1. Build one real journey to test
Choose a common case that begins in OPD and may become an admission. Walk the vendor through registration, consultation, investigation, pharmacy, deposit, bed allocation, nursing, OT if relevant, final bill, TPA documents and discharge. Ask every department where it enters or changes information. Note each duplicate entry and manual handoff.
2. Put role permissions on screen
Ask what a receptionist, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, lab technician, cashier, insurer desk and administrator can each view or edit. Check correction history, audit records, approvals and export rights. A shared record is only useful when the access model is clear.
3. Check revenue and stock together
Ask the vendor to demonstrate one charge from order to bill to collection and report. Include cancelled orders, refunds, deposits, packages, insurance shortfalls and day-end reconciliation. For pharmacy and consumables, examine purchase, batch/expiry if needed, issue, returns and stock reconciliation.
4. Verify interfaces and connectivity
List your laboratory instruments, imaging systems, payment devices, accounting system and patient communication tools. For each proposed integration, record who supplies access, how data is mapped, how failures are shown and who maintains it. If your network is unreliable, ask precisely which tasks work offline and how records reconcile after reconnection.
5. Treat migration as a project
Count active patients, open admissions, balances, stock and historical records. Decide what must move, what may remain archived and who signs off the migrated sample. Plan parallel running and a rollback path before the live date. Ask for a sample export from the new system too.
6. Compare the complete written offer
| Area | Ask for in writing |
|---|---|
| Scope | Modules, roles, integrations, reports, exclusions and change process |
| Delivery | Milestones, demo criteria, migration, training and go-live responsibilities |
| Operations | Hosting, access, encryption, backup/restore, incident handling and support hours |
| Exit | Data export formats, timing, cost, ownership and handover |
| Cost | Setup, licences or subscription, messaging, storage, integrations and support |
Use HMS vs EMR vs EHR if your team is still deciding the type of system. Seyon HMS is one option; ask us to show its fit against this same checklist.
Frequently asked
What is the first question to ask an HMS vendor?
Ask for a complete patient journey demonstrated with the roles and exceptions your hospital actually uses. A module list alone does not reveal handoffs or gaps.
What should an HMS contract say about patient data?
It should identify record ownership, access, hosting, backups, retention, export formats and responsibilities at handover. Get legal and operational review for your facility’s requirements.
How do we compare HMS prices?
Compare setup, recurring licence or subscription, hosting, integrations, messaging, migration, training, support and exit costs over the same period and scope.
Use this checklist in a live Seyon HMS walkthrough.
Bring your hospital’s roles, one patient journey and current system list. We will show the relevant flow and mark configuration, integration and exclusions for a written proposal.