Difference between revisions of "Vendor Selection Criteria"

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== Interoperability ==
 
== Interoperability ==
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[[Vendor Selection Criteria:  Interoperability]]
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The purpose of EHR is to provide access of patient information to the right people at the right time. Interoperability is the ability to exchange this information between different EHR systems and stakeholders. <ref name="HIT">http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-ehr-interoperability-and-why-it-important</ref> There are standards considered by the Health IT.  These standards are divided into 3 different categories: content, terminology and transport.<ref name="Hoyt">Hoyt, R. E., & Yoshihashi, A. K. (Eds.). (2014). Health Informatics: Practical Guide for Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals (6th edition)</ref>  
 
The purpose of EHR is to provide access of patient information to the right people at the right time. Interoperability is the ability to exchange this information between different EHR systems and stakeholders. <ref name="HIT">http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-ehr-interoperability-and-why-it-important</ref> There are standards considered by the Health IT.  These standards are divided into 3 different categories: content, terminology and transport.<ref name="Hoyt">Hoyt, R. E., & Yoshihashi, A. K. (Eds.). (2014). Health Informatics: Practical Guide for Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals (6th edition)</ref>  
  

Revision as of 03:32, 23 September 2015

Choosing an electronic medical record (EMR) vendor is an important task, with many aspects to consider. An EMR can completely redesign a hospital's practice, but can also optimize it in ways a paper-based system could not. With over 400 EMR vendors in the market, selecting the best option could be overwhelming. After clearly defining the needs of the company, the next step is to evaluate which vendors more closely match your list of priorities.[1]

Here is a list of some of the important considerations when choosing, installing, implementing and upgrading an EMR system. [2]


Core clinical features

Vendor Selection Criteria: Core clinical features

Core clinical functionalities include a not only medication lists, allergy lists, order sets, and lab ordering, but also can include a fully integrated pharmacy/medication management interface.

IT and technical requirements

Vendor Selection Criteria: IT and technical requirements

Usability

Vendor Selection Criteria: Usability

Previous studies demonstrated how usability measurements can be applied to the evaluation of EHR systems; however, most of these studies were conducted post implementation. If significant problems have been discovered with usability, at this point in the system development life cycle it is usually too late to make any major modifications to the EHR system. Therefore, it is important to consider the usability criteria in early stages of the EHR implementation, and particularly during the process of vendor and product selection. [3]

Interoperability

Vendor Selection Criteria: Interoperability

The purpose of EHR is to provide access of patient information to the right people at the right time. Interoperability is the ability to exchange this information between different EHR systems and stakeholders. [4] There are standards considered by the Health IT. These standards are divided into 3 different categories: content, terminology and transport.[5]

Content Standards

Terminology Standards

Transport Standards

  • The transport standards consist of ELINCS, IEEE 11073, NCPDP and ASC X12.[5]

Future relationship with vendor

Vendor Selection Criteria: Future relationship with vendor

Purchasing an EMR is a long-term decision with many hidden costs to consider.

Certification and meaningful use

Vendor Selection Criteria: Certification and meaningful use

Selecting an EMR is like buying a house where it needs thorough inspection/evaluation and making sure that every component is functional and meeting all the related requirements prior to approval and signing of contract. One must be able to confirm whether an EHR system is HIE certified or not.[6] In addition, meaningful use should be assessed.[7]

Vendor assessment

Vendor Selection Criteria: Vendor assessment

Most vendors typically fall into one of the three categories:

  1. Vendors that develop their own software organically on a single source code, one database, single instance.
  2. Vendors that may operate under one name, but offer several acquired products, including some custom programs.
  3. Vendors that have been acquired/sold/merged as a means to stay more competitive.

The first category of vendor is less likely to run into major market conflicts to keep its software modern and compliant with regulations. Vendors that operate on a single source code have far less difficultly staying current and/or responding to rapid changes in the market and mandated IT standards.[8] However, selection of a vendor also depends on the size of the organization, and the list of services they need. A larger health care organization might need more services, hence the vendor they select must offer multiple products.

Go live support

Vendor Selection Criteria: Go live support

Evaluation post implementation

Vendor Selection Criteria: Evaluation post implementation

References

  1. Selecting the right EMR vendor. http://www.himss.org/files/HIMSSorg/content/files/selectingemr_flyer2.pdf
  2. What factors should I consider when selecting a vendor? http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-factors-should-i-consider-when-selecting-vendor
  3. I. Saiku. Including usability in the procurement process of healthcare IT Systems. <http://www.soberit.hut.fi/T-121/shared/thesis/di-Inkeri-Saiku.pdf
  4. http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/faqs/what-ehr-interoperability-and-why-it-important
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Hoyt, R. E., & Yoshihashi, A. K. (Eds.). (2014). Health Informatics: Practical Guide for Healthcare and Information Technology Professionals (6th edition)
  6. EHR/HIE: Interoperability http://interopwg.org/certification.html/
  7. Meaningful Use Definition and Objectives http://www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/meaningful-use-definition-objectives
  8. Types of vendors http://www.greenwayhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Replacing_an_EHR-Coker_Greenway_white_paper.pdf