As the need for EHR interoperability grows, providers and their CIOs must choose a reliable EHR connection agency or consultant. The consultant has to ensure a seamless flow of data between the EHR and other systems to interact within and outside the organization.
Such systems may include pharmacy systems, lab and radiology systems, practice management, health information exchanges, and government healthcare agencies.
To make it easier for you to select a suitable EHR interoperability specialist for your practice, here are five criteria you need to consider.
1. Familiarity With Different EHRs
An EHR integration specialist should have experience working with the major EHR applications in use today. That means they must be familiar with EHR solutions like Epic, Cerner, Allscripts, MEDITECH, eClinicalWorks, GE, and a host of others.
Having hands-on experience with these solutions will enable them to understand how they implement their interoperability interfaces. It also means they will work with the vendor on your behalf and save time and cost while developing the solution.
2. Experience With Different Connectivity Tools and Technologies
In health IT, various methods are used to link systems together—the most prominent being bi-directional interfaces and integration engines.
A reliable EHR expert will use the method that gives you optimal results within your budget and desired project schedule. Your consultant should have the flexibility to provide a few bi-directional interfaces for a small practice or install an interface engine for a large organization.
3. Understanding of all Healthcare IT Regulations
EHRs contain protected health information that must be kept private in compliance with current regulatory requirements. It is essential to work with a vendor who knows how to protect all patient health data either in storage or transit.
Your consultant must be familiar with regulations provided by HIPAA, ONC, CMS, or other regulatory agencies. Your consultant must also know the best data security practices and policies to keep all data secure from intruders during and after the integration project.
4. Capability to Work as Your Partner
A successful integration project requires full cooperation between your organization and your consultant. That’s why your integration specialist needs to work as an extension of your health IT department.
This will make it easy for them to understand your project objectives and provide all the expertise needed to make the project succeed. As a result, it is necessary to find out all you can about the work ethic of your potential consultant and make sure it fits perfectly with yours.
5. Efficient Customer Support
After the integration solution is launched, you will need support from the vendor or developer. Your relationship with your consultant must continue, and you must be able to contact them round the clock if the need arises.
Find out all you can about the type and quality of support your would-be consultant offers. Do they offer support by phone, email, live chat, support ticket? Do they provide detailed documentation for all their interfaces and integration engines? Be sure to choose a reliable partner ready to build a long-term relationship with you.
Connect With an EHR Connection Agency Today
Call Lifepoint Informatics at 877.522.8378 to book a free consultation today. You should also visit our contact page to schedule a free demo of our EHR integration solutions.