This can be a complicated process taking anywhere from several days to two months. Experts say you should start no later than mid-September. That price doesn't include hardware, data conversion, clinical support or medical records features. You can order them via mail or online and typically have them in hand within 48 hours. Installation typically requires several hours and can be done by a technologically savvy physician or office manager.
Similar packages are also available for larger practices.
By comparison, a fully supported vendor-installed system could cost triple that amount. At the upper end, the installation process should come with two to three days of staff training provided by the vendor. If you don't have enough time to complete a full data conversion, one solution is to leave your old system running but to set up a new, parallel system alongside it. You'll still need to print out and re-enter remaining records in the new system manually, but that can be done after Jan. 1. 4. This step is controversial and potentially dangerous.