This is the second installment of a four-part series focused on finding the right EHR. You can view the first installment here.
A chiropractors travels through the myriad of software deals.
Well, Palm 
was going off the grid, or at least the writing was on the wall, so I started looking for another EMR software solution.
There were dozens of options, each claiming to be the best. Some were offered for no cost. Others wanted me to pay for their vacation home in one payment. The major problem with almost all of the options out there was that we were back to computer generated paragraphs in chart notes. They could generate sentences and they all claimed to be audit proof. I was not anxious to test that claim.
After doing an extensive EHR compare, I finally settled on one system that looked promising. Instead of paragraphs it would use a concise sentence. “Looking good”. I spent the money and awaited the delivery of a disc. After a reasonable period of time I received the discs and was set to go. I loaded the medical EMR software and found out that my PC was not optimal for the software. I tried another machine and the software accepted it. Finally got it loaded and called the EHR vendor for my security codes to enter. This way the company would know if I had paid. It also gave them a chance to again offer me the protection plan that would also include updates.
Well I was finally ready to go. I booted it up and entered all my pertinent information. I entered a sample patient so that I could see the note portion at work. To my dismay it seems that although the sentences are short, I have no control over them. Sure I can pick and choose which sentences myself but the actual sentence wording was company controlled. A call to the EHR vendor confirmed this fact. They forgot to mention that earlier in our transaction. Of course the wording might change as they receive more input but I could only get that update feature with the protection/update plan.
So, on to further research.
– Dr. Kaplan
After attending university and chiropractic college on the Eastern Seaboard, Dr. Kaplan migrated to the Seattle area where he lives with his family. In addition to running his own practice, Dr. Kaplan has a background in computer programming and health IT.
