Unfortunately, most EHR vendor contracts do not adequately provide for an effective exit and transition strategy to a future EHR replacement. In most cases, your EHR support and/or use can be terminated without providing adequate time for a transition or even a commitment from the EHR vendor to support the transition. Indeed, the Application Service Provider EHR vendor model is based on continuing payments to use their software and access your data. In more and more cases, EHR vendors are basing continuing use of licensed EHR software on continuing support payments.
This is not an academic discussion. The contractual relationship established in your EHR contract will surely be used to frame and control the vendor’s relationship with your organization. You should make sure than any EHR contract provides for an exit strategy to a future EHR:
- Allow Adequate Time for Your Organization to Select, Implement and Transition to a Future EHR.
- Support the Transition of Your Data from the EHR Vendor Structure to a Future EHR.
- Provide All Data in a Format that Could be Used to Load a Future EHR:
- Facilitate Continuing Access to EHR Data Until You No Longer Need the Former EHR
Ideally, the EHR you are choosing today will not be replaced. However, the reality is that you need to assure that your patient data in the new EHR can be used to maintain the patient’s medical record and meet the evolving Meaningful Use Criteria based standards of care regardless of the events in the EHR industry and the evolution of your healthcare organization or practice.
This article was originally published on Avoid EHR Disasters and is used here with permission. Ron Sterling is author of the HIMSS Book of the Year Keys to EMR/EHR Success. He is a nationally recognized EHR expert with the information that you need to improve patient service and performance.  For questions, he can be contacted at rbsterling@sterling-solutions.com.