Attention EHR buyers, unhappy EHR users:

Health IT events are not only for networking. If you go there to relax, go crazy on social media and come back after spending more time at the food court than you did attending the actual event- you are missing precious face to face time with technology vendors who can make or break your practice.

Use your time wisely and prepare to attend these events with a game plan. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Note down the dates and register :

2. Decide upon the EHR vendors you wish to check out and note down their booth numbers. You can visit the event official website or EHR vendor websites for the booth numbers.

Tip: You can read this Top EHR vendor analysis for help with this step. 

3. Note down the questions you intend to ask each vendor. Examples include :

• A direct price quote
• What sets them apart from XYZ vendor
• Software functionality comparison
• Their compliance history

Not to forget, take out time to attend product demonstrations and play with their technology to get a feel of how usable it would be for your own practice workflow.

How to Get the Most from Meeting Vendors

If you have ever been misled by organizations overselling their products online, you would know how people matter as much as the technology they sell.  HIMSS and AAD are your chance to meet people running these organizations, developing their products and to determine if their organizational culture is the right fit for your practice. If you are looking to deploy or switch Health IT this year, make visiting these events and meeting vendors an important part of your overall vendor assessment. Here are a few tips:

1. No one knows their product better than Health IT developers. Developers usually attend Health IT events. It’s their chance to be inspired by the competition and get key insights into what their competitors are planning to do in the foreseeable future. You can meet them personally and ask any difficult questions regarding the functionality of the software and expected product developments without them running away and handing you over to customer support.
2. Get the complete picture. Health IT Vendors do not give out a lot of information on their websites: this is especially true for pricing. Many even avoid giving you temporary access to their application which leaves you with no option but to make the investment and find out much later that the product is not the right fit for you. You can avoid all that by going to Health IT events. Simply shortlist the top EHR vendors, note their booth numbers and spend your sweet time looking through their product, playing with it at your ease and getting a no-nonsense pricing, everything first hand.
3. Onsite-Demos. Don’t waste your time lining up online product demos when you can visit these vendors at such events to compare everything first hand. Being there is as good as setting up an onsite demo with all the vendors of your choice.
4. Un-filtered references. Many times customers visit their vendor’s booth at Health IT events to inquire about issues plaguing their software. This is a great opportunity to get un-filtered references for the product.

Side Note by CureMD:

CureMD’s booth number at:

HIMSS is 8223. Find us here

AAD is 2955. Find us here

The booth will provide a sneak peek into some of the latest innovations by CureMD. We will not only showcase our software to medical practices but also provide key insights into health IT changes coming your way in 2016.

Our panel of experts is updated on just about any and every trend in the industry, whether its CMS regulations or new presidential candidates’ healthcare mandate. We will help develop your practice for the present and the future. So even if you are looking for free advice and don’t wish to buy anything from us, come over anyway!

Here is my personal recommendation:

Don’t miss these three special exhibits that touch upon issues affecting providers in 2016:

• Population Health Knowledge Center focusing on interventions to improve healthcare outcomes without compromising on practice efficiency
• Revenue Cycle Knowledge Center will showcase what healthcare organizations are doing in light of the changing delivery and reimbursement models
• Cyber Security Command Center where attendees can attend educational sessions, take a quiz to determine their security preparedness and learn about the latest technologies available to combat threats

Are you going at HIMSS 2019? Let us help you to enhance the quality and value of care for all patients by facilitating you to connect with cancer care team members, researchers and sponsors with real-world cancer data.

CureMD at HiMSS 2015