Electronic Health Records For Dummies

Weighting and scoring

Only you know how important each selection category is for your clinic. The EHR’s functionality, the vendor’s support, or the system and implementation costs might drive your decision. Each piece is critical to your success, but they don’t measure equally. In consultation with the vendor selection team, determine a weight for each component and measure each vendor accordingly.

When you rate each product, consider your experiences with the vendors during the selection process. Use RFIs, collateral materials, demonstrations, site visit information, interviews, and industry experience to guide your choice. Also, factor how the vendor dealt with you and your staff, its responsiveness, its willingness to go the extra mile, and its knowledge of the EHR product and implementation. Figure 6-3 shows a sample vendor evaluation tool.

You can also calculate your overall score and determine your final vendor ratings by following these steps:

1. Determine the weight for each selection category.

2. Collect and tabulate scoring sheets from each member of the selection committee.

3. Based on the weight each team member carries, calculate the final vendor score.