Features you should look for in an EHR for small practices

Finding the best EHR for small practices

May 5, 2023

Leona Rajaee

Searching for an electronic health record (EHR) solution for your small practice can be challenging. Many EHRs either offer too little or too much, depending on your independent practice’s needs. Finding the best EHR for small practices involves determining exactly what your practice does need and then searching for the most appropriate solution for those needs. While this may seem a daunting process, there are a few key points to keep in mind to make finding the best EHR for small practices a little less challenging.

One of the main considerations for an independent practice searching for an EHR solution is whether that solution will be server-based or cloud-based. For a small practice, a cloud-based EHR is typically preferred as the maintenance and updates are handled by the EHR provider rather than requiring an in-house IT department.

With a cloud-based system, much of the configuring, security and software is handled by the EHR provider, eliminating a significant bulk of the work for the small practice. Since the server is created and managed by the EHR provider, the vendor is more likely to meet HIPAA patient information confidentiality standards, which also makes future expansions of a practice an easy task rather than a complete overhaul of the system.

When tasked with finding the best EHR for small practices, the independent physician may also consider the need for useful features such as e-prescribing and electronically ordering laboratory tests and results. Of course, cost is a major consideration as well for a small practice. The system should provide the efficiency the practice needs within its allotted budget.

A small practice with limited staff does not have time to sit in a training class for several hours and cannot afford any downtime with patient records. Independent providers must ensure that their staff can be easily and quickly trained on the new EHR system and that customer service is readily available when users have questions. Data transfer is critical as well, to enable the practice to continue providing quality care in a seamless and effective manner in the transition to the new EHR.