With the stimulus money on the table and the Stark provision allowing hospitals/labs to cover most the expense associated with purchasing and implementing an EHR solution, there are many physicians who are being pushed into programs that may or may not work best for their practice.

It is a great concept and cost saving measure for hospitals to cover the cost of a physicians EMR expense but is it really best for the physician.  This is only determined by performing a judicious examination of the deal that is put together by the hospital.

Here are some basic things to look closely at to determine whether or not you should go with the package solution offered by hospital.

Training & Support

Training and support during and after the implementation process are as important as the product itself.  Without the proper training, you will find yourself frustrated and disenchanted about the EMR program and what it has done to your office.  You may even find yourself trading it in for your old paper system which seemed to be much more productive.  Some hospitals will cover the cost of training with the vendor or others will have an internal implementation specialist help your office.  Either way is fine but you need to make sure you understand how much time your practice will receive.  You should also make sure it is clear how support will be handled after the initial implementation and who will pay for it.  Training on meaningful use is also a vital part of the implementation process and should be an integral part of any training.

IT Infrastructure & Bandwidth

Many physicians find that the hospital system does not have the same protection or service as the EMR vendor.  It is important to understand the systems and network in place at your hospital before getting married to it.

Here are some questions to ask:  How often is my data backed up?  Are there redundant systems in place if the server crashes?  How old is the server?  Do I have adequate bandwidth to perform daily activities?  Do I need to upgrade my hardware, if so, who will pay for it?  Who will cover hardware and software maintenance?

Clinical Templates

Many EMR/EHR programs come with preloaded clinical templates but most require customization to suit the individual physician.  It is important to discuss if the EMR vendor is going to assist the physician with creating these templates or if the physician is on his/her own.  This is a time consuming  process and many hospitals do not recognize it as such and thus do not help pay for it.  Ask the program administrator if there is assistance in this area and who it will come from.