The Best Medical Software of 2023

The main difference between EHR/EMR software and medical practice management software (PMS) is that an EHR/EMR system collects and stores your patient records, while PMS gives you the functionality to run your practice, deliver excellent patient care and make sure you get paid.

EHR/EMR systems are generally a physician’s primary tool. These systems allow providers to document clinical encounters with patients, order tests and prescriptions, and track patient health trends over time.

Medical practice management software, on the other hand, is the primary tool used by a practice’s office staff. It organizes documentation, specifically concerning billing and scheduling. The software completes tasks such as patient insurance eligibility verification and accepts copayments through patient portals. It enables medical coders and billers to prepare claims and submit them to payers through clearinghouses. Billers can also manage rejected or denied claims through medical practice management software. Some PMS include tools for promoting your practice and enhancing doctor-patient relationships.

These two software solutions must work closely together. Naturally, the clinical documentation of a patient encounter flows directly into the billing cycle managed by the front office. To accurately submit claims and follow up on denials, the office must have access to data stored in the practice’s EMR system about what services the physician provided during a visit. This is just one example of how practice management software and EMR software work in tandem.

As a result, many PMS vendors also offer EMR systems. Some solutions automatically integrate with EMR software; others do not. If the application you’re considering is a stand-alone practice management solution, you must ensure that the software can adequately communicate with your EMR platform.

Electronic Health Records vs. Electronic Medical Records

Technically, there are differences between an EMR system, which is essentially digitized paper charts for a single practice, and an EHR system. For one, EHRs not only replace paper charts but also streamline critical functions, like billing, prescription and test ordering, practice management, and communication with patients and other healthcare providers.

EHR systems are also interoperable, and patients can access their data. They’ll soon be available for digital download. However, this also makes EHR systems more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Industry members often use the terms “EMR” and “EHR” interchangeably, so to make it easier for our readers, we’ve chosen to use them interchangeably as well. Anywhere you see the term “EMR system” in our reviews, it refers to the interconnected capabilities of an EHR.

Even the more cost-effective healthcare IT platforms are a significant expense for most medical practices, so it’s natural to wonder precisely what benefits you’ll get in return for your money. Good EMR systems and medical practice management software can become the central pillar of your practice, helping you to streamline operations, improve patient experiences, and provide better care.

Benefits of an EMR System

• An EMR liberates providers from administrative tasks, allowing them to spend more time on marketing, research and patient care.
• It helps providers monitor their billing and makes their collection processes more accurate, expedient and efficient.
• The software reduces no-shows by sending automated alerts to patients.
• It improves communication with patients (and stakeholders) by sending automated appointment reminders, alerts and preventive health tips to patients.
• An EMR centralizes data in one location, thereby enabling the healthcare team and patients to view information in real time, communicate, and monitor processes. This same centralized infrastructure gives insight into how to improve the practice.
• The software helps providers interact with patients through mobile devices and remote telemedicine services.

Benefits of Medical Practice Management Software

Medical practice management software covers front- and back-office operations of the practice, such as appointment scheduling, insurance eligibility verification and medical billing. EMR and practice management software complement each other and allow data to flow seamlessly between modules. For example, practice management software gives patients access to an online portal where they can fill out intake forms before their visit, thus speeding up the check-in process. That information then auto-populates in the EMR software’s clinical tools, thereby saving providers time and ensuring records are up to date.

Data interchange works in the other direction as well. After a patient encounter, for example, the provider can save and export a clinical note. The charges captured during the encounter are then pushed into the practice management software, where the medical coders and billers at the practice (or at an outsourced medical billing service) can create and code claims and prepare them for the appropriate payers.

If you choose a user-friendly and reliable healthcare IT platform that meets your staff’s needs, it can improve your entire workflow. The wrong EMR system, however, could be counterproductive.

The best medical software is an all-inclusive package that lets you handle provider-patient encounters, conduct billing, schedule appointments, check patients’ insurance eligibility, track claims, and create custom templates that suit your practice’s workflows. Most important, the software should be easy for the entire office to use. To reduce your office staff’s workload, the software should include a portal where patients can schedule appointments online.

It’s also important for the software to have various integrations, including those for credit card processing, lab ordering and e-prescribing. The billing software should easily integrate with the EMR software so you don’t have to seek outside help to use the two applications in tandem.

Here’s more about the specific features you’ll want to look for.

Administrative Features

There are four major administrative features to look for in a practice management application.

• Automated appointment reminders: Does the software let you automate patient appointment reminders so your staff doesn’t spend hours contacting patients to remind them of upcoming appointments? Also, see if the application gives you several options – email, text message and phone call – for sending reminders.
• A patient portal: The software should have an online portal that lets patients access their accounts to edit their own information, see their balances and make payments online. This reduces your staff’s workload, because a patient can preregister or modify their address or credit card information without calling the office or taking up staff’s valuable time.
• Check-in and insurance verification: Your staff should be able to quickly check patients in, verify their insurance, determine the copay and collect payment at the time of service.
• Document scanning: Does the application let you scan and store documents within the system, freeing your staff from unnecessary paperwork? Is it easy to locate documents in the system?

Clinical Features

Some of the most important features of medical software are the clinical tools that make providers’ jobs easier and help to establish thorough medical histories for all patients.

• Templates: Templates are pre-generated outlines of different types of notes. They can often be customized and assigned to specific appointment types, ensuring the correct note type populates for whichever type of appointment the patient has scheduled. Templates allow care providers to quickly see the required information fields for each encounter and fill them out accordingly. Many EMR systems allow providers to edit templates on the fly by adding or removing sections that may or may not be relevant to individual encounters.
• E-prescribing: The ability to electronically prescribe medications and review a patient’s active medication history is one of the most important features of an EMR system. Many EMR systems offer warnings about potential drug interactions or patient allergies to help providers avoid prescribing medications that could cause unwanted reactions.
• Labs: Providers can use an EMR system to order lab tests electronically and receive results in a secure inbox. Patients can access this information through the patient portal and use secure messaging systems to discuss results with their providers.
• Telemedicine: Telehealth is a newer element of modern healthcare and one that has been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many EMR systems integrate a secure telemedicine component that allows providers to schedule remote appointments with patients and then engage in a video conference with them directly within the platform.
• Recommendations: Some EMR systems feature a recommendation engine that helps providers determine courses of treatment for certain diagnoses, prescribe preferred medications, order certain lab tests, and ensure compliance with government regulation targets, like MIPS and MACRA.

Billing Features

A good practice management system helps with both administrative and financial requirements. It should make collecting payments and filing insurance claims as easy as possible for your staff while using the fewest resources. This means automatically generating superbills after providers conclude a patient visit. It also requires a seamless integration with the EMR system, where providers record notes about a patient’s visit. Further, the software should be able to scrub claims for errors so you don’t waste resources appealing denied claims and incur further delays in payment.

Most practice management systems are interoperable with EMR systems. Some companies sell both software options as a suite, while others let you choose what you need.

If you already have an EMR system and don’t want to switch, look for companies that partner with common EMRs and can integrate their software with your current EMR system. You may want to consider partnering with the same vendor that provides your EMR system if you’re satisfied with your current software.

While not all practice management and EMR systems are compatible, all solutions should follow basic safety and privacy standards. At a minimum, they should comply with HIPAA regulations.

Support and Hosting

Because medical practice management software is vital to your daily operations, the manufacturer should offer support that conforms to your practice’s schedule and needs. You should have access to live support or a ticketing system to quickly resolve any issues you experience with the software.

As powerful as many medical office software applications are, you still may want separate software for medical billing. Medical transcription services are still in demand by many practices.

Selecting the healthcare IT platform that best fits your practice is a big task. These systems are generally sprawling and complex, making it hard to get a full picture of the software during the first use. Following these steps can help you organize your search and choose the ideal medical software suite for your workflow and your team.

1. Research market leaders and popular systems.

The first step in any buying journey is to learn about the market. Take some time to research EMR software, the recent history of the industry, and some of the leading brands on the market today. Seek out user reviews on multiple platforms to get an idea of how previous and current customers responded to the EMR software after implementation.

2. Identify your priorities.

While you’re researching the market, consider your priorities in a healthcare IT platform. Ease of use is often a big consideration for medical practices, because some medical software suites are complex and difficult to learn. However, a system with a steep learning curve might offer advanced features and tools that can improve your medical practice’s performance. So, while there might be a rocky introduction to the software, this little extra time might pay off in the long run.

Another key consideration is the customizability of the system, such as which templates it offers for clinical notes and how much you can tailor them to suit individual users’ preferences. Patient engagement tools, such as a user-friendly patient portal that allows patients to take an active role in their healthcare, are also increasingly common.

Finally, look for interoperability with labs, pharmacies and hospitals for seamless data interchange. Consider which aspects of a healthcare IT platform would match your team’s existing workflow, rather than how you would adapt your workflow to a new system.

3. Request live demonstrations.

Many medical software vendors do not post pricing on their websites, but almost all of them offer live demonstrations, which are often followed by a price quote or estimate. Live demos give you an opportunity to walk through the software with a company representative who will show you the highlights. They will often tailor the demonstration to your needs, showing you the tools you’re most interested in seeing. Most live demos take place through video conference software.

During the live demos, take extensive notes on each of your priorities and anything that stands out as a positive or negative. If you can, record the live demo or ask the company representative to do so. Saving recordings to review later or share with team members can help you make a final decision.

4. Schedule a more detailed demo with the top three vendors.

Oftentimes, if you’re interested in a healthcare IT platform, company representatives will give you a second, more in-depth demonstration. Some of these demos even include sample software you can control and click through yourself. Take detailed notes yet again, and record this demo if possible. When you’re finished with these final demonstrations, request a contract or agreement from each company you’re considering to compare them side by side.

5. Request a detailed breakdown of pricing and fees.

In the contract or agreement you request, there should be a detailed breakdown of all pricing and fees. You need to see an explicit list of everything you are paying for, alongside a contractual obligation for the vendor to provide certain services. Don’t simply trust a promise from a sales representative; if they promised it, it needs to be added in writing. Once you’ve compared contracts, you should be ready to make your buying decision.

When you’ve selected a healthcare IT vendor, closely review the contract before you sign it. If possible, have an attorney review the contract and mark it up accordingly. Be sure to request a detailed breakdown of pricing and any additional fees that might be included. Many vendors charge extra for setup, implementation and training, for example. Again, make sure any promises a vendor made during your research phase are guaranteed in writing.

Many medical practice software solutions and third-party services go hand in hand. For example, an electronic medical record (EMR) system and practice management software are closely related. A medical billing service might work within your practice management software, while a medical transcription service can help you create notes in your patients’ charts, which are stored in your EMR system.

If you’re looking for a full suite of healthcare IT solutions or additional medical practice services that could improve the way your practice runs, take a look at our other medical practice review categories:

• Medical billing services: Medical billing services, also known as revenue cycle management services, offer a way to outsource your billing. Medical billing and coding can be complex and time-consuming processes, and maintaining an internal staff for billing and coding can become quite costly. Medical billing services generally work directly within your medical practice management software and perform coding and billing services, including follow-ups on outstanding claims and denial management. Many medical billing companies also work to get providers at a new practice credentialed with the appropriate payers and provide additional reporting tools to contextualize a medical practice’s cash flow. To learn more, see business.com’s best picks page and reviews of the top medical billing services on the market today.
• Medical transcription services: Medical transcription services support the creation of internal documentation, patient charts and communications by way of audio dictation. Medical transcription services generally offer multiple ways to securely upload audio dictation and then return a transcript within 24 hours. Some medical transcription services also offer direct EMR entry, in which they plug transcribed notes into the appropriate place in an EMR system, thus saving providers and staff time and effort. To learn more, see business.com’s best picks page and reviews of the top medical transcription services on the market today.
• Telemedicine software: Telemedicine software is a relatively new technology that allows healthcare providers to see patients remotely. By using video conference platforms specifically tailored to the needs of healthcare organizations and the privacy requirements laid out under HIPAA, telemedicine software reduces unnecessary office visits. In addition to boosting medical practices’ efficiency, it offers a convenience to patients, which is helpful in building recurring clientele. To learn more, see business.com’s best picks page and reviews of the top telemedicine software on the market today.

EMR software is now a well-established part of most healthcare organizations’ workflows. From hospitals and enterprise health systems to single-provider practices, almost everyone uses EMR software thanks to government incentives and penalties intended to spur mass adoption.

Whether organizations use the on-premises systems favored by large health groups or the cloud-based software preferred by small medical practices, there is a wide range of solutions to meet the various needs of healthcare organizations and their patients.

In 2022, look for continued updates to existing EMR platforms, a consolidation of brands in the industry, and healthcare providers’ continued use of the systems they’ve chosen for their practices, given the significant upfront investment in capital and time.

Allied Market Research has predicted that the global EMR software industry will reach $63.8 million by 2030, up from $30.6 billion in 2020. That represents a 7.7% compound annual growth rate over a 10-year period.

Additionally, EMR software became central to healthcare professionals’ operations during the COVID-19 pandemic by tracking patient data and supporting contact-tracing efforts. Moreover, an expanding geriatric population in the U.S. is bolstering projections for an increasing need for robust patient recordkeeping and management.

Cloud-based software remains a significant driver of growth in the EMR space as well. However, on-premises software in hospitals and enterprise health systems remains a dominant segment of the industry.

Cybersecurity remains a persistent concern for physician practices, while the greatest improvements in EMR/EHR will be in patient engagement; accessibility; regulation and integration; and interoperability between EMR and PMS systems.