For those of you who already use an electronic health record (EHR), ask yourself a few questions. When was the last time you spoke to your EHR vendor? Do you remember when you accepted your vendor into your practice? If you don't think that you've established a close relationship with your vendor, that's probably not a good sign.

For those of you who are shopping for an EHR software, with so many vendors to choose from, it can get pretty overwhelming to figure out which is the perfect fit for your practice. We’ve compiled 4 superstar qualities an EHR vendor should have to make sure your practice is receiving top quality performance.

How to Spot an Effective EHR

1. A Good Reputation

Vendors who have been in business for a long time is definitely a good sign. Your EHR vendor should seek to continually improve and understand your needs as an optometrist, while also adjusting to the demands of the ever-changing eyecare industry. So here are a few tips to help narrow down which vendors could be right for your practice:

• Check out the vendor’s online presence. Visit their website and social media pages (It is the face of the business, after all)
• Speak to colleagues and other optometrists about their EHR experiences
• Research feedback from different sources such as tradeshows and forums to prevent bias

2. Fast and Friendly Customer Service and Technical Support

Once you’ve decided which type of EHR software suits your practice, it’s time to start thinking about the efficiency of their customer service and technical support group. Does your current vendor have a fast and efficient customer support system? EHR providers should have a department that customers are able to reach for extra assistance.

Your vendor's customer support team should be eager to answer all of your questions or concerns with a simple email. This way you’re not calling multiple people and wasting valuable time being transferred to other departments until the next available assistant can help you. Access to quick customer support will allow you to spend more time with customers and less time troubleshooting.

3. Security That's Compliant with Government Regulations

Your patient’s information needs to be safe from online threats. Whether you are deciding between a client server or cloud-based solution, security is a main concern. EHR vendors go through a series of rigorous government regulations, and have to be HIPAA compliant. In fact, reputable cloud solutions are likely to be more secure than most client servers in many aspects. One of which includes hosting the system in facilities with security controls and certification. Providing security on-site at your own practice can rack up a heavy bill.

On top of being HIPAA compliant, is your EHR certified for MIPS? Do you have to pay additional fees for upgrade costs? Be sure to check your contract for future upgrades, new versions, and additional charges so you aren’t over paying for the services.

4. A Plan To Prepare You For The Future

Selecting an EHR provider is a long-term decision that can make or break your practice. So make sure you are informed of your vendor’s future business plans. Good questions to consider include:

• Is the EHR already integrated with a practice management system?            
  TIP: Having a practice management system integrated with your EHR increases your practice's efficiency, so you can focus more on your patients.

• When will the next upgrade roll out?
• Is my EHR 2015 MIPS certified?
• Are there new additional features being promoted?

Deciding which vendor is right for your practice can be a long process, but you will definitely see the important role that the right EHR software plays in your practice. Don’t take a risky gamble and settle for just any provider and hope everything will work out by itself.

So now you know what it really takes to have an effective vendor, how well does your current EHR system meet these conditions?

Take a look at Uprise, VisionWeb's Practice Management and EHR Solution, and see where we stack up.