1. x
Selecting a
Practice Management
& EHR Solution
The Ultimate Guide for Optometry
by VisionWeb

2. x
Table of Contents
Introduction
01- Assessing Your Practice Needs
- Profile Your Practice
- List Your Functional Needs and Wants
- Create a Requirements Description
02- Understanding Different Technology
- Client-Server Technology
- Cloud-Hosted Technology
- Cloud-Based Technology
03- Evaluating Total Cost of Ownership
04- Your Evaluation Kit
- Profile Template
- Functional Needs Template
- Requirements Description Template
- “Which Technology Is Best for You?” Flowchart
- Total Cost of Ownership Worksheet
- Software Comparison Chart
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by VisionWeb
| Selecting a Practice Management and EHR Solution 2

3. x
Introduction
Finding a practice management and EHR solution that is equipped to handle
the unique aspects of your business can be a challenge. Technology is evolving,
government regulations now play a role in your software decisions, and you’ve got
more technology options than ever before. The evaluation process might feel like a
guessing game, but it doesn’t have to be one.
Your practice management and EHR solution is an important investment for your
business. And, it’s not just going to impact your practice for a short period of time.
Once you pick your solution, you are in it for the long haul. So shouldn’t you be able
to feel confident during the buying process? We certainly think so!
We’ve put together a guide that discusses how to assess your practice needs, the
different types of technology, and how to evaluate solutions based on total cost of
ownership. Plus, we’ve included a 9 page evaluation kit full of tear-outs that you can
use during the evaluation process.
Let us make something clear before you dive in. Uprise is a practice management and
EHR solution, and we put this guide together. While we think that our solution is the
bee’s knees, we know it’s not your only choice. In fact, this very book might be what
sends you to another vendor. It’s a risk we’re willing to take if it helps you find the right
solution for your practice.
Cheers!
by VisionWeb
| Selecting a Practice Management and EHR Solution 3

4. Assessing Your
Practice Needs
Chapter 1
by VisionWeb
| Selecting a Practice Management and EHR Solution 4

5. Chapter 1
The ultimate goal when purchasing a practice management and EHR software is to
find a solution that will support the unique and individual needs of your business.
However, do you know what those needs are? And we’re not just talking functionality
needs; we’re talking about your overall practice needs too. No one knows your
practice better than you and your staff. But all too often, we hear that practices get
overwhelmed when shopping for a solution, or they get enticed by a slick sales person,
and they overlook their practice’s real needs.
The result is often an expensive purchase and an unhappy staff. We don’t want that to
happen to you. That’s why we think it’s critical for the evaluation process to start with
your own practice. You won’t be able to find the right solution if you don’t know exactly
what you want it to do and how you want it to interact with your office.
A practice’s needs can be broad and are sometimes hard to define. To make sure it’s
all crystal clear, we’ve broken the evaluation process into these sections to help you
understand your practice better.
1.1 Profile Your Practice
1.2 List Your Functional Needs & Wants
1.3 Create Your Requirements Description
by VisionWeb
| Selecting a Practice Management and EHR Solution 5

6. Profile Your Practice
It is important to get a clear picture of the current situation in your practice before
searching for a practice management and EHR solution. You can do that by creating a
practice profile.
It will provide clarity on how your practice functions and what you will want to gain
from a software. It will also help you learn what will make a solution the best fit for you
and your staff.
One of the easiest ways to profile another person is to start asking questions, right? The
same goes for your business. Start building your practice profile by asking questions.
We suggest three areas of focus:
1. Your Staff
2. Your Hardware and IT Infrastructure
3. Your Workflow
We’ll present a series of questions to get you thinking about each area of focus, and
a discussion about why each plays such an important role in building your practice
profile.
When you ask yourself the questions you have to be brutally honest with yourself!
It will help you set priorities in terms of what to look for in a solution.
Section 1.1
x
Like what you see so far?
Fill out the form and download the free
eBook and evaluation kit.
Get Your Guide!
by VisionWeb
| Selecting a Practice Management and EHR Solution 6