5 Mistakes Small Practices Make When Choosing an EHR

Making the right decision when selecting an Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution is essential for small and independent medical practices. Health organizations must weigh the cost, implementation complexity, and potential disruption to patient care before choosing one solution over the other.

Unfortunately, too many small practices make critical mistakes that end up costing them in the long run. We'll break down five common mistakes practices make when choosing an EHR so you can avoid them and select the best system for your practice.

Read More: What's the Difference Between an EHR and EMR?

1. Not Leaving Room to Grow

You need an EHR solution that can grow alongside you. If you don’t invest in a scalable EHR solution now, you’ll waste time and money replacing your entire system in the future.

Scalability enables small practices to move forward while increasing efficiency, reducing errors, and improving patient care within the same platform—something small practices can’t do if they choose a more rigid EHR package. It also allows small practices to provide a seamless experience as they transition in staff, update technology, and gain resources during growth without disrupting patient service.

This type of flexibility allows small and independent practices to maintain the same level of care they offer patients while expanding overall capabilities.

2. Choosing the Wrong EHR

Many practices make the mistake of going too big or small with their EHR and getting a system that doesn’t match their needs. For example, if you’re a small medical practice, you don’t need enterprise EHR designed for large medical centers.

Having a poorly matched EHR will be, at the very least, an unnecessary financial drain on your bottom line. At worst, unnecessary or complex features may hold your practice back by reducing efficiency.

Read More: 6 Ways to Book More Appointments at Your Independent Practice

3. Underestimating the Cost of an EHR

Many small practices underestimate the total cost of EHR ownership. One of the most overlooked expenses isn’t the initial purchase price but the ongoing support, training, and maintenance required to ensure optimal performance.

Once you factor in operational needs such as hardware upgrades, software updates, and regular system backups, it’s easy to see how quickly you can overwhelm your already small budget. Without a thorough assessment, you may find yourself swamped with unexpected costs during or after implementation. Be prepared!

4. Skipping ONC Certification

An EHR solution that is ONC certified represents the industry standard for safety, accuracy, and efficiency in healthcare data management. ONC certification guarantees that the technology offering meets specific government standards and includes key components like clinical quality measurement, care coordination and interoperability, protection of patient privacy, and improvement in healthcare outcomes.

An ONC-certified EHR also provides IT security assurance for confidential healthcare information, making it ideal for small practices looking to protect their patients' health records while staying compliant. With an ONC-certified EHR solution, your technology will help you deliver quality care at lower costs and remain competitive.

Read More: How You Know Your EHR System Is Worth the Investment

5. Not Catering to Your Specialty

Choosing specialty-specific EHR software is a sound decision for any small medical practice or independent provider. A specialty-tailored EHR system eliminates many of the complexities that often come with generalized solutions, allowing your team to focus on using their specialist knowledge and clinical experience to take care of patients and maximize workflow efficiency.

Specialty solutions navigate specialty-specific requirements, regulations, and clinical protocols without needing additional customization that would add even more complexity and cost. Not only will specialty EHR provide clinicians with quick and accurate access to patient information, but it can also improve patient outcomes by ensuring better accuracy in documentation through specialty-tailored alerts and reminders.

Small Practices Can't Go Wrong With Intelligent Medical Software (IMS)

Scalable? ONC certified? Specialty EHR? Meditab’s Intelligent Medical Software (IMS) has it all.

Whether you need integrated practice management, robust scheduling tools, or telemedicine features designed for your specialty, IMS is the perfect all-in-one EHR solution for any independent practice looking to boost revenue and maximize efficiency.