Establishing a solid intake and outpatient system for your addiction treatment center is a factor in its transformation. By implementing this type of program, staff members will have a better way to complete patient applications. In addition, if it’s a returning patient, they’ll be able to pull their previous records quicker. In turn, this could help refine treatment protocols.
Defining an Electronic Health Record
To start this transformation, your company needs to implement electronic health records (EHR). The digitizing of records for all required staffers to examine and update is an important piece in moving your center into the future of treatment.
This requires EHR software. And, to make the decision on the right vendor easier, a solid EMR RFP template must be utilized.
The request for proposal (RFP) template is designed to aid you during the process to select an EHR vendor for your addiction treatment center. In many cases, the EMR RFP template is utilized by IT representatives within your organization to structure requests on your specific technical requirements.
What is Included in the Proposal?
Here are some of the items included in an EHR RFP Template.
The treatment center’s information (address, phone number, etc.)
Market data for the EHR vendor
The services offered by the EHR
Reporting capabilities
Data security parameters
Overall, the template is used to get a general sense of the EHR vendor before requesting a demonstration or trial.
How Long Should You Wait for a Response?
For some in the addiction treatment world, delivery of the template to vendors is the easiest part. The hardest is waiting for a response.
In most cases, four to six weeks should be allotted for a return of information. Make sure to send the vendor a reminder after two or three weeks to make sure they received the material. If you don’t hear back from them in a month and a half, then move on to one of the more responsive EHR vendors on your list.