Beginning your practice with the right software can make a world of difference to your business down the road. This is true for both clinical and practice management software, which is why choosing an EHR in which to invest is often given as much weight as choosing a business partner. 

You may wonder if certain software systems are better for new physicians, especially if you're generally not an expert at software. While experienced software users do display a higher proficiency in EHR software usability tests, the good news is that even doctors who are new to using EHR systems improve at similar rates. 

Research shows new doctors become more proficient with EHR software as they gain more experience using the system. The 2015 study of resident physicians using EHRs found that good usability is key to success of all doctors and that Software with poor usability and a steep learning curve may lead to error-prone use of EHRs, especially by new physicians.

A 2016 study by National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare found that many EHR software systems don’t effectively support efficient clinical work. Again, poor usability was sighted as a key factor in proficiency as well as overall user satisfaction with the software product. The study found that user centered design had a great impact on usability and user satisfaction in EHR systems.

Software systems with high user satisfaction ratings like MacPractice consistently display a recurring trait - they develop their product based on feedback from healthcare professionals that use the software in their jobs everyday. At MacPractice, we believe a major goal of any quality, modern healthcare software should be to allow doctors to spend more time working with patients than paperwork. This means clinical software must adapt to meet a variety of specialties, situations, and scenarios. This is why we develop our software based on feedback from actual clients and the experiences they have in their practices. 

To learn more about our philosophy on software development and user feedback, click here.