If you're thinking of buying a new computer or computer network for your office, consultant Jim Magay advises:

• Make software decisions first — then get the hardware that works best with the software you've selected.
• Avoid software that creates "a priest in the temple" employee — a single person who's the only one in your practice who understands the software. This can really hurt you when he or she leaves the practice.
• Start checking with your peers at medical meetings. Ask what they use and whether they're happy with it.
• Spend some time with software vendors displaying at your regional meetings.
• Look up potential vendors on the web.
• Once you have a direction in mind, call a staff meeting and build a "wish list" of the features and functions you and your staff feel are most necessary to meet your needs.
• Check out software "demos," which most software companies have available.
• Choose two software systems you like the best. Ask for a full review of each of them — in your office — by an expert from each company, with your staff present. See how well the two systems match your wish list.
• Once you've selected a software system, buy the hardware that the software developers suggest.