Opt for Support

All encompassing support is necessary to achieve the most from an electronic health records (EHR) system. This includes support both before and after a clinic implements their EHR system.

Clinicians should know beforehand what is all included in their vendor's support:

• Are there additional fees required for updates or other services?
• What are the vendor's technical support hours? Is there an additional fee associated with using this service?
• What is the satisfaction score for the vendor? Do they have any support references?
• What is their first contact resolution score?
• What is their support staff to client ratio? Will you recieve assistance in a reasonable amount of time?

These questions and others are important for a clinic to understand before they sign up with any vendor. Otherwise clinics can often be surprised with additional fees and costs beyond their initial estimated price. These additional fees can push clinics beyond their budgeted EHR cost leaving them unable to afford the services they need and struggling to survive with a less than satisfying system.

To ensure you've made a smart EHR support choice:

1. Be aware of your options.
2. Know what is included and what costs extra.
3. Understand all of the fine print.

To find more information on selecting EHR software, select another category of interest from the navigation pane on the left.