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Client Data Toolkit: Purchasing

Original Publication Date: April 18, 2012
Last Updated: June 24, 2024
Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes

Purchasing: How to Estimate the Cost of Your System

Trying to find out the actual price of what an EHR system will cost can be an exercise in patience and persistence. To begin with, there are many ways that vendors price their EHR products. The user licenses may be priced per billing provider, per provider FTE equivalent, per named user, per concurrent user, or based on a perentage of your organizational operating budget.

The process usually begins with a demo. Many vendors want to show you a thirty to sixty minute demo of the product before they will discuss system pricing.

EHR Incentives – The Stimulus Money

The U.S. government has made incentive money available for health care organizations to implement electronic health records. All of these products have a robust set of features and are on track to have their products certified by ONC. Behavioral healthcare providers must use an ONC(link is external) certified EHR to qualify for Medicaid and Medicare Meaningful Use incentive payments. ONC is the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

How to Write a Request For Proposal (RFP)

Grants and Grant Writing
How to Fund Your Client Data Management System

There are many funding sources available for health and technology projects. The list below will give you a starting point. In addition, you can do an internet search on the following words and phrases. Put the phrase in quotation marks for better search results.

Instructions for Writing a Grant

Publications on Technology Funding

Funding Resources 

Technology Donations and Discounts

Many organizations give substantial discounts to nonprofits for hardware and software. It is worth exploring these options to see if you are eligible.

Microsoft software donations(link is external) are made in response to the requests of individual nonprofits to meet their organizational needs. The process for requesting a software donation depends on the location of your organization. Be sure to check the most current Microsoft Eligibility Requirements.

Check out the next section of the toolkit: Client Data Toolkit: Customizing

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