Suncoast Software

This is the most inefficient EMR I have used. It does not self populate. It asks you for the same information in several places but doesn't give you the same drop down to pick from, such as in one spot it asks for race. Ok-Caucasian. Then it asks again, but now you have to pick White because Caucasian isn't on there. There is no way to create a smart phrase. You have to type in the frequently used phrases or lists every time, or save them on a different site and copy and paste every time. Everything is drop down...click, click, click. It takes forever. It is time-consuming. It is very difficult to find any information you want to read about the patient, such as visits, notes, etc. There are so many quirks to it. It will not allow you to save your work at certain intervals, so if you get interrupted and have to stop, you will probably loose everything you have charted and have to do it all over again. It is awful.

Pros

Nothing.

Cons

Totally inefficient, cumbersome, antiquated.

Advice to Others

Absolutely do not purchase Suncoast.

Reliable and adaptable product. Supportive and knowledgeable staff. Once familiar with the base structure, very easy to navigate and use.

Likes Best

Suncoast does a good job of updating their product to keep up with changing hospice regulations.

Likes Least

The expertise of support staff seems to have decreased substantially in the past few years.

Recommendations

Advise to consider the industry that you will be using the software for - if it is a highly regulated industry like hospice, it is helpful to know that your software vendor will implement regulatory changes without you having to track them down.

Likes Best

Suncoast keeps up with new regulations coming and is proactive in figuring out how we stay current. Billing help is awesome!

Likes Least

Need more palliative care specific forms - someplace for the NP to document all eight domains of palliative care.

Recommendations

Make sure customer service is great even after you buy it

Likes Best

on top of the Medicare regulations to keep us compliant! addressed pharmacy imports, icd-10, two tier payment reform etc. we would have been lost if our software didn't keep up with the requirements.

Likes Least

can have slow turn around for support tickets, sometimes response is very quick and other times can take several days which can be frustrating. particularly when I have a device in hand at the time and may or may not have easy access to the device in a few days.

Recommendations

be sure vendor truly understands home health and hospice regulations. they may say they do but in reality do not! you can lose a lot of money if you don't comply with the regulations.

Likes Best

This product appears to be dependable, although I have only used it for 3 months.

Likes Least

User Interface is extremely outdated and in need of a cleaner, simplified experience

Recommendations

Major overhaul of the system to join this century.

Likes Best

The technical support is very good and are always available when you need them!

Likes Least

The application is very detailed and highly configurable. That can be both a blessing or a bane.

Recommendations

Check to make sure the product will give you what you need. If you need granular details with the ability to track everything, Suncoast is right for you. Once again, Suncoast Solutions is highly configurable and can meet any requirements or network implementation you may need.

Likes Best

Suncoast is in the know. They are up-to-date and in compliance with everything that CMS sends our way. I feel we have a leg up on everything because we have Suncoast. I don't feel like we are missing anything. They keep us up to date. They are very responsive to our needs. Their educational programs are outstanding. Their account rep follows up and helps with all questions. I don't have anything negative to say. They are great; they help us focus on what we do best: quality patient care! They offer educational forums and webinars. They have a great training program.

Likes Least

I don't have any criticisms of this product. It is well designed. There isn't one thing that they haven't thought of. They send out updates and provide all the fixes to meet new regulations.

Recommendations

We are a small not-for-profit hospice. We feel the investment we made in Suncoast was well worth the price.

Likes Best

The upgrade process from 6.3.3 to V7.x.x was awesome. There was lots of planning and attention to detail on behalf of the vendor.

Likes Least

They did not share enough about the new version upgrade experiences from other companies that went to V7.

Recommendations

Depending on your size and number of users, make sure you have the server spec'd out properly with drive space, memory, and CPU. Do not use the base recommendation as your server spec; build it based on the number of users.

Likes Best

A truly unique aspect of the company is the level of commitment they bring to our organization's specific needs and feedback. From support to training to future development, Suncoast offers a complete package that I would highly recommend!

Likes Least

I have no major complaints with the product and vendor.

Recommendations

Do your research. Just like buying a car, be sure to do plenty of research on options, features, etc. Once you've chosen a vendor, it's very expensive to try and switch. Based on my research, Suncoast Solutions is above and beyond the best software on the market for Hospice.