I, too appreciate both Dr. Bertman's generous approach to pricing as well as his refreshing willingness to discuss the issue.
AC is priced at the far low end of EMR's. This is even more true as additional features, such as eRx, MU, and practice management are added. Unfortunately, even if the price is held very low, a dramatic increase is seen as being tough to swallow. So, for example, when Alexis sees a now doubled price of about $2000, her reaction is not the new user's "what a deal", it is more like Wendell's "ouch". This is not to criticize; I would react the same way. Certainly an unintended consequence of a real cost savings and an act of generosity on the part of the company.
So Dr. Bertman, if you want to reward some users, but be more sure they feel rewarded, I would suggest that you eliminate the current credit card policy. If you want to reward long-time users, how about the following: have a graduated fee schedule for maintenance. Keep the purchase price the same, but give a discount (say $100/year) for those who have had a maintenance contract for 3 years, and perhaps $200/year for 5 year users. Or more if you like.
Oh, and in honor of the program's creator, maybe waive the fee entirely for all users named Jonathan.
Last edited by JBS; 05/15/2011 4:47 AM.
