Selecting an EHR System: Vendor Selection Site Visits

After your organization has narrowed its list of potential electronic health record (EHR) vendors to a few potential choices, you should conduct vendor selection site visits with other providers for each potential EHR choice. Site visits with other providers will help your organization learn more about your potential choices and gather lessons learned from your peers. With a limited amount of time for each vendor site selection visit, it’s important your organization plans each visit and prepares questions in advance.

Key Questions & Discussion Topics

You can start with the following key questions and add others as you think of them.

  • How well did your organization’s team function during and after the EHR implementation?
  • How did your organization approach problem solving during the EHR implementation?
  • What issues were exacerbated or resolved by the EHR implementation?
  • Did any staff retire or quit during EHR implementation? If so, was that related to the EHR system or caused by another event?

In addition to these general questions, be sure to discuss the following topics with each site.

  • Organizational Details (number of employees, strategic planning processes, change management processes, etc.)
  • Operational Details (EHR vendor’s implementation process, workflow redesign, etc.)
  • Provider Usage (modules used by physicians (for example, e-Prescribing), remote access, etc.)
  • Training and Support (internal training, EHR vendor implementation and technical support, vendor updates and upgrades, etc.)
  • Implementation and Hardware (implementation time, chart migration, system downtime, etc.)
  • Satisfaction (physician satisfaction, patient satisfaction, lessons learned, etc.)

Your Local Regional Extension Center Can Help

Your local Regional Extension Center (REC) can help you with selecting an EHR system and conducting vendor selection site visits. RECs are located in every region of the country to help health care providers select, implement, and become adept and meaningful users of EHRs. Contact your local REC to find out if you are eligible for free or reduced-price EHR implementation support.

For More Information

For more information about selecting an EHR system, see the following resources.