| Consider an EMR: |
Then consider PC Encounter: |
| Cost: $35,000 - $100,000 per physician plus hardware. The average support is $6,000 per physician per year. |
Cost: Less than $2,000 for the first physician plus hardware. Additional physicians are less than $1,000. Support is $900 per office per year, required only for the first year (or $0 if support is not needed after that). |
| Requirements: IT staff to install and maintain. |
Requirements: Install and maintain yourself. |
| Staff: Need significant retraining. |
Staff: Minimal training needed; existing staff can train new staff in-house. |
| Physicians: Need to conform to EMR's office forms. |
Physicians: Use your own, familiar forms. (Click here for more information on how PCEncounter does this.) |
| Data: Need to type in all new patient info. |
Data: Handwrite or dictate new patient info, almost just like you do now. |
| Existing files: Need to retype in order to access information in future. Most EMRs assume that customers will maintain their existing record rooms. |
Existing files: Just open your PCArchiver scanned files, which already freed you from maintaining paper records. |
| Access: Proprietary software formats lock in your data for life; you should plan to commit to an EMR for the long-term. |
Access: Industry standard TIFF format and Microsoft Access-based database ensure you'll always be able to open your files and even import them into any EMR you might choose in the future. |
| Queries: Data is searchable by field. |
Queries: Most independent practices only need to search by name/number. If your practice needs greater detail, you do have the choice to make data searchable by up to 30 fields. |
| Legal compliance: HIPAA compliant. |
Legal compliance: HIPAA compliant. |
| Pros: Share and study data throughout an enormous medical system. |
Pros: Cost, time and effort investment appropriate to the size and needs of your practice, with benefits you'll see quickly. |
| Cons: Expense, considerable IT support , staff time/effort in both training and implementation, typing requirement, proprietary file formats. |
Cons: Need to turn away EMR salespeople. |
