6 Reasons for Slow NextGen EHR Performance

Slow NextGen EHR performance does more than waste time. It can also cause data entry errors, staff frustration, and physician burnout. Your NextGen EHR is a key asset for making your practice more efficient and effective. But a slow-performing EHR can do more harm than good.

Research has shown that slow EHR response times are associated with high clinician stress. This can lead to dissatisfaction with your NextGen EHR system and provider burnout. If your NextGen EHR system is slow to respond to clicks and data entry, you need to find the source of the performance problem before it causes staff frustration and burnout. 

Here are six reasons for slow NextGen EHR performance.

NextGen EHR Performance Issues Caused by Equipment and Internet Connections

Your equipment, your internet connection speed, and your local network can cause slow NextGen EHR response times. These problems are not caused by the NextGen system itself, but they can still make it difficult to use your NextGen EHR effectively.

Slow Laptops/Computers

If your NextGen EHR is slow to respond to clicks and data entry, your laptop and desktop computers could be the culprit. Old equipment or computers with insufficient memory may not process information quickly enough to keep up with your NextGen system. If your computers are the problem, you will need to upgrade your equipment.

To determine whether your computers may be the problem, assess response times across software programs. Your computers are likely the problem if you see consistent problems with slow responses across multiple programs and applications. Professional NextGen contractors like TempDev can help you determine whether your equipment or your NextGen system is the culprit for slow response times.

Slow Internet Connection

If your practice uses NextGen cloud-based services or offsite servers, a slow internet connection can cause slow EHR response times. It is easy to test whether your internet speed is causing poor NextGen EHR performance. If your web browsers and other internet-connected programs and applications run smoothly, your internet speed is probably fine. You can also test your internet speed with free web-based tools. If your practice has a slow internet connection, contact your Internet Service Provider for solutions. Also, practices often forget that if people are watching videos or uploading high-resolution scans they can also significantly degrade their internet speed.

Local Network Problems

The slow connection can also occur within your local network. Your local network is the connections between your internal computers, routers, and servers. Local network problems can create NextGen performance issues for both cloud-based and server-based NextGen systems. Bad routers or wireless routers, a poor network configuration, or an overwhelmed system can all cause slow local network connections. Your IT service provider or internal IT department can help diagnose slow local networks. 

NextGen EHR Performance Issues Caused by Your NextGen Configuration

If you have ruled out computer and network issues, your NextGen EHR system may be the problem. Custom configuration can make your system work better for your practice, but it can also make your system run more slowly if not implemented correctly. 

Custom Templates

Custom NextGen EHR templates save your providers and staff time and make your system more user-friendly. They can also help you reduce the need to transcribe dictated notes. But templates can also cause NextGen EHR performance issues. If custom templates are not programmed correctly or have non-optimized stored procedures integrated into your NextGen EHR system properly, it can cause your system to respond slowly to clicks and data entry. Also, if your providers and staff have to click through multiple poorly-designed templates to document an office visit, productivity will suffer. 

If your staff and providers are experiencing performance issues when using custom templates, the templates could be the problem rather than the system. Fixing your custom templates may require external support. The consultants and developers at TempDev are experts in NextGen template development. They can help you optimize your custom templates to improve your NextGen EHR performance.

Indexes

Your NextGen database is large and complex and needs to be well maintained. Sometimes your users will begin using new workflows which your database may not be tuned for. Ensuring your daily and weekly SQL maintenance jobs are running is the first step in maintaining your database. The next step is regularly seeing when new indexes may need to be added or existing indexes need to be adjusted. Expert NextGen developers, like those at TempDev, can help you adjust your database indexes to optimize performance.

Stored Procedures

Stored procedures in NextGen EHR can add value and improve usability, but only if they are coded correctly. Poor coding can lead to slowdowns. If your NextGen system is responding slowly, have your stored procedures examined by experts. NextGen developers, like those at TempDev, can identify problematic stored procedures and rewrite them. This process can get your NextGen EHR back to optimal performance.

How TempDev Can Help

TempDev’s expert NextGen developers and consultants can help you optimize your SQL server's performance to speed up your NextGen response times. If your NextGen EHR and EPM are running slowly or freezing, contact TempDev for a solution. Slow NextGen EHR performance can cause frustrated clinicians and users. This can lead to missed opportunities in patient care and slower reimbursement. A slow system can also create headaches for your providers, increasing the risk of burnout.

Don’t let a slow NextGen system get your practice down. Call us at 888.TEMP.DEV or contact us here to get started improving your NextGen EHR performance.