by Terence Blackwell Jr on June 24, 2025
An electronic health record (EHR) is a significant investment for providers who serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The last thing you want to do is buy software for IDD services that doesn’t meet your and your clients’ needs or soon becomes dated.
So, while it’s important to do your research when looking for an IDD EHR, knowing what questions to ask a technology vendor about their software can help ensure you ultimately make the right purchase.
Must-Knows for Finding the Best IDD Software
When you’re vetting software, it’s important to think about the unique needs of your organization and staff, as well as the nuances of delivering services to people with IDD.
You’ll want to consider the different roles on your team and the range of services your organization offers to ensure your EHR will address both short- and long-term needs. These questions are a strong place to start when evaluating potential IDD EHR vendors.
1. Is your software built specifically for those delivering and receiving IDD services?
Traditional EHRs are usually designed with the needs of broad behavioral health services in mind. The needs of IDD service providers are often secondary, if even considered at all.
But mental health clients tend to need very different services and support from their providers than people with IDD. Generally, clinical encounters and relationships are of shorter duration, whereas people with IDD will often receive services over months or years. Clinical workflows also tend to be more uniform. Someone receiving IDD services will usually require a customized plan that reflects progress and goal setting around a unique, personalized life plan.
As such, working with a vendor that offers an EHR designed specifically for the workflows, compliance considerations, forms, and dashboards that reflect the IDD service provider’s and its clients’ day-to-day needs and priorities is imperative.
2. How does your software support person-centered care?
The right software for IDD services should not only be tailored to IDD providers’ needs, but it should also enable those providers to offer care that accounts for each client’s individual life plan.
To determine if an EHR supports this kind of person-centered care, ask vendors about the technology’s care coordination features. Does the platform enable you to communicate effectively with other direct service professionals (DSP) or caregivers to discuss individual client needs? Can you access client-specific data and analytics to better understand each client? These are examples of features that help IDD providers effectively deliver more holistic, integrated, and coordinated care.
3. Is the system interoperable?
In the past, EHR vendors offered proprietary systems that didn’t communicate with other vendors’ software. As a result, it was difficult to exchange health information between providers, which affected care coordination and limited the shared understanding of an individual’s needs.
IDD service providers need an EHR that enables them to send and receive information from those externally who may be involved in service decisions, such as an individual’s primary care physician, specialists, and those who may be providing occupational, speech, or other therapies.
4. What security functions are included in the software?
Security features should also be considered when choosing software for IDD services. It’s important to ask the vendor about its software’s methods of encryption as well as how it handles access control and authentication.
For example, is access role-based so users can only view the information necessary for them to perform their job duties? Also, ask how the vendor updates its systems to address potential new security vulnerabilities. Are updates released regularly, or are they reactive? If the vendor offers remote support, examine how they will gain access to your software.
5. Do you provide post-implementation support and guidance on integrating regulatory changes?
Organizations like the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) frequently update regulations regarding data privacy and client rights. For 2025, as an example, the ONC is updating rules about interoperability, prior authorization, use of artificial intelligence, and more.
With a shifting regulatory landscape, it’s critical for IDD service providers to choose EHR vendors that offer long-term support that accounts for these inevitable changes. Be sure to ask potential vendors about both the level of post-implementation support they provide and the EHR’s compliance-related features. Does the EHR come with embedded compliance tracking tools to keep all staff on track with regulatory tasks and deadlines? Will the vendor provide hands-on support for any technical or regulatory-related challenges that might arise?
When new evidence-based practices or payer requirements emerge, software for IDD must be easily updatable to stay current.
6. Is the platform built with customizable IDD service templates?
EHR vendors can introduce efficiency and best practices into IDD services by providing templates and ensuring easy modification to reflect industry changes over time. With the right prompts and workflows, providers can efficiently build service plans and access assessments and other essential information when needed, helping to ensure consistent service delivery.
7. How does the EHR support effective task management?
Good EHRs will include automatic task triggering. But the best IDD software will include task triggering and integrated evidence-based workflows. With these capabilities, the EHR platform will automatically assign a task after the previous one has been completed.
Embedded workflows with interactive checklists help streamline processes and ensure providers, staff, and caregivers understand each task and its deadline.
Not only do these features save time, but they also codify processes and build in systems of accountability. As tasks automatically route to the right team member, it ensures that nothing falls through the cracks and delays are minimized.
8. Will the platform support offsite and telehealth use?
Those who provide services to people with IDD may visit individuals in their homes or in community settings. Remote access to the platform with auto-Wi-Fi syncing is important to avoid gaps in notes and access to information.
Being able to conduct appointments online via telehealth extends an organization’s ability to provide support regardless of where those giving or receiving services are located.
9. Is your solution mobile-friendly, or do you offer an app for anytime, anywhere support?
Since IDD service providers often coordinate with caregivers and other providers, it’s critical for them to have software that allows them to securely access records and notes from anywhere.
That’s why it’s important to ask vendors offering software for IDD about their EHR’s built-in mobile capabilities. Can providers easily access client information when on the go? Does the EHR have an encrypted app through which staff can engage with key elements like records, data, or communication features?
10. What is your pricing model?
EHRs vary in both quality and cost. Likewise, the degree to which you’ll integrate the EHR into your systems will also depend on your organization’s needs.
When selecting an EHR vendor, ask which pricing model they use, such as these common structures:
- Subscription-based: Organizations pay a monthly fee for ongoing — and sometimes unlimited — use of the EHR.
- Per-user: Organizations pay a set amount per user, typically with the option of adding more users onto the payment plan for additional fees.
- Per-organization:
Carefully examine your organization’s specific needs to determine if the vendor’s pricing model meets those needs. Doing so can help you avoid overpaying for features you don’t need.
11. How long is a typical rollout, and what can we expect?
As you compare software for IDD, you’ll want to consider the ability to get the new system up and running quickly. Vendors should be able to tell you how long it will take to implement their EHR and walk you through a typical rollout in an IDD setting that is most like yours.
A modular design and customizable templates make for simpler implementation and scaling. If the vendor has designed the EHR specifically for IDD services, they should have familiarity with your organization’s priorities. They’ll also be able to suggest the most efficient and effective way to guide staff through the rollout.
Platforms set up around role-based templates — like Core Solutions’ Cx360 platform — tend to support the easiest adoption and peer training. With such an approach, users can get up to speed faster and feel more comfortable using the software.
Narrowing Your List of EHR Vendors
If you have any concerns before buying an EHR, be sure to bring them up with the vendors under consideration. This is a big decision, and you want to make sure the software you go with is a strong fit.
Get input from members across your team, from leaders making strategic business decisions based on performance metrics and projections to those in direct service roles who will need to navigate and make day-to-day decisions quickly. Input from multiple stakeholders will help you make a more informed decision.
Before you purchase software for IDD services, you’ll also want to make sure you understand how the technology works. Ideally, a vendor should walk you through the types of workflows you envision. Some may even give you access to the system to test different scenarios before you commit to a purchase.
IDD providers across the country have vetted Core Solutions’ Cx360 to improve care coordination, streamline workflows, enhance outcomes, and strengthen financial performance. This advanced platform is designed to meet the complex needs of IDD organizations with integrated AI and secure, flexible access. For an interactive demo of Cx360, reach out today.
