Not all EHR vendors are created equal. It’s up to you to compare your options and make sure you’re selecting the best vendor to support you as a pediatrician, and help your practice grow as a business. Here are a few key points to keep in mind while you’re looking for the perfect fit.
Robust Growth Charts
Pediatric growth charts are your stepping stone for understanding the health of your patients. If your EHR doesn’t include thought-out and accurate growth charts, you won’t be able to provide the caliber of care you want to show your patients.
What to look for:
- Preterm growth charts
- Down Syndrome growth charts
- Ability to view WHO /CDC data points with ease
- Easily share charts with patients via your portal
A Capable Dashboard
Running a pediatric practice isn’t just about providing excellent care. You’re also running a business. The right dashboard will show you both clinical and business performance, giving you insight into what you do best and where you can improve.
What to look for:
- An easy to view, top down indicator of current financial and clinical indicators
- The ability to drill down on any indicator for a detailed trend analysis
- A comparison to national and regional pediatric benchmarks
Data Conversion
Data conversion is a hassle and can be expensive. Moving from one EHR to another can be a difficult task. It’s imperative that your vendor be able to transfer and convert years of usable data into your new system without creating a headache for you. Be sure to ask any vendor you’re considering if they can convert your data effectively, and if an expensive extra fee is attached to their side of the conversion. If not, you may be stuck paying your old vendor to convert the data for you.
What to look for:
- A step-by-step timeline for your vendor on how they will convert your data
- How your new vendor will work with your computer system
- What your new vendor will need for you to successfully convert your data
Secure and Accessible Patient Portal
Most of the parents coming into your practice these days take care of their day-to-day chores online. Paper is becoming a thing of the past, which is why it’s important that you have a well-developed portal for your patients to access their immunization records, see their appointments, and even make payments. Not only does this make the lives of your patients and their parents easier, but it can mean you deal with fewer missed appointments and extra calls to the office. For adolescents, you’ll want to make sure they have the option of additional privacy for their information and records.
What to look for:
- Printable immunization records
- Age-based privacy filters
- Online payment capabilities
- Future appointments and date of last physical
- Medication information
- Secure messaging
Support
Sometimes things go wrong. If you have trouble with your software you’ll want high-quality, available support who can not only fix your problem but give you an idea of the best practices. Always be sure that a vendor can help you get off the ground and keep your operations running smoothly, even after implementation.
What to look for:
- A support agent or team who works specifically with your practice
- Personalized training
- Round-the-clock availability
- High service & support ranking from a third-party survey
Educational Resources
Once you’ve acclimated to a new vendor, you’re going to be looking for ways to run a smarter, more profitable practice. Make sure that your vendor has the resources available to help you keep developing as a pediatric practice and a business.
What to look for:
- A robust resource center
- Subject matter experts within your vendor’s company
- The ability to network with other clinicians through your vendor
- Conferences and educational events hosted by your vendor
Sibling Chart Sharing
Save time by sharing information between patients who live under the same roof. Make sure your vendor’s EHR has the ability to share relevant data over multiple related patients’ charts.
What to look for:
- An easy and efficient way to open, edit, and review multiple sibling charts
Protocols
Another way to make your visits far more efficient is to be sure you have access to excellent protocols. Make sure your new vendor has a set of incredible protocols waiting for you to use, as well as the ability to help you create custom protocols to fit your practice style.
What to look for:
- Thought-out and effective default protocols
- The ability to create custom protocols
- An extended protocol library available to you
- The ability to view curated protocols that have been proven successful by other practices
These are a few of the things that you should double check before you sign with a new vendor. Your due diligence now will save you from wasted time and annoying headaches in the future. A good vendor will make your life as a pediatrician easier, and help you grow as a business. 
