BUYING GUIDE / RAKT
How to choose
hospital software.
Compare hospital software using the same patient cases and staff roles. This guide helps you check how each product works, record gaps, and agree what implementation includes.
SOFTWARE EVALUATION CHECKLIST
Check each area
during the demonstration.
of 8 areas reviewed
Download the evaluation worksheet ↓Completion tracking, not a vendor score. Entries stay in this page and reset on reload.
1. Write down the operating model
Begin with the services you run, locations, user roles, patient volumes, and existing systems. Identify which workflows must be available at launch and which can follow later. A clinic with outsourced diagnostics needs a different review from a hospital with wards, pharmacy, imaging, and an in-house laboratory.
Invite the people who perform the work to describe recurring exceptions. Similar patient names, incomplete registrations, cancelled investigations, partial payments, and corrected reports can reveal more than the ordinary case. Turn those observations into a short list of requirements before comparing product brochures.
2. Use one patient journey across the demonstration
Ask every vendor to demonstrate the same fictional journey. Register a patient, create a visit, document a consultation, order an investigation, review the result workflow, prescribe a medicine, and inspect the resulting financial records. Include an admission or procedure only if it is relevant to the scope.
Keep the identity and encounter consistent throughout the exercise. If every screen starts with a different prepared record, the team cannot tell whether the handoff actually works. Record the destination of each task, its status, and who is expected to act next.
3. Test permissions and corrections
A demonstration with an administrator account can hide the experience of ordinary staff. Repeat important actions using the roles you intend to create. Check who can edit clinical information, alter financial records, issue a refund, sign a report, and see information from another department or organisation.
Test at least one correction. Ask how the original event remains understandable and which approval or authority is needed. Document what the system prevents and what depends on organisational procedure. Both matter, but they are different forms of control.
4. Inspect the outputs and their definitions
Open the documents and reports the team will actually use. Compare a laboratory report, discharge summary, invoice, and management report against your required fields and formats. Use blank or de-identified material during the evaluation.
For every management total, ask for its period, scope, statuses, and source records. For every document, ask when it becomes available and who reviews it. Check that the fields and calculations match what your team needs.
5. Get the boundaries in writing
List integrations, migration, configuration changes, training, support, exports, and operational responsibilities. For each, record whether it is available now, needs configuration, requires additional work, or is outside scope. Name the responsible party and the evidence that will show it is complete.
Review the commercial proposal against this list. For each required feature, record who tested it and whether it worked as agreed. Pay particular attention to third-party interfaces and historical data: both can depend on another supplier’s cooperation.
6. Compare the results of your tests
Use the checklist on this page to mark which areas you have reviewed. The progress indicator counts the areas you have checked. It does not rate the product or assess clinical suitability. Download the CSV if you want to capture evidence and follow-up actions for multiple vendors.
Before deciding, separate essential gaps from preferences. Prioritise unresolved patient-identification and payment-control requirements over preferences about colours or dashboard layouts. Agree the conditions under which the team can accept the first release, then keep that test results and launch requirements for implementation.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about this topic.
Should we choose the product with the most modules?
Not automatically. Evaluate the workflows you need, the quality of their handoffs, and the implementation scope. A long module list does not prove fit.
How many vendors should we compare?
There is no universal number. Use a consistent set of cases with the vendors you shortlist so the evidence is comparable.
Does the checklist recommend RAKT?
No. It helps you record what was reviewed. It does not produce a vendor ranking or a suitability score.
PLAN A DEMONSTRATION
See how RAKT handles
your team’s work.
Use fictional examples or blank formats. Keep patient information out of an initial enquiry.