If you run a small provider, the first question about an electronic patient care record (ePCR) is usually what it costs. The answer depends on how the supplier counts and what sits around the software. Below are the common pricing models, the costs that turn up later, and how SnapMedic prices ePCR.
Pricing models in the market
Suppliers charge in a handful of ways, and you'll often see them mixed.
A flat fee is one monthly or annual price, often with unlimited users. It's easy to budget, but can cost more than you need if you have only a few clinicians.
Per-user pricing charges for each person with an account. Check what counts as a user. Some suppliers count everyone invited, others only people who write records.
Per-device or per-vehicle pricing suits a fixed fleet and gets awkward when you borrow kit for a big event.
Tiered pricing uses bands based on staff numbers, vehicles or both. Watch the point where you move up a band.
Some products sell ePCR as one module in a wider platform with rota, fleet, events and finance. The headline price covers everything. If you only want patient records you may pay for modules you won't use. If you want the rest, one platform can cost less than several.
Paper isn't free either. You pay for printing, storage, scanning or re-typing, and for the time lost when a form can't be found.
What drives the price
The main factors are how many people you count, how many devices, what is bundled with the records, how much support you get and where the data is hosted, and the contract shape: monthly rolling, annual in advance or multi-year. Dedicated hosting generally costs more than shared.
Costs people forget
Ask about each of these before you sign.
- Setup. Is configuring your form and formulary included, or charged separately?
- Migration. Moving your paper form into electronic fields, or old records into the new system, may cost extra.
- Training. Is there a session for your administrator? Are crew sessions extra?
- Support. What hours, what response time, and is it in writing?
- Price changes. Can the supplier raise the price during a term, and with how much notice?
- Exit. Can you export your records, in what format, and is there a fee? This is the one most often left until too late.
- Retention. How long are records kept, and what does a longer period cost?
- VAT. Check whether quoted prices include or exclude it.
How SnapMedic prices ePCR
The price is £150 a month for up to 50 people, with ePCR included. From 51 to 150 people it's £3 per person per month. Larger organisations get volume pricing from £1 per person. Prices shown exclude VAT where it applies.
Here is how that works out:
| People | Monthly price |
|---|---|
| 20 | £150 |
| 100 | £300 |
| 150 | £450 |
At 100 people that's the £150 base plus 50 people at £3. At 150 it's the base plus 100 people at £3.
We give you a written quote covering software, hosting and support. Billing for ePCR starts at the agreed live-service date, not at signing. Standard onboarding includes an agreed setup checklist and one remote administrator training session. Extra work is quoted separately, and the quote sets out support hours, renewal terms and any retention or export arrangement.
Questions to put to any supplier
- What exactly counts as a user, and what happens if I add ten more for one event?
- Is setup of my form and formulary included?
- What are the support hours, and are they in writing?
- Can I export all my records if I leave, and is that free?
- How much notice do you give before a price rise?
Our longer list is in questions to ask before choosing an ePCR system.
What we'd do first
Before you ask anyone for a quote, count how many people would use the system and write down what you need beyond records. Send that same list to every supplier. You'll be comparing like with like, and the suppliers who can't answer plainly will show themselves quickly.
To see how SnapMedic ePCR fits, tell us about your service with those numbers and we'll quote against them.
