What do you need when you decide that you’re
interested in acquiring an EHR?

You’ve been using paper for years. Now it’s time for a change.  You’ve decided that you’ll be using an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR) within the next 12 months.   You realize that you need the software, but what other issues do you need to address?  Certainly you can think of a few items, such as hardware and cables.  Below is an EHR checklist of items which need to be considered.  Of course not every issue needs to be addressed in every installation, but we encourage you to at least consider each item in this rather lengthy list.  Please note, if you are aware of information that you believe should be included in this list, please fill in this form.

1. Education
1. Methods of learning about the EHR industry.
1. Websites
1. AAFP's Center for Health Information Technology
2. AMIA - American Medical Informatics Association
3. HIMSS - Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
4. AHIMA - American Health Information Management Association
5. CCHIT - Certification Commission for Health Information Technology
6. EMRUpdate
7. EMRConsultant
8. EHR Scope
9. EMRblog
10. Wikipedia
11. Histalk
12. Histalk Practice
13. EMR and HIPAA
14. The Health Care Blog
15. The Medical Quack
2. Organizations
1. QIOs - Quality Improvement Organizations
2. AC Group
3. KLAS
4. MS-HUG - Microsoft Healthcare Users Group
2. Workflow Analysis
3. Governmental Initiatives
2. Software
1. EHR/EMR
1. Base Module
2. Interconnectivity
1. To Labs
2. To Pharmacy
3. Speech Recognition
1. Dragon Medical
2. Input devices
1. Wired
1. Standard Microphone
2. Dictaphone PowerMic II
3. Philips SpeechMike Pro
2. Wireless
1. Grundig
4. Operating System
5. MS Office or other
6. Database
7. Virus Protection
8. Firewall
9. Compatibility with Personal Health Records (PHRs)
3. Hardware
1. Servers
2. Network
1. Router
2. Cables
3. Switches
4. Wireless Access Points
3. Workstations
4. Flat Panel Monitors
5. Laptops
6. Tablets
7. PDAs
8. Scanners
9. Printers
10. Storage and Back-up
11. Shredders
12. Medical Diagnostic and treatment items interconnected to EHR
4. Services
1. Training
2. Data Conversion
3. Off-Site data backup
4. Negotiating Attorneys
   1. Contract Negotiations with your EMR vendor
5. Financial
1. Billing
1. On-site
2. Off-site
2. Financing
3. Leasing
6. Miscellaneous
1. Internet Connection
2. Telephone
1. Autodialers
3. Office Environment Changes
1. New furniture
2. Electrical system
4. Warranties
5. Financial Background Analysis
1. Sales Genie
2. Dun and Bradstreet
3. Hoovers
4. Public disclosures
5. Press Releases
6. Configuration