Usage-Based Pricing: Explained

Most cloud-based EHR/EMR platforms in Canada utilize a single, monolithic subscription model. This one-size-fits all business model charges a fixed price for each healthcare provider, with additional charges for each clinic location. In order to come up with what that price is, the company must first analyze average (or expected average) usage of server resources across all users on their system, then come to a fixed price which will (on average) cover the server resource costs for the entire platform. Support costs are then factored in, a markup is applied, and the final cost to you is then published on their website.

You’ll typically see pricing like “$89 per month, for a single clinic, with one healthcare provider license included”. Additional healthcare provider licenses usually cost extra. Some companies offer discounts for part-time practitioners, others do not. Quite often, unlimited SMS messaging and emails are part of this pricing model. Not every healthcare provider needs all the features bundled into this one-price-fits-all business model, so most practitioners end up paying far more than they need to, and quite often are paying for services they do not use.

This is an inherently unfair pricing model, as it actually favors “power users” over everyone else. Practitioners who are heavy users of the system (i.e. they upload lots of large files, are online all day using a lot of bandwidth, and send thousands of SMS messages per month) are actually being subsidized by the users who may only be using the system on a part-time or “light” basis. This is why Cybermedex uses a brand-new pricing structure designed with fairness in mind.

Usage-based pricing is a business model designed to be fair across all types of organizations, by allowing each customer to custom-build a plan which includes only the features which they actually need or use and at a level that matches their expected usage. For example, during the sign-up process you may choose one of our pre-configured bundles (we created several bundles based on the most common usage scenarios); however, each bundle can be completely customized to suit your specific business.

Want to add additional practitioners or office admins onto your portal? No problem, there’s no extra charge for that. Want to expand and add 3 new locations? Again, there’s no charge for that. We want to see your business succeed, because as your business grows your usage of our services will also increase. You may start out as a small, single healthcare provider clinic and only send a few hundred SMS messages and faxes. But over time, you’re able to adjust your service levels to match your needs. The ability to upgrade or downgrade service levels over time as your business changes is built into our pricing model.

Perhaps you take 2 months off over the summertime. Why should you continue to pay full price for your EHR platform if you only plan on sending a few faxes and seeing a very limited number of patients over that time? With Cybermedex, you can reduce your service levels before you take your vacation, then increase those levels again when you’re ready to see patients full-time. Maybe you would like to continue to see patients while you’re at your cabin for the weekend; you can add remote video encounters for a few days, then turn off the feature when you return to your office.

If you’re still using an EHR platform with fixed-rate pricing, maybe it’s time to switch to a more modern platform with usage-based pricing.

Check out our custom plan builder by clicking the 'Customize Your Plan' below.

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