We have come a long way in the digitization of healthcare records, but have yet to see an EMR Software with a revolutionary design or doctor-focused philosophy. Most healthcare providers using Electronic Medical Records software systems today have become accustomed to their existing EHR Software platforms and given up on the search or hope for more suitable EMR Systems. This is simply because every EMR Software vendor today aims to outsell the competition rather than outsmarting it. The HITECH Act did indeed inspire a technological revolution in the world of Healthcare IT, but the lack of compassion in the measures of the “Meaningful Use” program has meant that the whole exercise was destined to be meaningless from the start.

Practice Management Software Systems (PMS) have been around for a long time with practices using scheduling and basic medical billing features to make their practice workflow more efficient. However, the adoption of Electronic Health Records Software systems to private medical professionals on a larger scale has only started to happen as a result of the ARRA (Meaningful Use) or MIPS and MACRA as it is known today. Standalone EMR systems companies started developing software to meet these regulatory requirements and started to attract the surge of the impulsive buyer in the healthcare market.

Soon thereafter, a stand-alone EMR software package was not enough for the medical provider and thus the integrated EMR and Practice Management software package was born. This too quickly became old news and medical providers now wanted specialty-specific EMR software to manage their clinical documentation requirements.

With all of that now in the past, customer retention and EMR user satisfaction have now become the paramount concern for EHR software vendors across the health IT industry. This is ultimately a great news for existing and potential EMR systems users, as more providers have now actively used EHR software for the past few years.

What to look for in 2019?

If you’re a medical provider looking to start your private practice or an established healthcare provider feeling uneasy with your current EHR system, 2019 may be the year you finally find what you need in an EMR and Practice Management software systems platform. If any of the following is on your wish list of features in your current or prospective Electronic Medical Records software solution, you may finally find the answer in 2019.

Specialty Support

Affordable Fees

Accessibility on mobile devices

Customizability

Extensive reporting functionality

Usability

Read part 2 to learn which systems will meet these requirements in 2019! (to be continued…)