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Choosing a vendor for your practice
Decisions – the medical software and services industry has them in droves. With so many features and service offerings, how does one go about selecting a vendor that will help you get the solution that’s best for your business?
It’s not as difficult as it sounds. With software for EMR and MPM, feature sets and functionality are going to be quite similar. You want a package that delivers everything you need without adding bells and whistles you don’t need to your cost. Once you know what you’re looking for and what customizations are necessary, it’s easy to find the right vendor to present, install, and integrate the software.
On the other hand, medical services such as transcription and billing are based on performance and accuracy. Since most of the work is done by skilled individuals, it’s up to you to select the vendor that can provide you with professionals that can best get the job done quickly with minimal errors.
Whether you need to purchase medical software, services, or a combination of both, here’s some helpful things to look for in a vendor:
Don’t choose just one: As with every business purchase, always meet with multiple vendors to determine who offers the best mix of fair price, fast service, accuracy, and strong customer service. Since this will be a long-term purchase, you must be comfortable with the vendor you select. Fortunately, Medical Software Resource puts you in direct contact with multiple vendors so you can best compare the different services for yourself!
Try before you buy: Vendors will allow you to test out the software and its functionality for a limited time to make sure it’s the right fit. They may also assign professionals to your practice so you can test out their services. You should always take full advantage of trial periods: with an investment of thousands of dollars and hundreds more in month upkeep, it’s important to see if it’s the right choice before you make a long-term commitment.
Experience counts: A good indicator of how good a vendor is by looking at their experience. If they have been in the business for years and have a strong client base, it’s a good sign that they will be there for you for the long haul.
Training and installation: With medical software, you will need more than an instruction manual or web documentation. Look for a vendor who offers live in-person training or web-based assistance for everyone who will use and manage the software. Also, find out if the installation can be done seamlessly or if it will interrupt your current work flow. If you need the software to interact with your existing software, make sure the vendor sets that up properly.
Visit in person: If you work in close proximity to the vendor’s location, conducting an on-site visit gives you the best idea of how the company operates and what their customer service is like. See if you can arrange a group visit for the key members of your team that will use the software. If not, 1-2 decision makers and an IT professional should suffice.
Great customer service: Find out what each company offers for customer service. For small problems, email support is fine. However, you’ll want to reach a live person by phone or through a chat interface for more critical issues or during off-peak hours. If you are working with a performance based medical service, you want to be able to contact a vendor if the quality of work is poor.
Get referrals: Always ask vendors for referrals, particularly from physicians in similar practices. That way, you can get their direct thoughts on the software and service and how it helped to improve their business.
Comfort in your decision: Above all else, you must be comfortable with your choice. You can potentially be working with the same company for years to come and it’s important that they care about your business needs.