Thursday, September 26, 2013

Finding the Best Physical Therapy EMR Software for You


When it comes to choosing an EMR software company, it's important to look for qualities that best support the services offered by the PT clinics. Evaluating items such as the specialty, retention ratio, solvency and how they execute product testing can help PT's find the best physical therapy EMR software. Here are a few factors to research and consider when searching for a product that is right for your PT clinic.

Specialty

When looking for an EMR company, be sure to determine if they have a specialty. Companies that specialize in a specific field such as physical therapy, neurology, chiropractic, etc. have a higher level of knowledge and expertise built into the program, whereas EMR software programs that try to do everything may be lacking in some areas. For example, PT clinics would want to find EMR software that includes tools for better documentation for physical therapists, specifically.

Growth & Retention

Not only is it important to find out how long the company has been in business, but also determining the growth rate is important. Yes, a company that has been around for many years will have more experience, but a lack of growth could be cause for concern. They could have either hit a stalemate or even experienced a decline.

Analyzing the company's retention ratio can also be illuminating. This measures the number of users that stay with the system, compared to those who leave. Try asking questions like how many customers they currently have and how many have left. A retention ratio over 90 percent is good, and a ratio over 95 percent could be an indicator that the company has a bright future.

Solvency

A company that is solvent will spend more money on advertising and marketing as they are trying to grow. Things to look for include a well developed and working web page, a consistent and updated blog, and industry periodicals that look clean, neat and professional. Even judging the overall branding can help determine the best physical therapy EMR software company; it could be a sign of staying power.

Product Testing

Find out how the company is testing their products. Beta testing is a great way to find out from real consumers if the EMR software provides good documentation for physical therapists. Beta testing allows customers to test the product and provide relevant feedback, allowing the company to make improvements. It's good to find out how long the Beta period was for the company; a long testing period could signify major technical issues with the programming.

Overall Opinion

Finally, try to get a good grasp on the overall opinion of the EMR software company. Find out what consumers are saying about the product. Check out user message boards and research any articles in which they've been mentioned.

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