Electronic Health Record Software Solutions

Unlike was the case a few decades ago, health care professionals are increasingly embracing mobile devices in clinical practice. In that regard, therefore, the utility of the said devices has been growing in a wide range of functions and settings including, but not limited to, health records access and maintenance, medical training and education, patient monitoring and management, time and information management, etc. It is, therefore, recommended we continue to harness the potential of mobile devices in the realm of health records access and maintenance. Towards this end, an assessment is made herein for a wireless hardware solution and vendors that render mobile devices to broaden, enhance, as well as supplement electronic health record (EHR) system accessibility.
The strategic leadership team has evaluated not only the specifications, but also the qualifications of vendors and the products in their portfolio so as to highlight entities that either meet or exceed the requirements set for merchants in this category. The top five vendors and their products have been identified below.
a) Quest Diagnostics
The company describes itself as “passionate about developing innovative, ground-breaking tests, products and tools to enhance patient care, provide value to clients, and transform information into knowledge and insights” (Quest Diagnostics, 2019). It is important to note that the company was last year included in the list of the World’s Most Admired Companies in the healthcare category by the Forbes Magazine. Quest Diagnostics has its headquarters in New Jersey. The EHR solution we recommend is marketed by the company under the name Care360 – which is a mobile EHR system that seeks to further enhance the efficiency of medical practice. Towards this end, some of HER features offered by the platform include, but they are not limited to, clinical documentation, ePrescribing, and eLab management.
b) Allscripts
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions concerns itself with the development of technology solutions focused on the enhancement of efficiency in the delivery of health care. Amongst other things, the company provides healthcare entities with EHR and practice management solutions. The company describes itself as an enabler of “smarter care, delivered with greater precision, for healthier patients” (Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, 2019). The EHR solution we recommend is marketed by the company under the name Allscripts EHR. In essence, this particular product brings together all sources of information and ensures that administrative tasks and functions are streamlined - thus permitting providers to limit their attention to core services, as opposed to routine administrative functions. It is important to note that in addition to being presented as a quote-based SaaS, the deployment of this particular EHR solution could take place on cloud or on premise.
c) Flatiron
Established in 2012, “Flatiron Health is a healthcare technology and services company focused on accelerating cancer research and improving patient data” (Flatiron, 2019). The company has offices in San Francisco and New York. The EHR solution we recommend is marketed by the company under the name OncoEMR. This cloud-based solution largely revolves around Oncology care services provision and as the company points out, it permits practitioners to spend minimal time in HER, and more time with patients. In so doing, it comes in handy in PQRI reporting, practice management, and ePrescribing – thus effectively helping integrate key functions.
d) Cerner
This health IT firm is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. It describes itself as a provider of intelligent and efficiency enhancement solutions for health care providers. According to the company, its “technologies connect people and systems at more than 27,000 contracted provider facilities worldwide, and (its) wide range of services support the clinical, financial and operational needs of organizations of every size” (Cerner, 2019). The EHR solution we recommend is marketed by the company under the name Cerner EMR. With its PowerChart Ambulatory EHR, the company seeks to ensure that the workflow of nurses and physicians is streamlined – thus resulting in significant cost reductions, while at the same time further enhancing patient safety. It is important to note that the deployment of the said EHR platform could occur in two ways – i.e. on cloud or on-site. In basic terms, the EHR solution is built to promote not only the documentation, but also the coordination of patient care by permitting providers in healthcare to gain access to clinical information presented using a wide range of documentation functions. These tools and functions allow providers to not only transfer information to the relevant health record categories, but also ensure that chart information is not doubled.
e) Optum
Headquartered in Minnesota, Optum’s overriding goal is to ensure that experiences and outcomes are improved, and costs reduced for all those the company serves. Towards this end, “Optum delivers solutions to help modernize the health system and improve population health” (Optum, 2019). The EHR solution we recommend is marketed by the company under the name Optum Physician EMR. It is important to note that using chart summaries that are customizable, this cloud-based platform gives physicians easy access to the relevant data at the point of care. Providers can use this platform to satisfy Meaningful Use requirements via progress monitoring. The said requirements are largely inclusive of, but are not limited to, transcripts generation, maintenance of clinical summaries, sustenance of an active problem list, and demographic recording. Optum Physician EMR is both CCHIT-certified and HIPPA-compliant.
Other Vendors
Some of the other vendors who could be taken into consideration in this case include, but they are not limited to, eClinicalWorks LLC, PointClickCare Corp, NextGen Health Information Systems, and McKesson. Like the vendors listed above, these companies offer a wide range of mobile device electronic health record solutions.
Request for Information (RFI)
Primarily, the function of the RFI will in this case be to collect the relevant information concerning the capabilities of the various vendors. The information gleaned from the RFI will come in handy in the vendor selection process. For this reason, it will be divided into 5 sections namely: company information, product information, certifications, training and support, and pricing.
A: Company Information
1. Name of company:
2. Stock symbol (if publicly traded):
3. Business type (Non-Profit, LLC, etc.):
4. Number of years the company has operated:
B: Product Information
5. Electronic health/medical records (EHR/EMR) product name:
6. Number of years the product has been in the market
7. Number of instances the EHR/EMR product is installed countrywide:
8. Number of fill-time equivalents (FTEs) dedicated to this product’s development:
9. Product revision intervals (in fortnights or weeks):
10. Name any practice setting where this product would not be ideal (i.e. multispecialty practice, pediatrics practice, OB-GYN practice, etc.):
11. Are there any 3rd party Practice Management products that would prevent the optimal functioning of this product?
C: Certifications
12. List the relevant certifications the product has, i.e. ONC-ATCB, CCHIT certifications (please indicate the year of certification):
13. Please indicate whether the company/product contract includes a Meaningful Use Certification/ARRA certification guarantee?
D: Training and Support
14. Does the product permit remote support?
15. Do providers have access to continual training?
16. Please indicate the standard support hours:
E: Pricing
17. What is the basis of license pricing (i.e. per-provider basis, per-user basis, etc.)?
18. Please indicate how the periodic ownership average cost is structured (i.e. 1 provider, 1 year; 1 provider, 2 years; and 1 provider, 3 years).
19. Are the license costs inclusive of the patient portal?
20. Does the initial contract include first year maintenance?
References
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions (2019). Who We Are. Retrieved from https://www.allscripts.com/about-allscripts
Cerner (2019). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.cerner.com/about
Flatiron (2019). Flatiron. Retrieved from https://flatiron.com/
Optum (2019). About Optum. Retrieved from https://www.optum.com/about.html
Quest Diagnostics (2019). Care360. Retrieved from https://www.ehrinpractice.com/care360-ehr-software-profile-196.html