A chiropractor has a lot of information to decipher before choosing the right electronic health records software. Knowing which qualities are fundamental in an EHR is critical to minimizing costs and maximizing efficiency. Purchasing an EHR system may be the most important decision a chiropractor will make. It’s a decision that may last for many years and will significantly impact the way a chiropractor manages their patients.

Today’s health care environment is evolving faster than ever, and by 2016 every medical office will be required to adopt specific guidelines in electronic health records. There are hundreds of software vendors to choose from, so knowing what’s most important in an EHR system is critical.

Due to the recent health care reform bill, a buyer should only be considering software systems that have qualified for complete government EHR certification. Any other software system will likely result in obsolescence, insurance reimbursement penalties, or practice violations. Health care professionals must avoid being fooled into buying a system that can only be partially certified. Thus, a list of complete list of fully certified systems can be found at www.CCHIT.org, or www.drummondgroup.com.

The bottom line is, a practitioner should only consider those software systems that are completely certified, or plan to do so in the near future.

From the list of vendors, one must also examine the following key criteria in order to maximize a system’s potential:

1) Data access speed
2) Seamless integration of EHR with Administrative records and billing
3) Usability and User friendly interface
4) Efficiency in recording information
5) Integration of third party software systems
6) Importing capabilities of other EHR systems

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