The Best EHR and EMR Systems for Small Practices

EMR vs. EHR: Understanding the Core Difference

Before examining particular systems, the differences between EMR and EHR must be clear. While these two terms are often used to mean the same thing, they are not the same.

• EMR (Electronic Medical Record):  An EMR is the digital version of the paper chart for one practice. EMR’s are used primarily to manage the medical and treatment history of the patients in one practice. An EMR enables the users to monitor data in time, track patients who are overdue for preventive screening and checkups (i.e. control their monitoring parameters like blood pressure as to whether they are due for a check-up), and enable/select patients due for screening. While EMR’s are great for the internal functioning of a practice, they are not designed to be shared easily with other providers outside the practice.
• EHR (Electronic Health Record):An EHR encompasses all of the data collected by an EMR, but it also goes beyond it. EHRs are concerned with the overall health of the patient and are designed to keep and share standard clinical data collected from one office, as well as from other healthcare providers (i.e. laboratories and specialists), and all of the information from other clinicians who are part of the patient’s care.

Must-Have Features in an EMR/EHR for Small Practices

When evaluating EMR software for small clinics, the sheer number of features can be overwhelming. To simplify the process, focus on these essential components that deliver the most significant impact on your daily operations and quality of care.

1. User-Friendliness and User Interface (UI).

Because your employees, including all front desk staff and clinical staff, will work in the system all day, everyday, if the system interface is cumbersome and difficult to navigate, it will be time-consuming, leading to burnout. Try to find a system that is simple in layout, has a straightforward workflow, and requires fewer clicks on average to accomplish the more common tasks. Most vendors have live demos where you can ask questions. Use these demos to assess the intuitiveness of the software.

2. All-Encompassing Documentation and Charting

The most important part of any EHR is the ability to efficiently and accurately document patient encounters. Consider specialty-focused, customizable templates. Certain features like dictation, smart-fill fields, and patient history retrieval can save clinicians hours in documentation time throughout the week.

3. Integrated Practice Management (PM).

In a small practice, it’s frequently the most economical and practical option to have a partnership that provides all services, EHR and PM, together. A fully integrated system provides the ability to manage patient scheduling, registration, billing, and claims all in one system, which means no double data entry and a significantly lower risk of errors that can occur when separate systems interface.

4. Patient Portal

The presence of a patient portal of some form has moved from being an advantage to being a requirement. Patients expect to be able to book their own appointments, refill prescriptions, access their results, and communicate with their provider online. Not only does this increase patient satisfaction, but it also results in less phone calls to your front desk.

5. Telehealth Integration

The need for telehealth offerings is becoming a requirement for all EHR systems. An EHR with integrated telehealth functionality lets you hold secure, video appointments directly from the platform. This also allows you to keep the documentation for the visit in your patient chart, making the process from scheduling the appointment to billing more efficient.

6. Reporting and Analytics

You cannot manage a business without access to data, and in this case, you cannot manage your practice without access to the data from your EHR. Your EHR should provide extensive reporting capabilities to assist you in managing your system and tracking data such as clinical and financial KPIs or any other metrics. This data is required for any analysis that will be done for the business.

7. Interoperability and Lab Integration

Your EHR should be able to communicate with external systems. This results in seamless integration with other healthcare labs, pharmacies, and practices. Effective interoperability allows for lab results to be automatically integrated into the patient’s chart and for e-prescriptions to be automatically sent to the patient’s pharmacy.

Top EHR and EMR Systems for Small Practices

Now that we know what to look for, let’s explore some of the top EHR systems on the market. This list includes a mix of solutions known for their usability, features, and suitability for smaller clinical settings.

1. Kareo Clinical (Tebra)

Kareo, now part of Tebra after merging with PatientPop, is consistently recognized as a top option for small and independent practices. Tebra Mish is a cloud-based, all-in-one platform designed with small societ\u00E9s needs in mind.

• Strengths:  Greatest ease of use and most comprehensive offering in practice management. Stronger tools for maximizing revenue through billing and collections. Fully integrated with EHR, PM, and Billing.
• Best For:  independent practices, specialty clinics (like mental health, physical therapy), and billers looking for a seamless, end-to-end solution.

2. AdvancedMD

AdvancedMD provides a powerful, unified suite of software that is configurable to the needs of a growing practice. Practice management, EHR, medical billing, and patient engagement tools are integrated into this robust platform.

• Strengths:   Higher degree of configurability with a more expansive feature set, including the distinction of the “AdvancedBiller” program, which allows practices to outsource all billing to AdvancedMD’s billing e\u00D2e. Exceptional reporting and analytics features.
• Best For: Small to mid-sized practices that are likely to grow and require a more sophisticated, scalable solution with enhanced features and billing support.

3. athenahealth

Although athena is one of the most ubiquitous EHRs in bigger hospitals and health networks, they’re also one of the most popular EHRs among small practices, from whom they offer athenaOne. It’s one of the more popular EHRs overall, particularly because it’s a cloud offering with EHR along with practice management and care coordination.

• Strengths:   With a single national network, athena has unbeatable interoperability and market coverage for clinical data. For small teams, it’s a big advantage while the team administers many of the mundane routines, like payer rule updates, claims management, and other tasks.
• Best For: Practices that appreciate high levels of inter connectivity and wish to shed some of the administrative burden for billing and compliance.

4. DrChrono

The mobile,, and iPhone-capable EHR provider, DrChrono,has become even more adaptable and popular with clients for their increased mobile end-to-end access.

• Strengths:   Diagnostic mobile seamless is an intuitive, customizable, and sleek interface. Medical forms, prescribing, and billing telehealth via their integration with a customizable practices API.
• Best For:Flexibility in a tablet-based workflow with modern user experiences for mobile practices, DrChrono tops the list for tech-savvy physician clinics.

5. Practice Fusion

Particularly small independent practices, Practice Fusion, a cloud-secured EHR, has become popular due to its free, ad-supported model, which, albeit changed, is still straightforward and more cost-effective.

• Strengths:   Quick setup ease of use facilitates all the essential functions small practices require, charting with a clean efficient interface, scheduling, e-prescribing, and lab integrations.`
• Best For:Providers with senior clinics, educational practices, and, budget Dx, Practice Fusion is ideal. Coverage with a more basic easy EHR learning forms is essential for all clients.

Best EHR Systems for Hospitals

Epic, Cerner, and MEDITECH are some of the most common EHR Systems in Hospitals and for a good reason. They are industry leaders within the healthcare IT sector and are some of the most encountered EHR systems within a network of hospitals. They aim to address the challenges of value and complexity of large health systems with thousands of users and many divisions.

• Epic:   Best considered the leader of the pack, and particularly of large academic medical centers. It has the most features and is the most interoperable with other systems via Care Everywhere. `
• Cerner (Oracle Health). Another heavyweight, Cerner has a large presence in hospitals around the globe. Its offerings are solid, and encompasses the full continuum of care.
• MEDITECH: This long-standing vendor comes with an integrated EHR for hospitals and health systems, and is considered an economic choice for community hospitals.