Beta site: You must know your computers well
Software companies require solid skills
Serving as a beta site can be a great deal for home health care companies, but not all home care providers make good beta sites, software developers say. For this reason, vendors require beta sites to meet a long list of criteria.
"We need a good solid user of our system. It's a lot of work to be a beta site, so they really have to know our product well and be comfortable with it to test an upgraded version," says Rashel D. Feldman, MHA, the director of operations at Datacron, a home care software development company in Elmhurst, IL.
Because beta testers are asked to commit so much time, software development companies look for certain characteristics in the home care providers that serve as beta sites, including:
* The provider likes being on the cutting edge of new technology.
* The provider uses most of the features in the software being tested.
* The provider is tenacious and works hard at solving computer problems.
* The provider should show a belief in the necessity of better information systems in home health care.
"Essentially, you have to be the type that can juggle 12 balls at once," Feldman says.
These are some characteristics that home care companies might have that would make them a poor choice for a beta site:
* The provider can't manage its current version of the system or is always behind with data entry and processing.
* The provider is easily rattled.
* The provider lacks strong internal procedures, such as the work flow isn't well-defined.
* The provider has a high turnover rate or has had a recent management change.
* The provider is in the midst of a merger or some other chaos.
* The provider has old computer equipment.
"It's a collaborative process. We rely heavily on our beta sites," Feldman says. "If you're job is stressful and you can't cope with it as it is, you're not going to be able to handle beta testing." *
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