Table 3.

support provided by the commercial EMR vendor and open source EMR service provider

Support activity	Details
System installation	The vendor (or service provider) advised clients on hardware, network and ancillary devices requirements. They set up and configured the system for users.
Initial training	The training provided to the users of the OS EMR was very basic and included one-day training session on-site. The training by the commercial system’s vendor changed over time. The current model includes three sessions: preliminary phone call to set up expectations, a session for administrative staff (which covers administrative functions such as appointments and billings), and a session for clinicians (on problem list, progress notes, labs, prescription, etc.)
On-going training	Provided through user conferences (for the OS EMR this is organized by the society of users). Training for new staff is available for fee upon request.
Technical support	Telephone help desk. The vendor’s help desk has 3 tiers: Tier 1 receives calls from users and solves most (~70%) of the problems, Tier 2 handles more difficult problems which usually take longer to solve, and transfers unresolved problems (usually system bugs) to Tier 3, which is the development team.