Last Reviewed: November 26th, 2024

Best ONC-certified EHR Software Of 2024

What is ONC-certified EHR Software?

ONC-certified EHR software is designed to streamline healthcare operations by ensuring that electronic health records meet specified standards of interoperability and security, as set by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). This certification addresses issues such as data silos, compliance, and patient safety, allowing providers to focus on care. Key functionalities include patient data management, e-prescribing, and reporting capabilities. Emerging features like predictive analytics and AI-driven decision support elevate its utility, benefiting healthcare providers, hospitals, and clinics the most. However, it can be costly, and transitioning from legacy systems may pose challenges. Overall, its standardized approach drives efficiency, enhancing quality of care and operational consistency, offering a competitive edge in a highly regulated industry.

What Are The Key Benefits of ONC-certified EHR Software?

  • Enhanced data interoperability
  • Improved patient safety
  • Streamlined reimbursement processes
  • Regulatory compliance assurance
  • Efficient clinical workflows
  • Robust data security
  • Patient engagement tools
  • Accurate reporting capabilities
  • Increased care coordination
  • Customizable user interfaces
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Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 130 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best ONC-certified EHR Software overall:

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Why We Picked EpicCare

Many users love the robust functionality offered by EpicCare and find that the shortcut options allow them to navigate the system with ease. It also provides greater transparency into patient data, allowing care providers at separate facilities to access patient records with ease. However, the system’s expansive capabilities are overwhelming for many users, and a significant number of users struggled to use shortcuts correctly. The majority of reviewers commented that the system is difficult to navigate, experiences frequent downtime, offers minimal support and comes at a prohibitively high cost. Despite the negative tone of many reviews, nearly 100% of reviewers noted that they would recommend this system to a colleague, recognizing EpicCare as a leader in the EHR software space.

Pros & Cons

  • Functionality: The platform offers robust functionality, allowing users to automate and streamline almost any task imaginable, as noted by slightly more than 80% of reviews.
  • Shortcuts: Users can create their own shortcuts to help them access common functions with ease. This capability was mentioned as a benefit by 55% of reviewers who mention shortcuts.
  • Communication: Of the reviews that mention the system’s popularity, 85% enjoyed that the solution enabled care providers at different practices to access and make changes to patient data. This level of inter-practice communication was touted as a major benefit that helps improve patient care.
  • User Interface: Of those that mention the interface, 65% of reviews note that the system is difficult to use. Many of the features are difficult to find and require multiple clicks to access, while the shortcut option is difficult to set up according to many users.
  • Customer Support: Of the reviews that mention customer support, more than 60% were dissatisfied with their experience, stating that customer service lacked the knowledge to provide proper support, was difficult to get ahold of and when customers did speak to support, they found that the support technicians were rude.
  • Customization: Slightly more than 60% of reviews that discuss customization stated that customization options were limited. The available customizations were reviewed to be time-consuming and difficult to implement.
  • System Downtime: While only around 10% of reviewers mention system downtime, 100% of those reviews point to internet connectivity issues and system downtime as a major detriment of the system that directly impacts productivity.

Key Features

  • MyChart Patient Portal: EpicCare’s patient module, MyChart, enables patients to access their personal and family health information on their mobile devices. They can also exchange messages with physicians, set appointments, complete questionnaires, and attend e-visits. Patients in hospitals can also use MyChart Bedside to look at their schedule, request a physician’s help, exchange messages, complete questionnaires and access individualized treatment plans. MyChart also facilitates online scheduling for prospective patients to become new patients.
  • Analytics: Epic allows people close to the patient to investigate their hunches across populations and build dashboards. It also allows users to combine different sources of clinical, operational, and financial data into a single data warehouse. It enables users to distribute and curate their analytics content on a web portal.
  • Telehealth: With EpicCare EMR’s telehealth feature, physicians are able to monitor patients and provide treatment remotely. With dozens of tools, telehealth handles ICU monitoring, chronic disease management, telecardiology, peer-to-peer consultations and video visits with patients, even those in prison. It can also be used for rural primary care, teledermatology, telecardiology, telepsych, telestroke, teleradiology, tele-emergency, genetic consults, abuse evaluations, interpretations, ICU monitoring, remote ICU, chronic disease management, case management and discharge planning. It can also be used for central deterioration monitoring remote intensivist coverage, second opinion services, patient transport, video visits, telerounding, school nurse consults, employer consultations, prison video visits, postsurgical follow-ups, virtual hospitals, financial counseling, and virtual urgent care.
  • Managed Care: You can manage nearly all your health insurance operations through EpicCare. Claims can be processed and submitted automatically, while it’s utilization management tool helps to make informed, financially responsible decisions in regards to a patient’s care.
  • Revenue Cycle Management: EpicCare’s RCM feature lets your health organization maximize revenue while protecting payments. Patients can create payment plans and even consolidate all of their balances into a single payment, streamlining billing and payment processes.
  • Interoperability: Interoperability allows a patient’s medical information to be shared with any health organization that meets standards, regardless of the EMR/EHR they use. Epic exchanges more patients charts for care than any other vendor — for reference, over 100 thousand patient records were exchanged in April of 2019 alone.
  • Community Health Portal: It facilitates users to keep community providers and caregivers informed with an integrated portal that updates them about their patients, submit referrals, order labs and imaging, close care gaps, schedule visits and more.
  • Specialties and Ancillaries: Epic provides modules for cardiology, dental, dermatology, endoscopy, ENT, fertility, genomics, home health, lab, long-term care, nephrology, obstetrics, oncology, ophthalmology, ortho, radiology, rehab, rheumatology, transplant, wound care and urgent care.
  • Artificial Intelligence: Epic provides machine learning algorithms embedded at the point of care. It also supports the deployment of independent artificial intelligence models using its cloud-based platform.
  • Epic Share: Epic allows users to extend their system to independent practices, hospitals, and post-acute facilities with the ability to keep billing and scheduling separate.
  • Compliance: Epic allows users to position their organization with tools for Meaningful Use (MU), Promoting Interoperability (PI), Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and other regulatory programs such as HIPAA.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • User-based monthly subscription - per user, per month, plus upfront cost or license fee for software ownership
  • Extra fees and costs for additional features and modules
Maintenance Cost
  • Maintenance cost not included in license fee
  • Users must sign an annual maintenance contract
  • 24/7 system monitoring at no additional charge
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • One-time installation fee
  • Epic’s implementation team helps to meet goals in the proper time frame and budget
Customization Cost
  • Cost of customization will vary depending on the functional requirements and modules added
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • This cost is determined by the amount of ambulatory data consolidated, such as demographics, immunizations, allergies and medications
  • The complexity of data, clinical rules, workflows and more will also dictate the cost of converting data
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Cost is included in the recurring monthly subscription fees, based on the number of users, add-on costs and data migration services selected
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Why We Picked athenaClinicals

AthenaClinicals is a cloud-based EHR software known for its robust features and intuitive interface, but user reviews over the past year have been a mixed bag. A standout feature is its comprehensive patient portal, athenaCommunicator, which empowers patients to schedule appointments, view health records, and communicate securely with providers. This not only enhances patient engagement but also streamlines administrative tasks for practices. Another strength is athenaClinicals' integration with a vast network of healthcare providers, athenaNet, facilitating seamless data exchange and care coordination. This interoperability is crucial in today's healthcare landscape, allowing providers to access a more complete patient history and make informed decisions. However, some users have reported that the software can be clunky and difficult to navigate, particularly for those unfamiliar with EHR systems. Additionally, while athenaClinicals offers extensive reporting capabilities, some users have found the sheer volume of data overwhelming and difficult to interpret without dedicated support.

Overall, athenaClinicals is best suited for practices seeking a feature-rich EHR solution with a strong emphasis on patient engagement and care coordination. Its robust patient portal and integration with a vast provider network make it an excellent choice for practices looking to streamline workflows and improve communication. However, practices with limited technical expertise or those overwhelmed by extensive data analysis might find athenaClinicals less user-friendly and may require additional support to fully utilize its capabilities.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy to Use: Many users find athenaClinicals intuitive and easy to navigate, even for those new to electronic health records. They appreciate the straightforward design and clear labeling, which makes it simple to find the information they need quickly.
  • Comprehensive Features: athenaClinicals offers a wide range of features that cater to various practice needs, from scheduling and billing to patient management and clinical documentation. Users appreciate the ability to manage all aspects of their practice within a single platform.
  • Strong Customer Support: athenaClinicals is known for its responsive and helpful customer support team. Users praise the availability of support resources, including phone, email, and online chat, which makes it easy to get assistance when needed.
  • Integration Capabilities: athenaClinicals integrates seamlessly with other healthcare applications, such as lab systems and pharmacy software. This integration streamlines workflows and reduces the need for manual data entry, saving time and improving efficiency.
  • Limited Customization: Some users have reported that athenaClinicals' customization options are limited, making it difficult to tailor the system to their specific workflow needs. For example, some users have found it challenging to create custom reports or modify the user interface to better suit their practice's unique requirements.
  • Steep Learning Curve: The software's interface can be complex and require significant training to master. This can be particularly challenging for new users or those transitioning from a different EHR system. For example, some users have reported difficulty navigating the system's menus and understanding the various features and functionalities.
  • Technical Issues: Some users have reported experiencing technical issues with athenaClinicals, such as slow loading times, system crashes, or data syncing problems. These issues can disrupt workflow and lead to frustration for users. For example, some users have reported encountering errors when attempting to access patient records or submit electronic prescriptions.
  • Customer Support: Some users have expressed dissatisfaction with athenaClinicals' customer support. They have reported long wait times, difficulty reaching a representative, or unhelpful responses. For example, some users have reported being unable to resolve technical issues or get timely assistance with billing questions.

Key Features

  • Clinical Efficiency: Users can access clinical information from numerous sources instantly. Secure text messaging is used to help make informed decisions when it comes to treatment. 
  • Patient Portal: Athenahealth’s patient portal tool, athenaCommunicator, lets patients view their health history, schedule appointments, sign forms, pay bills and more. Patients can also receive automated notifications and reminders regarding upcoming appointments, test results and more. 
  • athenahealth Network: With the nation’s most connected healthcare network, athenaClinicals can compare a clinic's health performance with that of other providers, as well as automatically providing clinical recommendations based on patients’ activity on the network. Information is exchanged between over 250,000 points of care, such as urgent care, specialties, labs, pharmacies and more. 
  • Intelligent Workflows: AthenaClinicals EHR learns from the network the more a client uses the program and simultaneously provides relevant patient information during the point of care. 
  • Interoperability: Many EHR solutions are quite limited when it comes to sharing patient information. With athenaClinicals on the other hand, practitioners can exchange important patient data with a number of other care sites and add it into a patient’s chart, making it so that physicians have all the patient information they need. 
  • Integration: AthenaClinicals EHR is integratable with many athenahealth services and solutions to help with every aspect of a health facility’s business. These integratable features include medical billing, care coordination, medical reference apps and more.
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Why We Picked AdvancedMD EHR

While some users were happy with the systems integration and customization capabilities, far more users were extremely dissatisfied with other aspects of the system. A significant number of reviewers felt that the sales representatives misled customers noting that they lost money after implementing AdvancedMD and commenting that many features lacked the functionality that they required. Though the add-ons allow users to customize the system, many users complained that the add-ons come at a steep price, making them prohibitive to many users. Users also complained that they were surprised by hidden fees after implementation and felt that customer service was rude and unwilling to help when they called for support. A small number of reviews also noted that upgrades to the system frequently caused downtime and reported discrepancies in their billing that affected customers. While many of the reviews were negative, AdvancedMD remains a popular EHR solution. Due to its high price and difficulty to learn, it is best suited to large practices with the budget for necessary add-ons and internal technical support that is available to help ensure everyone who needs to can use the system.

Pros & Cons

  • Customization: Of the reviews that mentioned the system’s customization, more than 65% were happy with the customizations available as add-ons to the system.
  • Integration: Though only mentioned in 10% of reviews, 85% of those reviews felt the system successfully integrated with their other medical software.
  • Streamlined Patient Scheduling: AdvancedMD EHR offers tools to simplify appointment scheduling, including online self-scheduling for patients, automated appointment reminders, and waitlist management. The platform also facilitates efficient scheduling for multiple providers and locations.
  • Comprehensive Medical Billing: The system provides robust medical billing features, such as claims scrubbing to reduce errors and denials, electronic remittance advice, and integrated payment processing. AdvancedMD EHR also offers tools for managing patient billing, including payment plans and online bill pay.
  • Customizable Templates and Workflows: Users appreciate the ability to tailor the system to their specific needs. AdvancedMD EHR allows for the creation of custom templates for clinical documentation, as well as the ability to design unique workflows to optimize efficiency and meet the requirements of different specialties.
  • Telehealth Capabilities: The platform facilitates virtual care through integrated telehealth features. AdvancedMD EHR enables secure video consultations, allowing healthcare providers to connect with patients remotely and expand access to care.
  • Practice Management Tools: AdvancedMD EHR goes beyond clinical documentation and billing to offer comprehensive practice management tools. These include features for managing patient records, tracking referrals, generating reports, and overseeing financial performance. The system also provides tools for staff management and communication.

Key Features

  • Mobile Focused, Cloud-Based: The product is built for mobile (but is desktop-ready), and delivered by the cloud, meaning you can save on implementation and maintenance costs. 
  • E-Prescribing: Doctors can quickly ship medication prescriptions across practices and pharmacies. This feature is also HIPAA, MACRA and MIPS compliant. 
  • Patient Portal: An advanced patient portal will allow patients to log in and manage their medical and health records from any device. 
  • Regulation Compliant: Compliant with HIPAA, MACRA and MIPS, the application will ensure your practice meets stringent compliance standards. 
  • Handwriting Recognition: Doctor handwriting can often be garbled or hard to understand. This software can read and translate some of the most difficult handwriting into text — especially useful for prescribing information. 
  • Physician Dashboard: A robust dashboard geared towards physicians makes it easy for prescribing doctors to pull up patient treatment history and medical information. 
  • Secure Document Exchange: This feature keeps patient information both secure and easily transferable. This can include patient health data, prescriptions and more. 
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Why We Picked WebPT

WebPT has made a significant impact on the physical therapy software landscape, offering a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline workflows and enhance patient care. Users consistently highlight its user-friendly interface, robust features, and exceptional customer support as key strengths. One reviewer emphasized the ease of transitioning from paper-based systems to WebPT's cloud-based platform, appreciating its accessibility from any web-enabled device. The software's scheduling capabilities have also received praise, with users noting improvements in patient retention and the ability to synchronize appointments with digital patient records.

While WebPT garners positive feedback, some users mention the learning curve associated with its extensive features. However, the company's commitment to customer support is frequently commended, with users citing responsive and helpful assistance. WebPT distinguishes itself by catering specifically to the needs of rehabilitation therapists, offering specialized documentation, billing codes, and compliance tools. This focus on the therapy sector sets it apart from more generic practice management software. WebPT is ideally suited for physical therapy practices of all sizes seeking an integrated platform to optimize front- and back-office operations. Its comprehensive features, user-friendly design, and industry-specific focus make it a valuable asset for therapists looking to enhance efficiency, improve patient care, and grow their practices.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly: All users mentioning this aspect noted that the solution’s ease-of-use is a key benefit.
  • Accessibility: The platform is web-based, making it highly accessible according to over 95% of users who mention this aspect.
  • Scheduling: About 75% of users who mention scheduling noted that it’s convenient to schedule appointments.
  • Speed: All users referring to speed reported that the product is slow and includes redundant check boxes, which further reduce the speed of working.
  • Functionality: The product is filled with glitches and the site is often down for maintenance, according to 88% of users who mention functionality.

Key Features

  • Analytics and Reporting: Access and work on detailed data tables from a main reporting dashboard. Use easy graphs and charts for valuable business insights. 
  • Interoperability: Facilitates a secure transfer of information between systems, enabling greater efficiency and data unity. Key integrations include Cerner, Epic, McKesson and athenahealth. Includes 24/7/365 monitoring from WebPT. 
  • Web-Based: Users can access the platform from any browser, anywhere. There’s no deployment costs or loss in productivity while the software is installing. 
  • Continuous Updates: Because the software is web-based, it frequently refreshes with new studies, formulas and testing criteria. 
  • Simplified Interface: Built around an intuitive workflow and offers features for a hassle-free experience such as dropdown checklists, auto-completing text boxes and much more. 
  • Home Exercise Program: Engage patients in video exercises with patient-facing functionality and design. Tap into a library of evidence-based therapy exercises available in up to eight different languages. 
  • Listing and Review Management: Improves online presence with a robust facility profile that provides automatic review updates, offers direct responses to reviews and analyses review trends. 
  • Billing: Maximize revenue and save time for quality healthcare with minimum claim errors using Therabill. Includes real-time analytics, detailed activity logs and one invoice from one company. 
  • Patient Outcomes Tracking: Drive faster recovery for patients with a built-in patient outcomes tracking system. Includes a library of industry-accepted tests for concrete performance goals and tracking therapists’ progress. 
  • Scheduling: Manage appointment calendars that sync with patient records and reduce no-shows by 30% by sending automatic reminders. Book remote appointments and launch live two-way video for virtual therapy using Virtual Visits. 
  • Revenue Cycle Management: Submit claims and expedite payments with high first-pass acceptance rate. Offers two RCM options: 
    • RevServe: Completely outsourced service. WebPT handles all billing responsibilities, including A/R management, reporting, collections benchmarking and medicare compliance. 
    • RevEquip: Hybrid model, allowing practices to control things like A/R management, credentialing, case management and more. WebPT offers management of outgoing claims, patient statement submissions, payment EDI management, workflow consultations and more. 
  • Patient Relationship Management: Increase engagement and reduce dropout rates by sending automated email campaigns to past patients and receiving actionable feedback indicating potential dropouts. 
  • Client Mobile App: Clients can access and manage their health data conveniently from a mobile app. 
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Why We Picked eClinicalWorks

The core functionality of eClinicalWorks is suitable for most medical practices and comes at a fair price. However, many users felt that they were oversold on the product by the sales team. Many users complained of difficulty using the features they needed, and felt that the system interface made it difficult to navigate. Users reported issues with system bugs and were unable to receive sufficient support from the support team to rectify the issues they experienced, despite access to 24/7 support. Some users noted that customer support is outsourced and complained that a language barrier made it difficult to communicate. Ultimately, eClinicalWorks is best suited for small practices with basic EHR needs, though it may take users a few days to learn the system.

Pros & Cons

  • Functionality: The system offers the core features that medical practices need, according to nearly 80% of reviews that discuss the system’s base functionality.
  • Price: Though only mentioned in less than a quarter of all reviews, 60% of users who discussed cost in their reviews felt that the system was priced fairly.
  • User Interface: While some users mentioned the intuitive design, the interface displays many features at once that make it confusing and difficult to navigate, according to nearly 55% of users who mentioned the interface in their review.
  • Complexity: The system requires multiple clicks for navigation, adds unnecessary layers of complexity and some users reported implementing their own workarounds to improve the system, as noted in 75% of reviews that discuss the system’s usability.
  • Integration: While some users enjoyed the ability to customize the platform with add-ons and integrations, more than 87% of reviews that discuss integrations complained that the integrations are difficult to implement and aren’t always successful.
  • System Errors: The vendor takes too long to implement software updates, resulting in bugs, inaccuracies and system downtime, as reported by nearly 95% of users who mentioned system updates in their review.
  • Customer Support: Support is available 24/7; however, users often struggled to communicate with the support team, citing problems with the support experts not knowing the answer to their questions or simply not responding to their inquiry, according to nearly 95% of users who mentioned customer support in their review.

Key Features

  • Virtual Assistant: “Eva,” eClinicalWorks EHR’s virtual assistant, allows providers to view a patient’s progress notes, flowsheet or account balance. The virtual assistant can also review patient history, compare notes side-by-side and book appointments in addition to offering educational videos and other helpful resources. 
  • Telemedicine: eClinicalWorks telemedicine solution allows patients to schedule online appointments with their clinicians from home or in the office. Providers and patients can consult with medical experts around the world using the healow Virtual Room. 
  • Scheduling: The scheduling tool allows users to add new patients, look up existing patients, search appointments and manage scheduling requests. Users can also manage the scheduling of resources and specialty equipment for clinicians like doctors, nurses and other providers. 
  • Device Integration: eClinicalWorks integrates with devices like ECG, EEG, etc. within the web browser. The data collected is structured to capture current and past results, complete trend analysis and create flowsheets. 
  • Hospital Interoperability: This involves data being shared between multiple clinics or a hospital’s different departments. This particular EHR allows communication with any radiology vendor or RIS system which supports HL7 messaging. Comparing and analyzing this data leads to greater population health. 
  • Revenue Cycle Management: When it comes to billing, hundreds of features for RCM are available through eClinicalWorks, including credentials, insurance verification and analytics. 

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • On-premise:
    • License fee includes a one-time fee per user plus additional implementation fees
    • Fees for supplemental monthly support and maintenance cost is calculated per user
  • Cloud-based:
    • Recurring subscription fee based on a per user, per month basis, including a hosting and implementation fee
Maintenance Cost
  • On-premise: Additional fee applies for maintenance
  • Cloud-based: Maintenance cost is included in the service fees upon purchase
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • On-premise:
    • Additional implementation fees charged for over 9 users
    • Travel and airfare costs are billed separately
  • Cloud-based:
    • No star-up or initial implementation costs
    • Additional implementation fees are charged for over 9 users
Customization Cost
  • Varies depending on user's functional requirements
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Free data conversion from existing EHR to eClinicalWorks
  • No upfront or switching cost when changing EHRs
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • On-premise: Cost includes monthly support and maintenance along with hosting fees
  • Cloud-based: Cost equals the monthly subscription fee which includes maintenance, hosting and implementation fees
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Why We Picked Optum

Optum, a prominent player in the healthcare software arena, has attracted a range of user feedback over the past year, offering valuable insights into its strengths, weaknesses, and overall suitability for different user groups. Optum's users frequently highlight its comprehensive suite of features, encompassing mental health management, appointment scheduling, and medication tracking, as a key strength. This all-in-one approach simplifies healthcare management for individuals juggling multiple health concerns or those seeking a centralized platform. However, some users note that the extensive features can lead to a steeper learning curve, potentially posing challenges for individuals less comfortable with technology or those preferring simpler interfaces.

Optum distinguishes itself through its robust mental health support features, including mood tracking, journaling tools, and access to mental health professionals. This focus on mental well-being caters to a growing demand for integrated mental health solutions within healthcare platforms. Users appreciate the convenience and accessibility of these features, particularly in the context of rising mental health awareness. Conversely, some users mention occasional technical glitches or slow loading times as areas for improvement. Optum's emphasis on mental health support, coupled with its comprehensive features, makes it well-suited for individuals seeking a holistic healthcare management platform that prioritizes both physical and mental well-being. It is particularly beneficial for those with complex healthcare needs or those actively engaged in managing their mental health.

Pros & Cons

  • Extensive Network: Optum boasts a large network of mental health professionals, increasing the likelihood of finding a suitable therapist or psychiatrist in terms of location, specialty, and insurance coverage.
  • Care Coordination: Optum facilitates communication and collaboration among healthcare providers, ensuring a holistic approach to mental health care. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals with complex needs or multiple diagnoses.
  • Virtual Care Options: Optum offers telehealth services, providing convenient access to mental health care from the comfort of home. This can be especially helpful for individuals with mobility issues, busy schedules, or those residing in underserved areas.
  • Limited In-Network Options: Finding mental health professionals within Optum's network can be challenging, especially for specialized care or in underserved areas. This limitation can force individuals to choose between paying out-of-pocket for preferred providers or settling for less suitable options within the network.
  • Preauthorization Requirements: Optum often requires preauthorization for certain mental health services, such as therapy sessions or medication. This process can be time-consuming and may delay access to necessary care, potentially exacerbating symptoms or hindering progress.
  • Claims and Billing Issues: Navigating the complexities of claims and billing processes with Optum can be frustrating for users. Issues such as denied claims, incorrect billing, or difficulty reaching customer service can create additional stress and financial burdens for individuals seeking mental health support.

Key Features

  • Pharmacy Care Services: OptumRx helps physicians improve their prescribing and helps patients receive the most effective medication at the best possible cost. Physicians can also precheck and authorize medications in real time. 
  • Healthcare Delivery: Provide quality primary care, specialty care and post-acute care by focusing more on treating the patients while also optimizing efficiency and lowering costs. 
  • Data and Health Analytics: Automate recognition of high-cost and high-risk patients with data-driven assistance at the point of care. Acquire patients by linking consumer and clinical data and access insights based on patient results. 
  • Population Health: Improve health outcomes and lower costs by using insights from data and analytics. A connected network of over 800 Centers of Excellence enables treatment with greater knowledge from the get-go. 
  • Advisory Services: Insights help healthcare providers against their biggest challenges so they can and empower the health system, increase revenue, engage customers and improve the quality of care.nbsp;
  • Individual and Family Solutions: Individuals can save money while having a greater part in their overall health with different solutions for healthcare, prescriptions and spending. 
  • Claims Administration: Promotes payment integrity with features to edit inaccurate claims, appropriately price bills, assess bill details, recover overpayments and prevent inaccurate billing. 
  • Optum Bank: Makes paying for treatment easier and more efficient with innovative payments solutions, leading to reduced costs without compromising on healthcare quality. Includes: 
    •  Health accounts for employees. 
    •  Hassle-free payment solutions for better healthcare. 
    •  Health account education with courses to educate employees to become better healthcare consumers. 
  • Optum360: Examine opportunities across the revenue cycle to increase margins and prepare for value-based reimbursement. Offers: 
    •  A patient financial experience that places them in the center of the revenue cycle. 
    •  A/R recovery and denial management to improve payment recovery. 
    •  Claims integrity and processing for quick and efficient claims and reimbursement. 
    •  Document and coding to help staff drive financial results proactively. 
  • Risk and Quality Solutions: Driven from the largest Medicare Advantage database in the industry. 
    • Retrospective Solutions: Improves accuracy and completeness with industry analytics. 
    • Prospective Solutions: Standardizes processes on behalf of multiple payers for better patient treatment. 
    • Improving Outcomes: Drives outcomes while reducing costs with people, technology and clinical insights. 

    Limitations

    User feedback at the time of this review indicates that some of the product limitations include:

    •  Not cost-effective for the features offered. 
    •  Runs slower for larger practices. 
    •  Lack of helpful customer support. 

    Suite Support

    mail_outlineEmail: [email protected].
    phonePhone: A list of phone numbers for support are available on the website.
    schoolTraining: Optum offers a training curriculum to help users get the most out of the software.
    local_offerTickets: Sign in to Optum online to submit help requests.
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Why We Picked Oracle Ambulatory EHR

Cerner Ambulatory EHR really shines when it comes to digitizing outpatient care and making clinical workflows smoother. The software is packed with features that cater specifically to ambulatory settings like charting, digital patient intake and lab integration.

It’s particularly strong in clinical documentation, scoring top marks compared to competitors like AdvancedMD and eClinicalWorks. This means it’s well-equipped for handling tasks like scanning paper records into digital files, electronically signing documents, and tracking immunizations and diet plans. So, if you’re looking for a solution to streamline administrative tasks and reduce paperwork, the system has you covered.

The solution is also pretty flexible in terms of customization. You can adapt templates and workflows to fit your practice’s specific needs, though if you want to go all-in with customization, you might need some help from Cerner’s support team. It’s something to keep in mind, especially for clinics that don’t have a lot of IT resources.

Where the product really sets itself apart is in mobile accessibility. You can send messages, access patient data offline and even dictate notes with speech-to-text, all from your mobile device. The score for mobile features is notably higher than competitors like athenahealth, making it a solid choice for practices that need remote access.

When it comes to interoperability — basically, how well the software plays with other systems — it’s pretty advanced. It complies with major standards like HL7 and FHIR, which are essential for sharing data with other EHRs.

However, it’s not all smooth sailing. The learning curve could be steep, which isn’t uncommon for EHR systems, but it’s something to be aware of if your team isn’t tech-savvy.

Plus, you might also experience occasional performance issues like slow loading times or system glitches, which could disrupt daily operations.

In a nutshell, Cerner Ambulatory EHR is a great fit for practices looking to digitize and automate their workflows, especially those that prioritize mobile accessibility and data security. Just be prepared for a bit of a learning curve and some investment upfront to get the most out of it.

Pros & Cons

  • Enhanced Accessibility: EHRs make patient records accessible in real time, facilitating coordination across healthcare providers and enabling faster decision-making​.
  • Improved Patient Safety: Features like automated alerts for drug interactions and allergies help reduce medical errors, enhancing overall patient safety​.
  • Efficient Clinical Workflows: By automating administrative tasks such as billing, scheduling and coding, EHRs can help streamline workflows and free up time for patient care.
  • Complex Learning Curve: Some EHR systems are not intuitive, requiring significant training and time to adapt, which can initially disrupt clinical workflows​.
  • High Implementation and Maintenance Costs: The cost of setting up, maintaining and upgrading EHR systems can be prohibitive, especially for smaller practices​.
  • Performance Issues: Users frequently report slow system performance, crashes and downtimes, which can affect efficiency and patient care.

Key Features

  • Digital Patient Intake: Enable patients to complete intake forms online before their visit, reducing wait times and administrative burden. Self-service kiosks allow clients to easily check in, verify information and update any changes upon arrival.
  • Video Visits: Conduct secure, face-to-face virtual appointments with clear audio and video, fostering strong patient-provider communication. Capture video visits (with patient consent) for thorough documentation, review and continuity of care.
  • Computer-Assisted Coding: Rely on intelligent algorithms to analyze clinical notes and automatically determine accurate E&M codes to ensure proper reimbursement.
  • Patient Scheduling: Look at what the patient needs, their insurance, their preferences and the doctor's availability to find the best appointment time and location. Coordinate appointments across different clinics and departments, whether you're booking by phone or online. Automatically reach out to patients who need to schedule appointments based on their doctor's orders.
  • Finances: Check insurance and financial information beforehand, so patients don't have to repeat themselves. Give patients an idea of how much their visit will cost with estimates.
  • Patient Financial Activity: Gain a unified view of patients' clinical and financial data to understand expected reimbursements, remaining balances and overall financial performance. Track payments from both patients and health insurance payers, ensuring that all revenue is properly accounted for and no discrepancies arise.
  • Billing: Automatically identify and assign outstanding accounts receivable, reducing the time it takes to get paid for services rendered. Embedded payer rules ensure accurate billing and compliance with payer requirements, helping you maximize reimbursements and reduce claim denials.
  • Referral Management: Share referrals with any doctor or healthcare provider, even if they use a different system. See exactly where each referral is in the process, so nothing gets lost.
  • Population Health Management: Analyze patient data to find areas where they might be missing out on important care. Create care plans tailored to each patient’s needs. Figure out how much care costs and how to make it more affordable.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Send information to other data visualization tools like Tableau and SAP BusinessObjects for in-depth analysis. Generate personalized reports and dashboards to track practice performance.
Company Size
Small Medium Large
Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Why We Picked Care360 EHR

Care360 EHR has in the past received high marks for its user-friendliness and comprehensive features, once making it a popular choice among healthcare organizations. Users appreciate the intuitive interface and the wide range of functionalities, such as patient record management, billing, and scheduling, which streamline workflows and improve efficiency. The e-prescribing system is a standout feature, lauded for its accuracy and convenience. Additionally, Care360 EHR's compliance with industry standards, including meaningful use stages one and two, ensures that healthcare providers meet regulatory requirements. However, some users have expressed concerns about the cost of the system and occasional slow performance. Despite these drawbacks, the overall sentiment towards Care360 EHR is positive, with users praising its ease of use, robust features, and excellent support from the Quest Diagnostics team.

Care360 EHR is best suited for healthcare organizations seeking a comprehensive and user-friendly EHR system. Its ability to handle a wide range of tasks makes it ideal for organizations of all sizes, from small independent practices to large multi-specialty groups. The system's scalability and flexibility allow it to adapt to the evolving needs of healthcare providers, ensuring that they have the tools they need to deliver high-quality patient care.

Pros & Cons

  • Streamlined Patient Scheduling: Care360 EHR offers tools to efficiently manage appointments, reducing scheduling conflicts and wait times. This includes features like automated reminders and online booking options.
  • Enhanced Clinical Documentation: The platform provides customizable templates and intuitive interfaces for clinical documentation, promoting accuracy and completeness of patient records. This can lead to better continuity of care and informed decision-making.
  • Improved Billing and Claims Management: Care360 EHR facilitates accurate coding and streamlined claims submissions, potentially reducing billing errors and claim denials. This can improve revenue cycle management for healthcare providers.
  • Usability Challenges: The user interface can feel outdated and clunky, leading to a steeper learning curve for new users. Navigation can be cumbersome, and finding specific functions or patient data may require multiple clicks and menu explorations.
  • Customization Limitations: Care360 EHR may have limited options for tailoring the system to individual practice workflows or specialties. Practices with unique needs may find it difficult to configure the system to match their preferred processes, potentially hindering efficiency.
  • Integration Issues: Integrating Care360 EHR with other healthcare systems or software can pose challenges. This can lead to data silos and hinder seamless information exchange between different platforms, potentially impacting care coordination and efficiency.
  • Customer Support Concerns: Some users have reported difficulties reaching customer support or experiencing long wait times for assistance. Prompt and effective technical support is crucial for addressing issues and minimizing disruptions to clinical workflows.

Key Features

  • E-Prescribing: In addition to managing patient eligibility, coverage and copay information, your physicians are able to chart, order and renew prescriptions 24/7 from any location. 
  • Patient Portal: With MyQuest, patients and providers can connect with one another and handle a variety of tasks electronically. Physicians can send and receive messages, keep patient-visit notes, create an electronic record of communications with patients, and more. Patients, on the other hand, can use the portal for things like tracking their health, viewing lab results, sharing medical information with doctors, etc. 
  • Data Diagnostics: Physicians can access patient-specific analytics in real time during the point of care. Data diagnostics deliver insights to your physicians when and where they need them, while expanding available data sources with a large set of clinical, claims quality and lab data to be used for decision support. 
  • Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA): By integrating directly with the EHR, ePA helps your healthcare professionals to easily obtain automated prior authorizations at the point of care. 
  • Electronic Lab Management: Quest Lab Stewardship helps optimize your lab test decisions by producing better outcomes and lowering costs — redundant, unnecessary, and omitted tests can be avoided. 

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost User-based monthly prescription — per user, per month
Maintenance Cost
  • Cost is included with the subscription fee
  • Customer support services are provided on an urgent basis, with a dedicated phone line and online forms
  • Provides network security, 24/7 technical support, integrated support services and mobile networking
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • Cost is not included with the subscription fee
  • Implementation services are provided via a team of experts
Customization Cost Customization cost will vary depending on the number of users and specific functionalities that are added
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Cost is not included with the subscription fee
  • Online and onsite training courses are provided — cost will vary depending on which courses are chosen
Recurring/Renewal Costs Recurring costs are equivalent to the monthly subscription fee based on the number of users, add-on features and any training services
Company Size
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Deployment
Cloud On-Premise
Platform
Mac Windows Linux Chromebook Android

Why We Picked Meditech

Meditech is an intuitive EHR solution to streamline charting, documentation and patient data retrieval. Reviewers found the system simplified to a fault. Users found that it helps keep information neatly and securely organized, resulting in a smooth user experience. Without overwhelming clients, the platform enables ease of use and navigation. It also increases treatment accuracy by predicting diagnosis. However, others complained that its lack of features limited its functionality. It provides minimal charting options. It also lacks an assessment entry field, dot phase or auto-populate preset features. Its notifications are easy to miss. Being a web-based application, it’s not optimized for smartphones or mobile devices. The system can lag when dealing with high volumes. Overall, it’s not a comprehensive solution, but it streamlines clinical workflows with its suite of features.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly: About 67% of users noted that the platform provides an intuitive interface and is easy to use and navigate.
  • Learning Curve: It’s easy to gain proficiency with the platform, as noted by 80% of reviewers who mentioned its learning curve.
  • Customization: All users who talked about customization complained that it can’t be customized to individual needs.
  • Performance: The system is slow and experiences occasional glitches, as reviewed by about 86% of users who talked about performance.
  • Functionality: Approximately 53% of reviewers who spoke about functionality mentioned its limited features and charting options.
  • Cost: Though only mentioned in a few reviews, all of those reviewers found the application unaffordable for smaller practices, mentioning costly maintenance and repair.

Key Features

  • Data Documentation: Document and chart a patient’s data while spending valuable time focusing on patients. Document a patient’s information once, storing it for future use. 
  • Population Health: Recognize local trends and improve individual health outcomes by gathering and comparing medical data from multiple students. 
  • Fiscal Responsibility: Offer revenue cycle management and analytics to analyze and compare health facility performance. 
  • Nurse and Specialty Care: Enable nurses and other practitioners to provide care in the patient’s home. Provide support for oncology, critical care, surgical services and labor and delivery as well. 
  • Patient Portal: Authorize face-to-face appointment setup and online patient question addressal using MHealth. 
  • Interoperability: Enable a seamless flow of data between systems for greater accuracy and efficiency. Share clinical data and exchange orders with acute hospitals, using a one-touch record system. 
  • EVV: Use time-keeping tools to electronically connect patient appointments with healthcare visits. Bracket duties with EVV schedule clocks to accurately pinpoint location, time-in and time-out to capture and verify field staff visits. 
  • Activity Management: Gain visibility into nurse and practitioner activities to track care-provision hours. 
  • Mobility: View real-time patient data, prioritize and sort summaries, access documentation capabilities, and more. Also includes: 
    • Mobile Phlebotomy: Display a real-time list of specimens awaiting collection. Integrates with both centralized and decentralized collection facilities. 
    • iPhone Health Records: View allergies, lab results, medications and more with Health Records on iPhone, which syncs with the patient portal. 

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • On-premise: One-time license fee to own the software
  • Cloud-based: Subscription-based pricing - per user, per month
Maintenance Cost
  • On-premise:
    • Cost is included in the subscription fee
  • Cloud-based:
    • Cost is included with monthly subscription fee
    • No maintenance charges to be paid by the users
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • On-premise: Additional implementation fee
  • Cloud-based: Cost included in the subscription fee
Customization Cost
  • Cost of customization will vary based on the functional requirements or features added based on each facility's unique needs
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • For both cloud-based and on-premise, cost will vary depending on the type of data and the amount of which is being migrated and validated
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • On-premise: Fees for additional licenses purchased
  • Cloud-based: Cost is equal to the monthly subscription fee, based on the number of users, customization and training courses taken

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All ONC-certified EHR Software (130 found)

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Buyer's Guide

ONC-certified EHR Software Is All About Improving Office Efficiency and Data Security

ONC-certified EHR BG Intro

With technology a vital part of our society, today's medical industry requires efficient and secure methods of data storage. ONC-certified EHR software enables health care facilities to manage patient data transfers and confidential information exchange safely and seamlessly.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has created criteria for structured data that EHR solutions must adhere to in order to be certified in this ever-growing industry.

In this guide, we’ll cover what you need to know to find the right system.

Executive Summary

  • ONC-certified EHR software helps health care organizations receive Medicare incentive payments while also making patients feel confident in the way doctors store their medical information
  • Key features include patient portals, HIPAA-compliant interoperability, lab integration, documentation and more
  • Enquire with vendors about their products to better understand their functionalities and pricing structures
What This Guide Covers:

What Is ONC-certified EHR Software?

ONC-certified EHR software is a digital solution that helps medical facilities enhance patient satisfaction by using safe and structured methods of sharing patient data and adhering to specific regulations. An ONC-certified EHR application ensures users that the system includes the necessary technological capabilities, features and security standards to meet meaningful use criteria.

The certification, additionally, guarantees systematic patient data formats for smooth transfers from and transmission to other EHR solutions.

Primary Benefits

Buying a new application is an expensive activity. Since this is a huge investment to make, understanding your product in detail will help you put your money into the right software.

Mentioned below are some primary benefits you must know about before finalizing your decision:

ONC-certified EHR Primary Benefits

Enhance Data Standardization & Security

Under the care coordination category, there are procedures to follow to exchange medical information among pharmacies, doctors, clinical staff and third-party systems. It specifies the various content types and their formats your EHR can receive and send.

An ONC-certified EHR is capable of sending and receiving data in the below-mentioned four protocols:

  • IHE XDR
  • SMTP
  • POP3
  • IMAP4

Standardized data formats enable practitioners to use EHR systems in ways that they improve patient care through better information-sharing abilities and easy data transfers.

Improve Patient Satisfaction

ONC-certified EHRs provide patients with electronic features to obtain their medical information while ensuring complete privacy and minimizing administrative responsibilities on office staff members.

Clinical procedural advancements demand an increased emphasis on secure health information exchange. ONC-certified EHRs achieve it by offering users the following modules:

Increase Revenue & Profitability

EHRs with ONC certifications enable health care facilities to fund their practices with the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program. Further, since patient satisfaction leads to client loyalty, providing them with better care helps you retain customers, thereby increasing the organization's revenue and profitability.

Key Features & Functionality

Patient Portal

Enable patients to acquire medical information from your health care admin team electronically.

Save patient and staff time by enabling online prescription refill requests and appointment bookings using the portal.

Lab Integration

Order lab tests directly from patient charts while they're still in your chamber. Increase workflow efficiencies for improved patient retention and minimized staff burden, time wastage and miscommunication issues.

Integrate with external labs to help patients take tests in labs close to them. Increase patient satisfaction by offering them immediate access to test results.

Documentation

Use standardized formats to safely store and exchange patient information.

Create accurate and up-to-date patient visit documentation to get payments for obtaining Medicare provider status.

E-prescribing

Enhance patient safety through automated drug interaction, dosage balance and therapeutic duplication verification features. Increase prescription process efficiency and patient medication compliance using digital e-prescribing modules.

Reporting

Submitting CMS payment program reports can be challenging for many health care organizations and clinics, especially due to the manual work and math it involves.

Automate reporting tasks to generate error-free reports with numeration as well as measure calculations.

Software Comparison Strategy

When making the final decision to purchase a new solution for your company, you might be concerned about making a wise choice. The best you can do is examine the top applications to reach a better conclusion.

This won’t just help you pick an application that aligns well with your business needs but will also give you insights into your company's pain points and improvement areas.

Read the following points to learn the software evaluation techniques:

Identify Your Business Needs

You need to specify your needs and the issue(s) you're attempting to solve before you start thinking about vendors. In many circumstances, the problem you're having could be the result of both poor software and improper processes. Finding these problems isn’t a fault-finding practice. Instead, it's an opportunity to approach issues rationally.

At this step of the process, you need to:

  • Internally decide your pain points
  • Ascertain the total number of users who’ll use the new system
  • Gauge how this new purchase will curb your current problems
  • Determine ways in which you can expand using the new software

Shortlist Software Vendors

Once you have adequate information about your business requirements, it's time to gather details about potential vendors and their products.

Remember, there are myriad merchants you can contact in the marketplace, but not every merchant you select may be able to fulfill your purchase requirements. For this reason, shortlist your vendors wisely and keep a record of every detail you discover while visiting their websites.

Does the software buying activity seem challenging to you? Reference our Lean Selection methodology for a deeper look into how to compare and select software.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

Comprehensive market research can help you avoid overlooking crucial product information. Along with deeply understanding an application’s functionalities and services, another vital aspect to pay attention to is how product merchants price their software.

Important cost and pricing considerations to keep in mind include:

Deployment

Cloud and on-premise are two deployment options you should learn about. Since learning about the cost of ownership has a strong role to play in ascertaining the total amount you’ll need to invest, peruse them in advance.

If you have certain customization requirements and also want to purchase a new system with a vision of expanding your business in the future, then picking an on-premise product can be fruitful. These applications, however, have high upfront costs due to their implementation, maintenance and licensing requirements.

Cloud-based solutions, on the contrary, are moderately priced since they demand lower upfront costs. Vendors sell these applications on subscription models and handle security and storage. But they can be costly long-term.

Add-on Costs

Software buyers often find themselves suffering losses due to the various service charges that vendors demand from them in the later stage. Being aware of these additional costs ahead of time is crucial to prevent going over budget in the end.

Some services with common additional costs you can anticipate are:

  • Installation
  • Implementation
  • Customizations
  • Integrations
  • Data migration
  • Extensive support

Questions To Ask

Asking important questions when you first reach out to product vendors will help you determine how relevant their applications and services are to your purchase requirements.

However, before contacting merchants with these questions, ask some crucial questions to yourself to develop a better understanding of your investment needs.

Use these questions as a starting point for internal discussion:

  • What’re the biggest pain points in our current workflows?
  • What’s my preferred deployment option?
  • How many users need access to the new system?
  • What’re my future business goals?
  • What customization requirements do I have?

ONC-certified EHR Key Questions

Use these questions as a starting point for conversations with vendors:

  • Is your support team responsive?
  • Do you provide free of cost installation and data migration services?
  • How does the system secure my patient data?
  • Do you offer onboarding support?
  • How long have you been in this business?

Next Steps

Buying ONC-certified EHR software demands knowledge of the marketplace. Once you have a list of functionalities you can’t do without, there’s nothing stopping you from buying an ideal product. Contact vendors about additional costs to ensure you don’t have any losses ahead. We hope this guide will help you make the right choice.

Use our comparison report to examine top applications seamlessly. Good luck!

Product Comparisons

Additional Resources

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Technical Content Writer
Kashish Arora was a Technical Content Writer at SelectHub who specialized in developing content for accounting, EHR, EMR, practice management, patient scheduling and EPM. She holds a master's degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication. When not writing, she eats fictional quotes, listens to Latin jazz and reweaves the missing parts of her spiritual tapestry.