Nephrology EHR software

5 Things to Keep in Mind When Contracting For a Nephrology EHR Software

EHR softwares are getting incredibly popular across medical practices and hospitals in the United States. According to a recent estimate, about 80% of medical related practices employ these softwares in their practice!


EHR softwares are getting incredibly popular across medical practices and hospitals in the United States. According to a recent estimate, about 80% of medical related practices employ these softwares in their practice! So of course, there are good reasons why so many doctors and medical professionals are opting for EHR systems. 

If you are a Nephrologist who is considering getting an Nephrology EHR software for their practice, then you are in the right place. While it is a good idea to invest in a system, you must remember that all Nephrology EHR software for practice are not equal to one another. 

Before you dive in and look at Nephrology EHR software features, you need to look at the terms and conditions being offered with the software to know if it is even worth your time. We have compiled a list of 5 things you need to keep in mind when finalizing a Nephrology EHR software! 

Look at the Service Agreement

Before you sign any agreement, you need to make sure the terms are in your favor. One of things you should be on the lookout for is whether there is any fee attached with maintenance and upgrades. Much like most EHR software, Nephrology EHR software feedback from clients is usually taken into account and new updates are made to the software regularly. Make sure that the contract does not associate any extra fees for getting these upgrades or for getting regular maintenance services from the provider!

Other than this, make sure there are no added or hidden costs for other services that should otherwise be provided for free. If the contract does have these hidden costs and extra fees, you should look at another vendor! 

What is Spelled Out in your IT Support Agreement?

Since most Nephrology EHR software pricing is pretty high, you should always keep in mind that you get your money’s worth. Make sure your agreement outlines the installation process and who will be doing it. This is especially important for smaller practices that do not have designated IT professionals working for them! The agreement should outline who will be installing the hardware which includes the cables and routers, any electrical work and more. As well as the software which is the EHR system itself and on how many computers or devices will they do this for. 

This is a very important point especially if you are not tech savvy yourself, make sure the agreement has outlined that the vendor will be taking care of all installation related activities. 

Proper Certification

As with any software, especially those related to fields like medicine, an EHR software should be certified and be in compliance with the local and national laws! There are certain certifications like ARRA and HITECH which the software definitely needs to have. Other ones such as compliance with HIPAA etc are also necessary so make sure you check whether this is included in the agreement. 

You also want to ensure that this software will maintain these legally required certifications for as long as you are going to be using it as their customer. With how high at times Nephrology EHR software pricing can be, it is only fair that you iron out these terms before signing up for a software! 

Warranties and Clauses for Under-performance

You should make sure that there are warranties that are added into your agreement before you sign it. If the hardware or software stops working or is damaged in some way, what are the remedies the vendor is willing to provide? All of that should be listed within the agreement. 

While reading Nephrology EHR software reviews might give you a good idea about what problems a software might have, there are times when you might not have known about certain issues but they still exist or occur during your use of the software. 

You should have clauses added to the agreement if they are not already there which specify what the vendor will do to remedy any issues that occur in the future. Make sure these do not carry a fee with them and fall under maintenance and troubleshooting! 

Training

A new software being used means that you and your staff need to be trained in how to use it so the learning curve can be overcome in the most efficient way possible. Make sure the agreement accounts for an Nephrology EHR software demo from the vendor to you so that you and other people at your practice can easily learn it from professionals themselves. Since Nephrology EHR software pricing is itself quite high and can be a big investment, make sure the training and demonstration costs are not extra but already included in the price you are paying! You can also ask for re-training when a big upgrade is made to the system so that you do not lose any time whatsoever in learning the software but just go ahead and automatically use it!

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