The Due Dilligence Process

In order to ensure the best product and vendor partner selection for the CHCA membership, a comprehensive due diligence process was employed. This process took no shortcuts and took a substantial amount of time and effort for the benefit of the membership:

• Early in 2003, the leadership from two of CHCA’s largest member organizations, Manatee County Rural Health Services and Collier Health Services, decided it was time to move forward with the steps necessary to acquire and utilize an electronic health record system. Both organizations, having been actively involved with CHCA’s practice management system collaboration, recognized the leveraging and benefits that would come from engaging in this project via CHCA. The efforts to research and move forward were endorsed by CHCA’s full membership.

• During 2003, CHCA actively observed the endeavors of others in both private and community health center sectors that were engaged in electronic health record projects and monitored their progress as well as their challenges. At the same time, CHCA kept in close contact with federal agency staff and consultants that worked with the various CHC’s or networks to gain insight into the evaluation, selection and acquisition process as well as the various vendor relations. While furthering its knowledge of the marketplace, CHCA worked collaboratively with Manatee and Collier business leaders to better understand the demands of such a project and to evaluate office and patient workflows of the organizations, a step critical to determining the impact of EHR on the current patient environment.

• After its evaluation of the market and determining which vendors would be most responsive in serving the community or rural health center environment, CHCA sent out its Request for Information package to six vendors in early 2004. As the responses came in, CHCA’s EHR Executive Committee, comprised of clinical, fiscal and operations leadership from the three collaborating organizations, reviewed the responses and the merits of the vendors and their product, and selected two vendors to continue on through the evaluation process.

• At the end of March of that year, CHCA hosted a two-day product demonstration event for all of its members. The participation and interest in EHR was underscored with attendance by over 30 providers as well as other member management staff. Following these demonstrations, CHCA released a formal Request for Proposal package to the two participating vendors. The responses from the vendors included comprehensive product information, corporate and market segment data, contract samples, and pricing proposals.

• Upon review of functional capabilities and corporate comparisons, CHCA convened a focus group of clinicians who provided key input to evaluate the programs’ effectiveness and represent the unique needs of staff in the health center environment. This group, along with the EHR Executive Committee, determined which product offering would be a primary choice and which would be the secondary for the on-going negotiation process.

• In early August, 2004, CHCA thoroughly vetted the two competing vendors (a grueling and time intensive process), all the while tracking over 120 various contract and pricing talking points and responses. By the end of September of that year, the vetting process had revealed that slick marketing does not equal a good partner; it was clear that one company’s responsiveness and evidence of integrity was clearly the better choice for CHCA. 

In November of 2004, CHCA signed a Letter of Intent with GE Healthcare Systems to acquire their Centricity electronic health record system; the final contract was signed mid-December.