Is your current Electronic Health Record (EHR) software being phased out by your vendor? Due to mergers and acquisitions (not to mention advanced technology) within the EHR system market, many vendors either inherit or develop newer modern systems resulting in multiple EHR product offerings. When this happens, it is common for these vendors to sunset the lesser of their EHR products as they are no longer able to support antiquated software.
For health agencies with a specific focus, such as public health departments, Community Health Centers, behavioral health agencies, CCBHC's, and others, finding out that your EHR vendor is discontinuing its EHR can be a blessing in disguise.
Typically, when a vendor phases out an old system their plan is to convert all the current users to their new system, hoping the transition will be a natural move. This conversion, however, is not required and creates a perfect opportunity to do research on other EHR options for your practice. For public health departments and behavioral health organizations, this can be a pivotal time to improve your workflow and processes.
When selecting the best EHR vendor for your health agency’s needs, be sure you are prepared:
- Ask the right questions during demos so that you can optimize your EHR to your needs.
- Make sure any vendors you are considering will help you with data migration so you do not have to figure that out alone.
- Evaluate your vendors’ training and implementation processes.
- Find out what programs are available to help with the cost and processes of adoption.
If you have enough advanced knowledge of the upcoming changes happening with your current EHR vendor, you can make some educated decisions about the next steps. You should treat the new system from your vendor like every other vendor in the RFP process. When selecting a new EHR vendor make sure to ask the right questions during the demos to make sure you can compare each system what you actually need. Make sure any vendors you view can help you migrate to the new system so you won’t be struggling to figure it out on your own. Find out what sort of programs the vendor offers to help with the cost and processes of adoption, and make sure the vendor has a solid training and implementation process. Exemplary customer service and support can make a world of difference when deciding on an EHR system and for a successful EHR implementation.
Whether your current EHR system is being discontinued/replaced, is no longer a good fit after a merger, or you simply outgrew the capabilities of the systems, take the time to do the due diligence and adopt the best EHR for your healthcare organization. If your current vendor doesn’t fit your needs or have a solid plan for helping you move to a new system, find an EHR that does. You have options, so take the time to make the best decision for your health department or health center.
