The ultimate goal of any technology is to make your job easier, not make it more difficult. In our years of experience, we’ve seen many practices changing their EMR and other medical software within the first year of implementation. In fact, more than 65% of physicians change their medical software within the first year. We want to help make sure you’re not one of them and find the right medical software for your practice. If you’re looking to implement a top-tier EMR software in your practice, it’s important to ask yourself, “Can they provide the services my practice needs?” Now don’t get us wrong; we’re not blaming the EMR companies. Rather, it’s possible they’re just not the right fit for you. You might’ve already read hundreds of articles that talk about doing this and that when choosing your EMR software. So we won’t bore you with information you already know. Instead, here we’ll talk about five deadly mistakes to avoid while choosing an EMR. Here’s an overview of what we’ll be talking about in this article:

Mistake #1: Making a Mess

Usually, practices are divided into four broad workflows. These include:

  • Business/Administration/Office Workflows: Practice Management (PM)
  • Clinical: EHR
  • Insurance Claims & Billing: Medical Billing
  • Patient Engagement

Each of these workflows has its own set of requirements and specifications that need to be addressed. One of the biggest mistakes that physicians make is treating these workflows as one. In doing so, everything becomes cluttered, and they just end up complicating processes that should’ve been simple. This results in one big mess. It’s also possible that each of these workflows might be working effectively individually but not as a unified solution. Some of the common symptoms of this mistake include double-entry, double billing, and missing information.

The Cure

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Any problem you face can be solved. All you have to do is look in the right place. To avoid this problem, here’s what you can do:

  • Appoint a team to supervise the implementation of each workflow and its cross-functional processes
  • Get a vendor-neutral consultant like Software Finder to guide you in cross-functional processes
  • Work with a vendor that provides a seamless experience, especially across departments

Mistake #2: Not Putting Patients First

Think of patients like your consumers. The more satisfied they are with your services, the more likely they’re to return to you when needed. Your patients would have maximum engagement from their first onboarding until the final payment in an ideal practice. To make matters simple, here’s a visual demonstration of your patient journey.

The problem lies when you focus on improving your processes for yourself rather than improving them for your patients. If your patient registration is simple for you but complicated for your patients, chances are you’re losing patients without even realizing it. According to a report by AdvancedMD EMR, more than 65% of patients abandon their online patient registration because they’re not sure about the next step.

The Cure

Every problem has a solution; all you have to do is keep looking. For this problem, here’s what you can do:

  • Put yourself in your patient’s shoes and address problems that you face
  • After every appointment, ask your patients about their experience and where you can improve it
  • Connect with a consultant who understands your patients on a grassroots level

Mistake #3: Flying in Blind

The problem with flying in blind is that you’re flying in blind. You could hit a bird, a plane, or even a mountain if you’re not careful. There are things we know and understand about patients, and there are things we don’t. While it would be meaningless to dwindle in the things we don’t understand, we can benefit from looking into things we do understand. For instance, your patients want to be given individual attention and human interaction. This is something EMR consultants charge hundreds of dollars for, and we’re telling you for free. Think of it this way: how can you maximize engagement with your patients? Through insights and analytics, of course. And where can you get your hands on insights and analytics? Ask your patients directly. Sure, there are hundreds of resources available you can use to get insights, but nothing beats the ol’reliable way of just asking your patients.

The Cure

If you’ve been flying in blind till now, don’t worry. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Find a vendor that offers a centralized database for your practice
  • Ensure your EMR vendor offers strong reporting and analytics capabilities for operational and managerial purposes

Mistake #4 Making it Up As You Go Along

Most physicians tend to make up their implementation plan as they go along. While this approach saves time, it eventually ends in a lot of problems. One of the biggest problems you might end up with is complicated workflows. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Although he didn’t mean it for medical software, this philosophy also holds true for them. Without careful planning, or ‘making it up as you go along’, you’re bound to run into loads of problems.

The Cure

It’s essential to understand that problems are merely opportunities that haven’t presented themselves. The presence of a problem indicates that something can be done more efficiently. If you’re thinking of implementing EMR software or other medical software in your practice, here’s what you can do:

  • Assign a team to come up with a list of requirements you need before starting your software search
  • Based on your needs, come up with an estimated budget for those services. It’s better to come up with a range rather than a round figure
  • Make a list of all the medical software that provides those services with their pricing information
  • Choose the one that best suits your budget and needs

If you’re looking for a detailed guide to EMR implementation, click here.

Conclusion – Building A Modern Practice

There was a time when Mike Tyson couldn’t throw a straight punch or when the best Tom Brady couldn’t catch a football. If we focus on our mistakes, then we just end up going in circles. Instead, whenever we face a problem, the ideal scenario is to focus on finding a solution. In this article, we’ve talked about four different problems you might run into when implementing EMR software and their solutions. If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, check out our guide on Top-Rated EMR for RCM.