There are a number of options to choose from when it comes to telemedicine. Having a huge variety is a good thing, however it also makes it difficult on some people to pick the right one at times. Choosing the right vendor involves serious consideration, here are the most important aspects that you must enquire about.

1. What are the initial and maintenance costs?

Ask all details of the pricing and any maintenance costs, setup costs, monthly fees. You might need extra data storage in some cases. To make sure you budget properly, it is very important to be clear about all kinds of costs involved.

2. What kind of training packages do you offer?

Training the staff to incorporate the new systems into their work is essential. The vendors often are the best options for training. Ask the vendor their terms and costs of training.

3. Is the platform HIPAA/ HITEC compliant?

Data security is imperative in healthcare systems, the solution must be 1005 secure and HIPAA compliant. This is because there is confidential and personal information stored on the cloud, which must be kept safe and secure.

4. Is the system accessible via mobile?

Mobile access is needed in order to provide patients treatment anytime, anywhere. Check whether the platform has a mobile app since the presence of an app makes things much easier.

5. Will the setup and management require a dedicated IT staff member?

User-friendly systems can be easily managed. If the solution is tailored to your workflows, it would be easy to maintain.

6. Is the platform cloud-based?

These systems are easier to install and manage; they require no extra data storage onsite.

7. Do I need to purchase any additional equipment?

When evaluating your options, consider if the system will need additional equipment to be set up. Enterprise level systems are complex and often include additional equipment such as carts, telemedicine kiosks, screens, data storage, etc.

8. Does it have live conferencing and what is the video quality?

Video quality depends on the bandwidth of the patient and hospital, but at a minimum the system should have HD video when the bandwidth permits.

9. Is ePrescribe enabled on the platform?

ePrescribe capabilities can be a big bonus and can enable the doctor to send prescriptions directly to the pharmacy.

10. Is patient billing supported?

An integrated billing module will make your workflows more efficient.

11. Do you offer patient marketing solutions?

If the healthcare facility does not have proper marketing staff, the vendor can help provide the marketing resources to communicate the benefits of the new system.

12. Can it be used with EMR?

Enquire how the solution will work with your EMR and whether telemedicine visits can be imported to your EMR.

13. Is reimbursement possible?

Ensure that the vendor is familiar with reimbursement procedures. The direct-pay model is normally used; reimbursement options must also be explored.

14. What level of technical support do you offer?

All systems will face glitches and errors, the vendor can help resolve these.

15. Do you provide a client success team?

A client success team can help you set up, provide training to staff and get the system up and running.

Once you have answers to all these questions, you can compare your options and see the one that fits your requirements the best. However, it should be remembered that a vendor that offers all these services may be a little more expensive.