The Pros and Cons of Changing Systems

By Curt Hill

Are you thinking about switching things up and changing your practice management (PM) system, your EMR or both? If you are, you’re not alone! It is important to understand the ramifications of doing so. It’s also important to appreciate that the “grass is not always greener on the other side,” although people selling the systems will almost always tell you that it is.

The first and most important question to answer is this: what is your intention in switching systems—whether it be your EMR, your PM system, or both? Changing systems is a very big deal, generally quite disruptive, and often very expensive. So, weigh your motivation very, very thoroughly—is what you’re after worth the expense and disruption?

The second thing to recognize is that changing systems will never change insufficient or inadequate work processes. The same people will be using the new system as were using the old system, and if the structures and processes to efficiently run the practice are not in place, changing systems won’t fix it! Often, digging in and tightening up the structures and processes will obviate the need for a shiny new system—and it will be much less expensive and reveal what the true issues are.

Third, do you really need to change both? The notion that you need both your EMR and PM systems from the same company is simply not true. The current state of technology allows for seamless integration between a myriad of systems. You may find that, as a provider, you gravitate to one EMR above all others, and the PM system from that company isn’t best for your workflow.

If you want to talk to us about this—we’ve worked with many of the ophthalmology geared programs on the market—we would be happy to. We’re familiar with most of the strong points and weak points!
With all that said, if after weighing the pros and cons thoroughly, you decide to make the change, check with us! It is unlikely that changing your billing service partner at the same time will also be in your best interest. We currently work with several of the major systems and will always be happy to support your and your staff in making the change.