Healthcare Software Companies Should Offer Live Operator Support

Agbar Cinozzi, a pediatrician in rural North Dakota, installed what he’d figured was a state-of-the-art EMR application for his burgeoning practice in April, 2008. The purchase price of the system was substantial, but it was already beginning to save time by virtually eliminating hand-charting of his young patients’ sometimes surprisingly extensive medical histories. He was attempting to learn the system he’d incorporated into his practice; he knew that given the circumstance, every nuance and facet of the complicated yet exciting software application could prove crucial; perhaps even crucial enough to save a child’s life. But he was having difficulty with a comprehensive understanding of one of those thousands of facets, and so were his support personnel in the busy office. He had just this little question � rnrnrnrnrnDr. Cinozzi picked up the phone, and dialed the number of the company that had provided the EMR application. It was a direct line � to an automated robotic voice. He needed to speak to someone live, a real person, but he patiently began to respond to such cues that were provided, allowing him to navigate through a complicated maze of telephonic paths. Nine minutes later, he was still navigating, and seemingly no closer to hearing the reassuring human cadence of a real technical support person, someone who could answer his only question. Desperate, he pressed the �O� button his electronic phone, denoting �operator.� Sometimes this works, This time, it didn’t. He got disconnected. A dial tone is ubiquitous, and seldom helpful. rnrnrnrnrnThe healthcare software industry unfortunately disappoints physicians and those acting in their behalf far too often. Few companies in this competitive arena offer live operators to field questions, or if they do, only for a limited time period, a given day or two in a given week, or perhaps only during a brief �window� of a few hours per day. The exceptions � those providing live operators 95% of the time � are rare, but appreciated. The exceptions are a gateway to improved productivity for fortunate physicians. rn