EHR Standards of Excellence

A collaborative project of the Ohio State Medical Association and The Coker Group

Launched in 2008, the OSMA Standards of Excellence Program includes over 30 preferred contract terms and conditions that selected vendors have agreed to provide to OSMA members. The OSMA has advocated for its members to create physician-friendly contract terms and conditions that will provide members with peace of mind. The OSMA created the OSMA EHR Standards of Excellence Program, which includes 10 vendors who are the top certified vendors in the marketplace.
 

Participating vendors in the EHR SOE Program have agreed to over 30 conditions such as:

• Offer preferred pricing up to 15 percent below stated retail price for all medical practices that have 100 percent membership in the OSMA and honor that discount for future licenses. Note: Practices without 100 percent membership typically still receive some type of discount from participating EHR SOE vendors; however, member practices with 100 percent membership will receive a larger discount than those that don’t.
   
• Permit physicians to make stepped payments to vendors based on certain deliverables. With most non-EHR SOE contracts, physicians have to pay a sizeable deposit at the time the contract is signed and the balance paid in full within a short period of time.
   
• Allow ownership of software licenses to be transferred or assigned whether due to purchase, merger, acquisition, etc. With most non EHR SOE vendors, software licenses are non-transferable, which means if you sell your practice or merge, you would have to repurchase your licenses.

In addition, all of the OSMA EHR SOE vendors must be certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB). This means the participating vendors have gone through a rigorous review process to ensure product suitability, quality, interoperability, data portability, and security.  They have also been confirmed by the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy for e-prescribing.

Before a practice can implement a new EHR system, the practice should analyze workflow to ensure the practice is operating as efficiently as possible. The OSMA offers a practice audit and assessment to identify areas to improve your workflow and your bottom line. This service is offered at a discounted fee for OSMA members. Please click here for more information on OSMA Consulting Services.

To ensure your IT infrastructure and computer systems are ready to handle your new system, the OSMA has technology partners who can assist you in getting ready before their EHR implementation from EasyIT and Nexus IT Services. Please click here for more information.

OHIP provides additional services for Primary Care Providers (PPCPs) to assist with training and reaching meaningful use. For more information, please click here.

To download a EHR SOE Program flyer, please click here.

For additional information about the OSMA's EHR SOE Program, please contact the OSMA Resource Center (800) 766-6762 or info@osma.org.