Many providers may think they can simply choose any EHR vendor form the Certified Health IT Product List maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services and have their IT needs met. However, one expert is warning that not all products on the list are equal.

Jim Tate, who is the managing partner at the consulting group HITECH Answers, recently wrote in MedCity that the products included on the certified list meet the standards of the first stage of meaningful use. However, this by no means guarantees that they will satisfy the standards of individual practices.

"Quite a few of the applications are excellent and demonstrate elegant approaches to the electronic documentation of health information. Others are poorly designed, cumbersome and no provider will ever be satisfied using them," he wrote.

His comments underscore the importance for healthcare organizations to thoroughly research EHR vendors before making their selection. The American Health Information Management Association suggests that smaller offices work together to get vendors to deliver product demonstrations. This can allow them to get their hands on the actual system and test it for ease of use and other specifications.