Next week, nearly every electronic health record vendor will be showcasing their technology at the biggest conference for health information technology and management systems (HIMSS). But will potential customers know the right questions to ask?

Research suggests that few adopters understand what EHR/EMR implementation actually involves. In its latest study, CompTIA, a trade association representing the IT industry, found that 56 percent of health care providers, consisting mostly of medical practices with two to nine doctors and hospitals/health centers, felt unprepared for the transition from paper records to EHRs. Additionally, four in ten indicated that EHR implementation was more difficult than anticipated.

The lesson? Facilities should have an evaluation process on hand.
"Depending on the practice and their experience with buying technology, it is often worthwhile to take a look at planning resources developed by others to get an idea of what to include in the evaluation process. With a bit of searching there are freely available EHR buying guides, buying tips, etc. that can help point a small practice in the right direction," Tim Herbert, vice president of research for CompTIA, told DOTmed News in an e-mail.

Questions such as these can help a health care provider get a feel for whether or not an EHR vendor may be a good partner over time, according to Herbert:

• What is the user-base of the EHR and is it designed for a certain type of user?


• Is the EHR system cloud-based or on-premise?


• How have the feature-sets of the EHR changed over the past few years and what changes are anticipated over the next few years?


• What is the process for evaluating new feature requests? To what degree is the EHR vendor engaging in usability testing before rolling out new features? Does the EHR vendor have a customer advisory board?


• What is the method and frequency of software updates? How does the EHR vendor minimize disruptions when software updates are required?


• Where are the EHR software developers located? Are they all full-time employees?


• What is the EHR vendor's philosophy on open vs. proprietary standards?


• How does the EHR function in a mobile environment? Does it use native mobile technologies, or is it more a replication of the desktop experience on a mobile device?


• How is customer support handled? Are all the customer support staff full-time employees?


• What types of certifications and credentials are held by the EHR vendor's staff?


• To what degree does the EHR system support migration to other systems to avoid vendor lock-in?

Although questions about EHR technology are fundamental, especially since most of the study's respondents indicated wanting a simpler EHR and one that was more compatible with other systems, questions about cost should also be considered, especially for small and mid-sized providers who may have more financial pressures to deal with. The study found that the next wave of adoption will occur in small and mid-sized practices.

"Cost is also mentioned as an area of at least partial dissatisfaction. Even with government subsidies for certain segments of EMR/EHR adopters, the up-front investment along with ongoing operational costs can be substantial," said Herbert.

While the research indicated that adopters are having difficulty implementing an EHR, it did point to a more positive attitude toward EHR/EMR compared with last year's CompTIA study.

"The CompTIA research indicates health care providers are now more positive and generally more receptive to the EHR transition. Many recognize there will undoubtedly be some challenges, but the market is moving in that direction and they need to embrace it," said Herbert.

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