Implementing and managing your organization’s electronic medical record (EMR) or electronic health record (EHR) software is typically an in-depth undertaking. So, it’s important to have the right experts on your team, experienced professionals with exactly the specialties you need.
When choosing among healthcare IT consulting firms, here are seven key issues to consider.
#1 Expertise in Relevant Technologies
Today’s top EHR software programs are robust, intricate applications that can be strategically customized to mesh with a facility’s processes and workflows. Appropriately optimizing EHR applications, then, can be a delicate, complex undertaking, which means that an IT generalist typically can’t provide the consulting depth you’ll require.
So, after selecting which powerful EHR system you’ll use, it’s important to choose experts from healthcare IT consulting firms that have experience with that application. You might, for example, decide upon:
#2 Knowledgeable Professionals
When looking at your list of EHR consulting companies that specialize in your application of choice, consider the specific areas of expertise available for your organization to leverage. You may, for example, need a consultant who seamlessly manages EHR implementation projects, keeping the overall project on time within budget.
Or, you may need consultants who analyze organizational workflows and recommend navigational paths and other customizations for the most efficient, cost effective usage—or ones who capture process documentation and craft personalized training programs. Still other experts from EHR consulting companies excel in cleaning and migrating data or transitioning and supporting healthcare facilities as they transition to the new technology.
What’s most important is to identify your in-house skills gaps and optimally fill them in with professionals from healthcare IT consulting firms. At HealthTECH Resources, we can assist you in this process, helping you to determine current human resource bandwidth and then augment your staff in the most meaningful and impactful ways.
#3 Effective Staff Augmentation Services
Healthcare IT consulting firms must build deep and wide networks of professionals, efficiently yet carefully vetting consultant candidates. Then, company leadership must create a system that allows the firm to listen to and thoroughly understand the needs of a client—and then precisely match consultants with healthcare facilities. This process takes experience, flexibility, and finesse.
HealthTECH Resources is the experienced choice with more than twenty years in the industry, having only one niche specialty: the healthtech IT/EMR/EHR space. We have built relationships with quality professionals across applications and areas of expertise—and we often have consultants on site for clients within 24 hours, even when there are stringent requirements.
#4 Legacy System Experience
If your healthcare organization is upgrading an older legacy system, it’s not enough for a consulting firm to have significant experience in the new application. Consultants from the EMR consulting companies you’re considering will also need a deep understanding of the facilities’ legacy system. That’s because the consultants will need to analyze, clean, appropriately archive, reformat, and transition data from the legacy software to the newly implemented one.
Quality data is at the heart of any EHR system, so this isn’t an area to underestimate when allocating resources for the project.
#5 Educational Focus
The best software in the world won’t help a healthcare organization if end users don’t fully understand its capabilities and navigational pathways. So, if you’re implementing a new system, choose from EMR consulting companies that offer training professionals who teach end users in clear, engaging, and interactive ways and who answer questions with clarity. Other issues to consider include the following:
- Consider having experienced professionals create reference materials that dovetail with how you’re customizing your EHR software. You can use these during training sessions, as refresher materials, and to onboard new employees, and have them available at workstations.
- Even after you’ve transitioned to the new system, questions will arise, including when end users are first using the new EHR application. Some consultants specialize in offering post-live support, either to employees in general or to your in-house IT team when they can use additional information and guidance.
- After you’ve used the system for a while, it can help to have an expert look at how healthcare teams are navigating the application with fresh eyes. Often, there are ways to become even more efficient and cost effective, which can help you to achieve ROI more quickly and maximize that return on investment.
HealthTECH Resources provides healthcare organizations with professionals who can help them with optimizing application usage through effective training and more.
#6 Focus on Security and Compliance
Healthcare organizations must deftly navigate a complex set of regulations—local, state, federal, and more—and so it’s crucial to only choose consultants from EMR consulting companies that have a firm grasp on them. From HIPAA to PQRI and more, healthcare facilities must remain in compliance and carefully document the specifics. Plus, patient data and other information must be securely protected from a multitude of cyber-related threats, guarding against insurance fraud, hacking of financing information, and more.
#7 Easy to Work With
Even if some EHR consulting companies can provide you with the technical skills you need, it’s important that the healthcare IT firm you choose has established procedures that make it quick and convenient to find the professionals you need. If the consulting firm doesn’t get the experts you need on site in time, this will cause you to miss key deadlines and cost your organization money.
When HealthTECH Resources began to experience unprecedented growth a few years ago, we proactively streamlined processes and expanded professional networks and internal operations. Because of that, we can continue to provide healthcare facilities with unsurpassed staff augmentation services whenever they need quality EHR professionals.
Contact HealthTECH Resources
Our boutique-style agency provides healthcare agencies like yours with what they want and need in EHR professionals. To discuss your unique needs, please contact us online or call (602) 903-7961. We’ll help you to seamlessly augment your IT staff with experienced professionals, providing your facilities with who they need right when they need them.
PRESIDENT/CEO AT HEALTHTECH RESOURCES
Larry has specialized in building strategic healthcare relationships for over 25 years, helping the nation’s top payors and providers solve some of their most pressing business challenges through an intelligent mix of staffing services, training, and consulting.