I received an email from a new doc starting up a practice.  He is shopping for recordkeeping software and said he is trying to find the best fit.

 

I applaud his efforts to find the best fit, which is probably the most important concern.  Will the software work for his practice and will he be able to use it effectively and efficiently?

 

He was asking if I had any recommendations for him and unfortunately, I can't make any specific recommendations for any product because it could be construed as an NCMIC endorsement. 

 

But I gave him some resources:

• Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (www.cchit.org) - This is kind of the top dog for certification of software. I am not saying the software you buy needs to be certified, but the website has some good information to educate yourself before your purchasing decision.
• Chiropractic Economics (www.chiroeco.com) - This website has a buyers guide and has run articles, available online, about how to make your purchasing decision.
• Chiropractic Products Review (www.dcproductsreview.org) - This magazine also has a buyers guide and information on the various products available.

The colleges can also be a resource. Several of the colleges have students review software and write an assessment.  The library then archives the assessments for future reference.

 

State associations may also have endorsed a vendor. This means they have done the due diligence on the vendor and are recommending it to their members

 

But this doc got it right.  The purchasing decision needs to be based on the fit with his practice.  As with anything else in business, if the fit is bad then the relationship will fail.  Same thing with your software purchase.