EMR Educate - About System Demos
Biggest Mistake You Can Make
In your search for the best EMR/PM system for your needs, the biggest mistake you can make is to start with system
demos, whether online demos or demos conducted at your premises by an EMR/PM system vendor. All demos that you'll receive
are specially designed to showcase only the best feature and function points of a particular EMR/PM system, and the demos are not
designed to reveal, and often artfully conceal, useability issues and other weaknesses of a system. Would the EMR/PM system
vendors have it any other way?
Avoiding EMR/PM System Demos
Not only should you not start your EMR/PM system acquisition process with demos, you should avoid demos for as long
as possible. First and foremost, you need to learn about EMR/PM system features and functions in general terms. What are the
basic workflow options? How does an electronic patient chart actually get created within a modern EMR/PM system? What are the
basic user interface options? How important are practice and specialty templates? Unless and until you have this fundamental
knowledge base, you're not in much of a position to benefit from a demo. You'll find yourself forming impressions and making
decisions based on emotion and intuition. Instead, your demo process should consist of an informed and organized comparison process.
Learning EMR/PM System Basics First
Use the educational materials within EMR Match™, do additional
research, and network with others. When you have built up a fundamental knowledge base, running
EMR Screen™ will take you to the next level.
EMR Screen™ covers a large number of EMR/PM system feature and function
points, and there are "additional information" pop-up screens within EMR Screen™
to help you better understand a particular feature or function and its real-world, practical importance.
When It's Time for Demos
Somewhere toward the middle or end of your EMR/PM system acquisition process, it will be time for vendor demos, and three bits
of advice will apply. One, think about having an EMR/PM system consultant participate in your demo with you. This could be the best
money you spend in your entire acquisition process. Two, you should set the agenda for each demo (outlining what features and functions
to you want to see in action and learn more about), as opposed to allowing your vendor to set the agenda for the demo. It's also a
good idea to prepare a list of questions for a vendor in advance if the vendor will participate in your demo (whether online or in
person). And three, start your round of demos with your preferred vendor first and finish with your least-preferred vendor. As you
might expect, you'll retain the most from the first demo, and less and less with each subsequent demo.
.png "EMR Educate")