 |
| Expensive, ineffective EHR systems put providers in a perilous position. |
I spoke with a physician today who has been searching for an electronic medical record system. An ophthalmologist, he was in negotiations with a company for about $60,000 worth of software. He asked to have a clause inserted into the contract that specified termination of the relationship if he wasn’t happy after six months. This, apparently, did not compute with the vendor.
The salesperson told him “We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee,” which was laden with clauses reinforcing the security of the vendors contract, in effect giving the vendor an unlimited amount of time and opportunities to create satisfaction or to deem the physician/practice too difficult to satisfy. Either way, the physician could end up unhappy and on the hook for years into the future.
Interestingly, a “100% satisfaction guarantee” is not legally enforceable, and quite vague. Nothing if not savvy, the physician explained how very little the satisfaction guarantee meant in the face of $60K upfront for software and thousands more annually for updates and maintenance. By the end of the conversation, the salesperson had lost a sale and the physician had lost a little hope.
Practice Fusion is unique in the opportunity it offers physicians and their staff members to give software a serious tryout without painful financial commitment. It’s that simple. If someone doesn’t like the system after six months, they’re not out $60 – $100K.
Often when salespeople come calling on physicians and other healthcare providers, they tout the efficiency of their product and the efficiency the product will promote. They don’t come in and see how the organization runs, or what the culture is. Practitioners, instead of being passive recipients of whatever the technology gods put together, should and must be protectors of the effectiveness of their work. As Peter F. Drucker said, “efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” Practitioners have to do both, so should their technology solutions.
— Camille Williams
Camille is the Office Manager for ENT Associates of South Atlanta. She is a veteran of the Silicon Valley dot-com bubble meltdown and a former journalist for The New York Times and the Detroit Free Press.
