for additional support should be itemized on the contract. The contract should clearly outline the terms of the support agreement. For each interface to another system, e.g., laboratory, billing, scheduling, etc., the contract should indicate whether the cost of the interface includes interface programming time and, if so, how many hours are included. It should detail what happens if and when those hours and the associated costs are exceeded. The contract should also identify what is included with the interface, for example interface specifications. The contract should what happens if subsequent programming is needed either because of initial errors or if additional modifications are needed. The contract should stipulate who owns the interface and who will troubleshoot it when it goes down or errors occur. Each interface should have terms outlined regarding which party is responsible for upgrading it, and which party will assure that it functions with new upgrades of main products. The contract should identify how many training hours are included, who is covered, and what is included with the training, e.g., training material, customized cheat sheets, etc. The contract should explain what happens if additional training is needed and what the billing rate is for additional time. The contract should spell out what are acceptable and non-acceptable costs and establish a per diem rate for trainers (if there are on-site sessions). The contract should stipulate what (if any) follow-up training is provided and at what cost. The contract should spell out what is and is not included in the implementation costs: what services will be received, how many hours, who the resources will be, what sort of materials will be provided (e.g., project plan, implementation guides, specifications), etc. The contract should spell out what are acceptable and non-acceptable costs and establish a per diem rate for implementation staff. Look at the warranty, disclaimer and limitation of liability sections very carefully. Usually these are written all in caps or bold type, and they severely limit vendor’s liability. Vendors are not likely to change either section substantively (if at all) even if a practice requests it, so read and understand this part and what it means for the practice.
for additional support should be itemized on the contract. The contract should clearly outline the terms of the support agreement. For each interface to another system, e.g., laboratory, billing, scheduling, etc., the contract should indicate whether the cost of the interface includes interface programming time and, if so, how many hours are included. It should detail what happens if and when those hours and the associated costs are exceeded. The contract should also identify what is included with the interface, for example interface specifications. The contract should what happens if subsequent programming is needed either because of initial errors or if additional modifications are needed. The contract should stipulate who owns the interface and who will troubleshoot it when it goes down or errors occur. Each interface should have terms outlined regarding which party is responsible for upgrading it, and which party will assure that it functions with new upgrades of main products. The contract should identify how many training hours are included, who is covered, and what is included with the training, e.g., training material, customized cheat sheets, etc. The contract should explain what happens if additional training is needed and what the billing rate is for additional time. The contract should spell out what are acceptable and non-acceptable costs and establish a per diem rate for trainers (if there are on-site sessions). The contract should stipulate what (if any) follow-up training is provided and at what cost. The contract should spell out what is and is not included in the implementation costs: what services will be received, how many hours, who the resources will be, what sort of materials will be provided (e.g., project plan, implementation guides, specifications), etc. The contract should spell out what are acceptable and non-acceptable costs and establish a per diem rate for implementation staff. Look at the warranty, disclaimer and limitation of liability sections very carefully. Usually these are written all in caps or bold type, and they severely limit vendor’s liability. Vendors are not likely to change either section substantively (if at all) even if a practice requests it, so read and understand this part and what it means for the practice.
contracting-guidelines-and-checklist-for-ehr-vendor-selection.docx