful Use Compare Tool |
The Vendor Meaningful Use Compare tool is focused on the evaluation functionalities of Meaningful Use guidelines within the EHR using a rating scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). |
[XLSX - 231.07 KB] |
| Vendor Pricing Template |
The Vendor Pricing Template focuses on defining line item costs used in EHR software purchase, implementation, training and support for both vendor licensing models and vendor SAAS models so RECs/practices can produce a cost comparison between candidate vendors. |
[XLSX- 136.24 KB] |
