Working with the EMR Vendor

Once an EMR system has been selected, a contract with the vendor will need to be created and a plan developed for implementation. This is when the terms of the working relationship with the vendor and the schedule for going live that best suits the clinic’s timelines.

Considerations when negotiating with an EMR vendor:

1. What to address in an EMR contract Checklist  : The information in the EMR contract checklist assists the clinic and the EMR vendor to finalize the contract and provides items to consider during the contracting process.
2. Pre go-live checklist  : A checklist to help assess and review the state of the items and functions to which the clinic and the vendor have agreed. 

Questions to consider when the site is negotiating with the vendor

1. Does the Vendor have minimum technical requirements for hardware, network, printers, scanners, servers, etc.?
2. Is there an established user group for the Vendor’s EMR?
3. What are the Vendor’s plans for both Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery?
   • For example, is a read-only copy of the database always available to a physician?  Consider asking for the vendor’s plan that details “how” your practice will continue to run if software fails, etc.
4. What is the cost associated with converting data from your existing EMR?  Is there a cost for converting the practice management components of the physician’s office system?
5. What additional supporting software is needed to implement the physician’s office system (POS)?
   • Virus protection software
   • Email
   • Word processing software
   • Spreadsheet software
   • Electronic facsimile transmission/receipt
   • Vendor remote monitoring software
   • Scanning software