Risk versus reward, when is switching from one EMR to another worth the hassle?

I was talking to a Doctor yesterday who is a fan of our product and a current user of another. He made one comment which I felt deserved some discussion.
"Switching is painful, but keeping what I have is painful too"

So when is it worth the hassle of switching, and when are you better off sticking with a known solution even if it is not so good. There are no definitive answers, but here are some thoughts...

If your current solution is not funded, and you can get a better solution that is then you really should switch. That's an easy decision to make as the financial case to switch is so compelling, that even a moving away from a product that does not offer a data export would make sound long term sense.

So what about if your current EMR is eligible for funding, but you recognize another product is going to serve your needs substantially better? If you are moving between vendors that can provide a T.O.P.D export (Transfer of Patient Data, a standard implemented by the Alberta government.) you have an increased chance of success. Med Access wrote the T.O.P.D utility for the Alberta government so we can advise you on the pros and cons. However, even with a standards based conversion there are always issues. Beware the salesman who speaks of "seamless transfer of Data." There is no such thing!

If you are a BC Doctor, even if you currently use a product from a P.I.T.O approved vendor you have no choice but to go through a data transfer if you want to remain funded. Whether it is from your current product to the A.S.P/P.I.T.O offering, or from your current product to another. Obviously there will also be additional training issues to deal with switching vendors. However, if you are not happy with your product or support, or both... the optimal time to time to review the risks and rewards of switching would be when you are allocated your funding.

So if you are using a product that is not T.O.P.D compliant, but you still want to look at switching, or because of funding issues you are being forced to... what are your options? This is where it gets complex. You will have to first see what kind of an export your current provider will supply / sell to you and then have your new vendor of choice give you an appraisal of the import. There is no one size fits all type answer, but if you contact Med Access we can give you an honest opinion on your specific data set. If it's not viable, we will tell you... we don't take on projects we cannot succeed at!

Of course you do always have the option of a manual switch, treating the old EMR data as you did your paper files when you first moved over. It's longer and somewhat painful for the staff but you will save the export / import costs and you won't lose any data. The good news is; the pleasure of using a great EMR that can keep up with change lasts a lot longer than the short term pain of manual entry.

And so we return to our original question... Are the rewards of switching EMR's worth the risk? the short answer is;
"Yes if your current EMR is not funded. Possibly if both products concerned are T.O.P.D compliant. Maybe not if you cannot get a good data export, but maybe still so if you have a long term perspective and you don't want to be held hostage to outdated technology!"

Yes, that truly is the short answer! The long answer can only be addressed on an individual case basis. But if you can get an honest appraisal of the pros and cons you are in a better position to make a sound business decision.

If you have been through a switch, let us know your experience and on hindsight was the risk worth the reward. We are listening...