Entering into the right partnership with your HMS vendor can be the most important strategy for taking your organization to the next level by providing the best solutions and delivering the highest rate of satisfaction to your clients.
But, is it wise to have more than one vendor? How do you improve the connections to get the best possible results? And how to make sure your vendor understands the objectives the software should help accomplish? You might have many questions. So here are 13 tips for working with your HMS vendor that will help you achieve growth without sacrificing hospital efficiency.
- Have a clear hospital management system vision: It's difficult for your hospital management systems vendor to deliver if they don't know what it is you're trying to achieve or where you want to go in the next five or ten years.
Make sure your hospital management system vendor is on the same page as you by having a clear vision for what hospital management systems will look like in the future and how to get there.
- Ask about training: It can be difficult to learn the working of such software, even if it is supposed to make things easier. The best hospital management system vendor will want to ensure that hospital staff can use the HMS as quickly and easily as possible and would offer training, tutorials, or webinars on a regular basis.
- Keep your hospital management system provider involved: Vendors might have a few suggestions on how to do things better. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your HMS software vendor if you need assistance with hospital operations.
- Listen: Communication is key when working with vendors. Make sure you're able to ask questions and get clarification when necessary, while also being open to the advice they offer. If your vendor offers a suggestion that doesn't work for your hospital or hospital staff, then don't be afraid to turn it down.
Remember to stay in contact with your vendor, whether it be through phone calls, email, or hospital meetings.
- Be patient: It takes time for changes to take effect across an entire hospital. This can be frustrating at times, but your vendor is working to improve hospital operations and the technology that supports them.
- Price point: Arrive at a price that sounds good to both you and the vendor. Ensuring you have an affordable hospital management system that fits within your hospital's budget is essential. Also, consider your total cost of ownership so as to understand the technology and infrastructure needs the software may have.
- Timeframe: Make sure the vendor can work within your timeframe. Have a fair idea of your expectations out of the system and share it with the vendor so that they do not miss anything while trying to complete it within the given deadline.
- Future needs: An HMS is an investment and partner for growth as it involves organization-wide changes. Will your HMS enable you to run your organization and grow for future needs? Make sure to discuss this question with your vendor.
- Modules: An HMS is the backbone of an organization and it often requires multiple other applications, such as CRM, HRMS, financial accounts, medical devices, claims exchanges, health information exchanges, etc. Clarify with your vendor the number of modules they’ll provide so that you can arrange the rest elsewhere.
- Hosting: Make sure you get the kind of hosting that suits the needs of your hospital. With the latest technologies being cloud adopted is definitely a better bet for the longer term.
- Feature fitment to needs: Some products are better suited to clinics as against complex workflow needs for hospitals or inpatient treatment. Make sure the software your vendor sells you is a fit for your institution type.
- Backup policies: Discuss the backup options provided by the software clearly because not doing so can lead to critical data loss at the hospital.
- Limit the number of vendors: There's nothing wrong with building a hospital management system that includes more than one hospital management system vendor. Sometimes, you need to use several different programs and systems to create the best possible hospital management system.
But, once everything is connected and tied together, it can become difficult to manage so many outside parties without having some overlap or confusion. Limit the number of hospital management system vendors you work with so that their support is streamlined.
If you want to grow in partnership with your HMS vendor, these 13 tips are a great place to start. Keep them at the forefront of your mind during any interactions and conversations with your team members and vendors so that both parties can benefit from each other’s knowledge and expertise.
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