Why ASP EMR
Why the world has gone to ASP
A comparison of EMR options for physician practices
When it comes to selecting an EMR every doctor wants to keep costs and complexity to a minimum. An ASP such as Nightingale On Demand, Nightingale’s EMR, offers a wide range of benefits compared to a local client server (LCS) installation making ASP simply a better option. Here we explain the options and show why ASP is the better choice for doctors wanting to continue to focus on delivering patient care.
- Lower startup & ongoing cost
- Anytime, anywhere access
- Always the latest and greatest version
- Unlimited support
- Professional IT management
- One low monthly fee
An explanation of the options
What is an ASP EMR?
ASP refers to an application service provider model. With an ASP like Nightingale On Demand, the physician accesses the EMR through Internet using their computer. It’s that simple. The doctor can access the EMR at any time, anywhere they have an Internet connection, whether they are in their clinic, at home, at the coffee shop or travelling. Everything else is managed by Nightingale. Everything else is described below – you will be surprised at how much there is to managing an EMR.
What is a local client server EMR?
A local client server (LCS) EMR is one that is installed and runs on servers located within the clinic. In an LCS model all of the IT management activities and expenses are the responsibility of the clinic.
Let’s start with the costs
A typical practice will save $10,000 in startup costs and almost $1000 in monthly operating costs with an ASP.
See a breakdown of these costs
We thought you would be interested in seeing the cost comparison up front. Keep in mind that we have left out training and configuration of the EMR as those costs are similar no matter which option you select. So here you go. The bottom line is that ASP is a fraction of the cost to set up. That’s because everything is already set up and running at the vendor’s hosting facility. And on an ongoing basis ASP is a fraction of the cost to manage. Again, this is also because everything is done for you by the vendor at their hosting facility.
Always the latest and greatest
Nightingale installs upgrades overnight, while you are asleep. No disruption to the clinic, no worry about lost productivity. You wake up, log in, and you've got the latest and greatest. You don't pay extra for upgrades; they are included in the monthly fee.
It’s not that way with an LCS. Whenever the vendor sends you your software upgrade on a disk, you have to install it yourself. Or you can pay to have your IT consultant do the job.
Always available
Nightingale maintains better than 99.99% uptime (0.01% is only about 4 minutes in a month). A lot can go wrong with computer system. Applications, servers, databases, and networks can all fail. The difference is that to deliver on that promise with our ASP EMR, we provide the industry's most advanced hosting with robust business continuity planning, proactive system monitoring, professional systems managers and redundant redundancy,
To get even close to achieving this with an LCS the costs would be much more than double what we listed above.
Say "goodbye" to backups and storage
All your data has to be backed up regularly. We back up your data constantly. And, it's all done in a redundant and HIPAA-compliant environment. So you don’t need to worry because your patient data is much safer when it's managed by professionals. You can focus on delivering medical care, we’ll focus on the backups.
It is a well known fact that your LCS backup would have a 50% chance of failing; plus, it's a hassle to make them every day, which is probably not often enough. And ask us about the doctor who left the backup tape in the car – in the parking lot…
No expensive network servers or database software
With an ASP you don't need to purchase, maintain or upgrade these expensive, big computer boxes that are often hidden under someone’s desk or in a broom closet somewhere. Basically, if you have access to the Internet, you have access to your system—no server required!
Do you want to be an IT manager?
Most of the costs of an LCS are around managing the system. That management is something you either pay for one way or another. For example, IT service calls, software maintenance, hardware upgrades, staff time in doing backups, or upgrades are just a few of the costs of operating an LCS EMR. Whether it's your time or your money, there's a cost. With an ASP you don’t have to worry about managing your EMR system. We do it at our facilities for you.
Anywhere, anytime EMR access
With an ASP you don’t need special software and all the hassles that go with it. Instead you get secure anytime, anywhere, access to your EMR, anywhere there is an Internet connection. That means you can access your patient information when you are in the clinic or anywhere else. Think of how useful this is if you work in more than one location. An LCS solution can prevent a user from accessing their EMR once they are outside their office location unless special access has been setup such as a virtual private network.
With an LCS you can install and learn how to use applications like PCAnywhere or GoToMyPC, but that isn't really "anywhere at anytime" access is it? It's more like "setup hassle" and "extra costs."
And everyone else is doing it…
The Internet is now relied upon as the primary connection for businesses and institutions everywhere. Financial institutions use it for everything from payment systems to securities transactions. They support the retail industry that relies on it not just for payment systems but inventory management, shipping and so much more. Manufacturing uses it in too many ways to count but just-in-time production line management is just one excellent example. In all of these industries a minute of system interruption can mean millions in lost revenue. Successful software vendors big and small have invested billions to switch to hosting their systems online. And healthcare is no exception. The Internet connects core applications amongst hospitals and health systems, while emergency services all over Canada and around the globe use it to support many critical systems.
Except in very specific cases, it is difficult to argue today that the Internet is not reliable enough or that it is better to manage systems locally.