Electronic Health Records For Dummies

Evaluating current hardware

Start by assessing your current hardware. Work with your vendor rep to make a list of your hardware that works with the new EHR software. The vendor can and should provide you with a list of requirements for software, network connectivity, and hardware needs. Additionally, the vendor may help provide the hardware to you or point you toward a preferred resource that can help.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help because technology can be one of the more daunting aspects of the EHR experience. Talk to your friends and colleagues at other practices, reach out to your local hospital for advice or support, and ask the vendor to connect you to other successful practices to get their input and advice.

If you find that you need to discard some good working hardware, consider offering a sale to another practice and put the money into your EHR war chest. Cha-ching!

You should analyze the functionality and condition of the following:

Servers (if hosting onsite)

Desktop workstations

Laptops and tablets

Fax machine

Scanners

Voice recognition equipment

Handheld devices (such as PDAs or smartphones)

List the pros and cons for any hardware that falls into the “questionable” category. If, for example, you have a slightly outdated scanner or fax machine that syncs with the new software without problems, determine whether keeping it (initial savings) outweighs chucking it (saves ...