Mental Health EHR Customer Service & Support
EHR Success Hinges on Excellent Customer Service
Electronic Health Records (EHR) training, support, and customer service are as important – if not more important than – the system itself. Essentially, it doesn’t matter how amazing of a tool you have; if you don’t know how to use it properly, it’s not adding value to your agency (at best) and may actually be decreasing efficiency (at worst).
Making sure that you and your staff are properly trained on your mental health EHR is vital to the success of your business. It is only by using your chosen software effectively that it saves you time & money, fulfilling its purpose.
“Software is a tool – how you use it is the solution.” – Adam L., Meaningful Use Consultant
Training on an Electronic Health Record
When looking for a mental health EHR, make sure that the vendor you’re considering offers thorough, in-depth, and comprehensive training. Ask them to map out their implementation plan: how do they migrate your data from your current system or paper processes?
Do they provide separate training sessions for each role (ie, biller, front desk, clinician, etc)? How long will it take before you can be actively using the system? Do they show you how to calibrate the program to your priorities – ie, do they offer standard, one-size-fits-all training, or will they customize training based on your organization’s needs?
“I don’t care if you have the best program in the world; if you can’t use it, it doesn’t help you.” – Seth H., Agency Owner
EHR Customer Service & Support
After initial training is complete, ensuring that you have solid ongoing EHR customer service & support is vital, especially if you will be receiving new releases of the software that might change the information provided in the initial training.
Make sure you nail down the details of how each vendor provides support: is it email only? If phone support is offered, what times is it available, and what happens if the call isn’t answered? How long does it take to get a response back?
Is the phone support provided by folks who are in the US, or by international call center? Some vendors only offer complimentary video or webinar support, and live customer service is an additional cost – or they offer a combination of options (Web, phone, email, video).
Maybe you want your employees to watch training videos before Support is called – or you’d like to have access to a Client Forum to consult with other users. Make sure you think through your ideal process of utilizing the program and confirm that the vendor can handle your requests.
Cost Considerations
The method of training and support provided is also a crucial consideration: for example, if you’re required to fly your staff to a different state and pay for a week’s worth of onsite training, that may put a program completely out of your price range, even if the system itself is the most cost-effective one you’re considering.
If the only support available long-term is to watch videos or sit in on webinars, you may decide that you need more hands-on assistance. Or if stellar support is available but at an exorbitant price, move on to a company that provides it for free or more affordably.
“When choosing a mental health EHR, you should always factor the quality and cost of customer service & support into the price, as they can be more crucial than the program itself.” – The PIMSY Team
More Mental Health EHR Considerations
Click here for a complimentary guide to picking the right EHR for mental & behavioral health; or here to see how PIMSY handles customer service & support.
Leigh-Ann Renz
Leigh-Ann Renz is the Marketing & Business Development Director of PIMSY EHR. For more information about electronic solutions for your practice, check out Mental Health EHR.
