HIM-615 Electronic Health Record Software Solutions

Executing an electronic health record (EHR) system is a challenging task that requires effective planning to reduce errors. Evaluation of the selection process and implementation plan for the EHRs system, intended interoperability, and regulatory compliance are essential (Walkup, 2018). These components are essential for an organization to upgrade or replace its existing electronic health record system (Wager et al., 2021). The purpose of this essay is to provide a request for proposal to a strategic leadership team that is contemplating upgrading or replacing its electronic health record (EHRs) system.

Vital Criteria for Request of Proposal (RFP)

The need to enhance the electronic health records system (EHRs) implores strategic leadership teams to upgrade or replace their existing models. Upgrading an EHRs system may involve wireless hardware solutions and mobile device options. Further, the adoption of mobile functionality through mobile EHR interfaces improves the adoption of EHR by providers (CNY Care Collaborative, n.d). Additionally, it improves communication among providers and healthcare facility staff. A core aspect of attaining all these benefits is having important criteria for the RFP process and vendor demonstration to make final choices and recommendations.

The core of the request for proposal (RFP) is the evaluation criteria that will culminate in selecting the most appropriate vendors. The selection criteria include having a track record of successful implementation and satisfied clients, meeting physician needs and demands, and seamless flow of the patient information across functions, units, and care practices. These will be evaluated through vendor demonstrations, workshops, and references from past clients. The other aspects would include technical base, support and upgrade processes, investment requirements, logistical and straightforward execution, training of staff, and data conversion models.

Based on the evaluation criteria, top vendors who can build EHRs systems with mobile interfaces and functionalities include Dr. Chrono’s EHR, the Kareo Clinical EHR, and Allegiance MD. Others are Compulink Health Solutions and PrognoCIS. These vendors have different capabilities, and any selection would depend on certain criteria. Firstly, DRChron’s EHR is a top vendor whose software is compatible with mobile devices. The platform would be a top priority since it allows providers to manage patient care, intake, and billing and an interactive patient portal for effective communication.

The second one would be Kareo Clinical EHR, a web-based EHR that enables users to practice management and has a medical billing interface (Software Advice, 2021). The platform is appropriate for selection since it assists providers in scheduling patients, confirming insurance details, managing delinquent accounts, and helps in the collection process. It allows providers to customize patient reports.

The third vendor is AllegianceMD, a cloud-based medical solution that caters to small and medium-sized medical practices and facilities. The platform’s selection will be driven by its distinct e-prescribing, management of claims, and effective reporting system.

The fourth vendor is Compulink Health Solutions, an integrated hybrid medical solution that helps manage the revenue cycle, management of the inventory, and practice management. One can select this solution since it can be used both on-premises or hosted in the cloud (Software Advice, 2021). The platform is also essential in managing patient care and revenues of practice, particularly profits. The fifth platform is PrognoCIS EHR and Telemedicine. The platform is important in managing a practice, offers telemedicine services, and assists in medical billing. The selection of this platform would be based on its cloud-based solutions with government standards and compliance. The system also helps provide telemedicine services for patients’ benefits.

The most effective criteria in selecting any of these vendors and systems in the ensuing request for proposal (RFP) would be defined before standards offered and guidelines, the established viability for effective evaluation of the EHR systems for mobile services. Further, consistency in in-built flexibility would also be essential in the selection process. Again, the system must demonstrate its effectiveness in adapting changes based on enhancing compliance.

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Selection Process Requirements

The selection process is an important area that would require the establishment of a team and task advocates who will represent user groups and process experts to determine the implementation as required and meet set criteria. Secondly, I would collect precise and critical practice requirements by giving the team tasks to recognize features that an EHRs mobile software should offer (Parasrampuria & Henry, 2019). Thirdly, I would outline the required budget to deliver the project to the team, whether they will upgrade or replace the existing system. I would consider the scope of the project and practice scale, which will significantly inform the cost of the EHRs system. Additionally, I would deploy demonstrations to show the efficacy of the respective systems (CNY Care Collaborative, n.d). The vendors should submit RFP documents for the presentation of the system to attain explicit answers on the requirement list. The system’s installation would allow for precise analysis of their effectiveness and determination of the most efficient (Walkup, 2018). Testing the software will offer results on the most appropriate software to procure.

Ratings by Third Party Organizations

KLAS is a rating platform that recognizes the need for healthcare providers and professionals to deliver better patient care by leveraging existing technologies. The KLAS factors inpatient clinical care, ambulatory and post-acute care, the need for the financial management of a system, the value-based care and consultancy provided, and the imaging models offered (Jason, 2020; Wager et al., 2021). For instance, the rating body recognized Athenhealth 2020 as the best healthcare provision based on IT (Jason, 2020). The platform offers cloud-based services, patient care management, medical billing, and other benefits for providers and patients.

Feedback from Sites and User Interviews

Athenahealth has better ratings from many sites visited and reviews of its functionality and integration with different interfaces. The feedback from users shows that the software is easy to learn and deploy with an excellent billing and rules-based model. The software helps lower errors to less than 1% in healthcare organizations (Uzialko, 2021). Further, the software’s interface is easy and pleasurable to navigate for both providers and patients (Parasrampuria & Henry, 2019). However, other reviews show that the system can be slow during workdays. The vendor always fixes the issue when informed about the affected organization.

Pricing Models and Contracts

The cost of its deployment is dependent on the number of users, with the price starting at about $ 140 for every user. The software’s medical billing is between $150 and $250 based on the size of the healthcare facility. Patient portals require about $10.00 to $149 each month (Uzialko, 2021). Using its chiropractic software requires an organization to have pay between $49 and $999 per month. The software uses the subscription or software-as-a-service model (EHRGuide, n.d). Users access the software online and make payments on either a per-user basis or the subscription model

based on the pricing strategy.

Athenahealth works using contract models like the Transaction Bonus Agreement between the organization and the user. The agreement stipulates that users are eligible for earning a transaction bonus in aggregate amount based on the terms and conditions of the contract (Uzialko, 2021). The company also has a Retention Bonus Agreement with users as a mutual acknowledgment of the organization’s employment relationships and the user remaining at will.

Conclusion

Request for Proposal (RFP) is a detailed process that allows organizations in healthcare to get the most appropriate IT solutions for their issues in electronic health records systems, either in upgrading or replacement. The RFP process requires evaluating different vendors and their suitability before deciding to pick one. The essay demonstrates the need for providers to understand this process well.

References

Aguirre, R. R., Suarez, O., Fuentes, M., & Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A. (2019). Electronic health

record implementation: a review of resources and tools. Cureus, 11(9). DOI: 10.7759/cureus.5649

CNY Care Collaborative (n.d.). Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Request for Proposal (RFP).

https://cnycares.org/media/1761/emr-rfp-sample.pdf

EHRGuide (n.d). Athenahealth Reviews. https://ehrguide.org/ehr-reviews/athenahealth-reviews/

Jason, C. (2020 February 03). Epic, MEDITECH, Athenahealth Sweep in 2020 Best in KLAS

EHR Awards. https://ehrintelligence.com/news/epic-meditech-athenahealth-sweep-in-

2020-best-in-klas-ehr-awards

Parasrampuria, S., & Henry, J. (2019). Hospitals’ Use of Electronic Health Records Data, 2015-

ONC Data Brief, 46, 1-13. https://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/page/2019-

04/AHAEHRUseDataBrief.pdf

Software Advice (2021). Mobile EHR Software.

https://www.softwareadvice.com/medical/mobile-ehr-comparison/

Uzialko, A. (2021 Dec 17). Athenahealth Review.

https://www.business.com/reviews/athenahealth/

Walkup, K. L. (2018). Connect with your patients, not the screen: usability claims in electronic

health records. Communication Design Quarterly Review, 6(2), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1145/3282665.3282669

Wager, K. A., Lee, F. W., & Glaser, J. P. (2021). Health care information systems: a practical

approach for health care management. John Wiley & Sons.

An electronic health record (EHR) is an electronic system containing different clinical information about patients, including their medical history, treatment processes, and the diseases or complications that they have suffered from. Electronic health records ought to be maintained by the healthcare providers to ensure seamless administration of healthcare processes. Today, most organizations apply different EHR systems to manage healthcare information and to ensure accuracy in the treatment processes (Bajwa et al., 2020). The EHR system often automates access to medical information. The system also has the potential of streamlining healthcare workflows in ensuring efficiency in medical processes. The EHR system also can support other care-related issues indirectly or directly through different interfaces, including quality management, evidence-based decision-making processes, and outcome reporting. Therefore, electronic health record system has sensitive functions. As such, before engaging in purchases or development, there is always the need to consider increased communication between providers and healthcare facility staff and review several vendors and their products.

There exist several vendors of the EHR system that can be considered by healthcare facilities. Some of the EHR vendors include Epic, Cerner, and Allscripts; while some vendors target ambulatory services, others specialize in hospitals and general care services. The choice of vendor often depends on the cost of the products, efficiency, as well as the level of security and support that can be provided after the implementation of the system (MacKenna et al., 2020). One of the main issues considered by most healthcare institutions before implementing the EHR system is the level of security. In other words, most organizations prefer secure and efficient systems that can allow them to enhance operational efficiency.

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Vital Criteria Required In Ensuing RFP and Vendor Demos

Request for Proposal (RFP) refers to the document that is used to ask vendors to provide the information needed to make an appropriate decision in making good choices for the EHR system. There are different forms of information that may be included in the RFP. Some of the vital information that may be included in the RFP include the security level of the EHR system, the costs, as well as other key requirements. The EHR RFP ought to clearly outline the specialties, goals, as well as clinical specifications of the practice with consideration of the key requirements for the EHR system (Hansen & Baroody, 2020). Also, there is the need to incorporate the basic timelines that are always required for effective submission of the proposal and the timeline that is needed for the initiation of services in actual practice. When vendors have basic and clear information about the needs of EHR, they will be able to better understand and describe the features required in actual practice.

Selection Process Requirements: Demonstrations, Presentations, Testing, Installation, etc

Appropriate selection of the EHR system requires consideration of different factors. The process of selection should be based on efficiency as well as security requirements. The system selected ought to adhere to the security requirements. Given that confidentiality of information is vital in the healthcare processes, the selection criterion for the EHR system ought to be based on the security requirements. Also, the selection process should be based on the demonstrations and testing (Boonstra & Van Offenbeek, 2018). Simulations should be included in the testing processes before the purchase. Efficiency and a high level of security should always be considered in the selection process requirements.

Ratings by Third-Party Organizations, Such As KLAS Research

Before engaging in the EHR system’s purchase, there is always the need to consider ratings by third-party organizations such as KLAS Research. Before the purchase, the EHR system ought to have high ratings from third-party organizations. The third-party-party organizations’ ratings should be based on the coding abilities, efficiency in training and user support options, timeframe for implementation, the cost for the implementation, and system requirements for the technical support (Harding et al., 2021). Five-star ratings from third-party organizations are critical when considering the purchase of a given EHR product.

Feedback from Site Visits or Current User Interviews

Analyzing feedbacks from the site visits or the current user interviews is critical before engaging in the EHR system’s purchase. Such feedbacks are able to indicate the experiences of the people towards the product. They also reveal different areas of weaknesses and strengths. On the other hand, the current user interviews are critical in understanding products and where faults may be detected. Some of the feedback from the site visits may incorporate pop-up surveys and the ratings recorded over a given period. Only EHR systems with positive feedbacks ought to be considered when considering purchases.

Pricing Models and Contracts

When considering the purchase of the EHR system, it is necessary to evaluate the pricing model. Cost-plus pricing needs to be considered during the purchase. This pricing model is critical whenever there is a need to maximize profits with the new product being purchased. Also, the value-based pricing model may be considered in the tendering process. The model incorporates setting up the price for the EHR product based on the perceived value. After monitoring and studying the feedback, the organization may embark on value-based pricing to ensure effective financial allocation. Also, support fees, service-level agreements, upgrade fees, and early contract fees are critical during the tendering process. In general, the pricing ought to be based on the value of the products as well as the requirements.

In conclusion, the EHR is an important aspect of healthcare. It offers various solutions to different issues. Its implementation requires various procedures that include an analysis of several aspects. The ratings, feedback and pricing, and selection considerations influence the type of EHR solution that will be adopted by a facility.

References

Bajwa, N. K., Singh, H., & De, K. K. (2020). Critical success factors in electronic health records (EHR) implementation: an exploratory study in north India. In Virtual and Mobile Healthcare: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (pp. 265-282). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/critical-success-factors-in-electronic-health-records-ehr-implementation/235316

Boonstra, A., & Van Offenbeek, M. A. (2018). Shaping a buyer’s software selection process through tendering legislation. Information Systems Journal, 28(5), 905-928. https://doi/abs/10.1111/isj.12174

Hansen, S., & Baroody, A. J. (2020). Electronic health records and the logics of care: complementarity and conflict in the US healthcare system. Information Systems Research, 31(1), 57-75. https://doi/abs/10.1287/isre.2019.0875

Harding, L., Bekaert, S., & Appleton, J. (2021). Exploring the challenges of using electronic health record systems in nursing research. Nurse researcher, 29(1). https://journals.rcni.com/nurse-researcher/evidence-and-practice/exploring-the-challenges-of-using-electronic-health-record-systems-in-nursing-research-nr.2020.e1695/abs

MacKenna, B., Bacon, S., Walker, A. J., Curtis, H. J., Croker, R., & Goldacre, B. (2020). Impact of electronic health record interface design on unsafe prescribing of ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem: Cohort study in english national health service primary care. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(10), e17003. https://www.jmir.org/2020/10/e17003