The price varies for every EMR system, depending on the vendor and the features you determine you need to run your practice. For smaller practices, the price is typically based on a monthly subscription fee and the number of providers using the system.

A system that is difficult to use can disrupt your workflow as your staff struggles to accomplish routine tasks. You can take advantage of free trials or live demos to better evaluate the intuitive nature of various systems. You don’t want to select a system that will take you away from your patients or add hours to your daily workload.

This is part of the process you don’t want to overlook. While finding the best EMR to fit your needs is important, you also want to understand how long it will take to implement the new system.

Physician and staff training is also important to make sure everyone in your practice is up to speed with the new software. Training you and your staff is a vital step in the process. The correct EMR should ease the training process to ensure your staff is trained and ready to go after implementation.

Be sure to have a clear understanding of whether your critical partners can successfully interface with the EMR system you choose. Find out what interfaces they employ and whether or not those are compatible with the surrounding facilities in your area. Some vendors are willing to create additional integrations as requested. Find out if this is available and if it would be included in your subscription costs.

One of the best ways to determine the customer service reputation of various EMR vendors is to ask their customers. Ask for references so you can get insight into how satisfied their customers are with the service and functionality of their system. Establishing a good working relationship with your EMR vendor is important to keeping your systems running smoothly.