Electronic Medical Record System Installation Tips

If there ever was a perfect time for clinicians to adopt an electronic medical record system, that time is now. The recent Federal Stimulus program has made this the scenario, as the US Federal Government has offered to pay bonus Medicare and Medicaid incentives to doctors who adopt an EMR software system and can prove "meaningful use". The incentives for current adopters have the potential to be as large as $44,000 to $64,000, more than enough to pay for a top-notch electronic medical record system. The plan is to find efficiencies in Healthcare, and what better way to do it than with free dollars?

The stimulus package is a win-win for both doctors and the Healthcare industry. Doctors get the ability to get new practice efficiencies, as does the industry itself. But taking on an electronic medical record system is more than just an "plug and play" process. In order to provide its best potential, an EMR adoption plan must be made, and it must be very thorough and exact.

What many EMR software vendors will not tell you is that the key to any well done electronic medical records system is a well-hatched plan. Many vendors look to "run and gun" when it comes to new customers, selling them a system right off the hop, installing and then making an escape. A trustworthy developer, however, is one that plans the initial adoption, training and later support to ensure that the software provides the best possible results.

A comprehensive plan must include the following to enable a small practice to succeed:

Rebuilding Workflow - Electronic medical record systems are so much more than small-time software applications - they are, in effect, a different way of doing business. The way staff checks in, arranges and works with patients and their patient records will change markedly. Paper is no longer a problem for the paperless office, and getting used to this is not a easy concept for many office managers. Creating a streamlined workflow process that works for everyone is a keystone of any high quality provider.

Complete Training - You could have the best developed EMR system in the world, with the simplest interface ever - and without training, it would not work out. Training ensures the entire staff, including and especially the practitioners, have a great level of knowledge and experience with the system before it is fully adopted at the practice. Good training means that the software will be adopted more effectively and faster, with the best possible feelings toward the system. Low quality training means high-stress, learn-as-you-go development that typically leads to anger and problems. Aside from quality, there is training location to think about. Will it be remote, or in the practice? There are different costs and benefits to each.

Create Your Own Mentor - Ensuring that you have a "product expert" on staff during the initial installation and training process is a key to fast, successful adoption. This expert should be a part of your staff that will be given the task of understanding the most about the EMR system, and then using this knowledge to assist other staff who may either have difficulties with computers generally, or specifically with the system. Picking the right "expert" from your current staff may not be possible, but if it is, this "mentor" can provide you with thousands of dollars in saved support expenses down the line.

Realizing that EMR software is a comprehensive product with many advantages is important for any practice looking to adopt a new system. Forethought is key, and with it, your electronic medical record system is more than just a software - it becomes an efficiency-generating machine.

Carly Wilkinson is a trainer at http://www.medical-software.org specializing in clients with little or no EMR software experience. Discover more about planning for medical software adoption here.