Wondering about the best EHR solutions? Electronic health records (EHRs) are becoming increasingly essential software solutions for therapists and private practice owners in other specialties. As continual software improvements and additional features emerge, the following list of top EHR solutions can make it easier to choose the right EHR for your practice.
There are several aspects you need to keep in mind when evaluating the best EHR solutions. Most offer similar features, however they vary from each other in the nuances of those features.
Pricing, supported specialties, customer support, and ease of use can all factor into determining which EHR solution will work best for your therapy practice.
This list will highlight the key features offered in the seven top EHR solutions. By exploring the pros and the cons of the best EHR solutions, this article will help you pick the best EHR, with everything you need to streamline your practice.
What are EHR solutions?
EHR stands for electronic health record.
No matter what type of health and wellness practice you run, EHR solutions provide a digital record of clients’ charts. An EHR also gives providers one place to enter treatment plans, create notes and other documentation, and then store client records for later use—without having to use a pen and paper.
The charts, treatment plans, notes, and forms become instantly accessible to authorized users. The information in the EHR can also be shared between providers in the practice, or downloaded to share elsewhere—assisting in collaborative care and potentially improving client healthcare outcomes.
Most EHR solutions provide more than charts, notes, and treatment plans. Many also offer functional features that help improve and streamline several administrative aspects of care.
Additional features can include simplified workflows, scheduling features, client communication tools, templates, and integrated billing systems.
The combined features allow practitioners to spend less time doing paperwork and more time focusing on their clients’ needs.
Why therapists use EHR solutions
Therapists, like many other clinicians and wellness professionals, can benefit from EHR solutions.
Here are some of the benefits the best EHR solutions can provide to therapists and other practitioners:
- Premade and customizable forms that help ensure compliance and allow practitioners to spend less time on paperwork
- Coding for insurance billing
- Workflows that can include reminders and alerts
- Integrated billing capabilities
- Patient engagement that can include portals, messaging, billing, and appointment reminders
- Interoperability between therapist providers and your client’s other providers to help improve care
- E-prescription services
- Ease of use
- Dashboards and other means to display and find client data quickly
In other words, the best EHR solutions streamline and reduce admin work, while making it easier for therapists to provide the highest quality care to their clients.
How to choose the best EHR solution
The best EHR solutions for therapists will vary based on several factors.
One of the first questions to consider is: Does the EHR solution provide support for your speciality?
Many large EHR software companies have designed their software to suit the needs of large medical offices, staffed with physicians. As a result, their built-in coding, forms, and workflows cater primarily to physicians. Therefore, the top EHR solutions used in hospitals or large clinics are not necessarily the optimal fit for private practices run by behavioral health therapists and other wellness practitioners, such as occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and physical therapists. You will want to select an EHR solution that best accommodates your speciality and your business.
Other considerations include:
- Pricing: Most EHR solutions offer different pricing structures and bundles to choose from with different costs associated with each. Many will provide additional services for added fees.
- Patient engagement: One of the big buzzwords of EHR solutions is patient engagement. These are services that can include billing, payments, online appointment scheduling and intake, portals, and more features designed to keep your patients coming back.
- Practice management: Practice management is a feature of many top EHR solutions. Features can include billing, integrated patient intake, dashboards, insurance submissions, and more. You will want to keep in mind how these features may help your practice keep processes moving.
- Support: What kind of support does the EHR software company offer? Many of them allow for phone calls, emails, online chat, and video calls. Some offer extensive resource libraries of eBooks, videos, and webinars.
- Set up: Whether you have a current EHR system or you’re brand new to it, you will want to consider how integration will get handled. Many EHRs offer initial training, automated guides, and other methods to support set up.
- Trials: Some companies offer free trials of their EHR software so you get an idea of how it will work for your practice. However, some only offer demos.
- Integration: Some EHR software allows for integration with other software vendors. This can improve patient experiences, but it is not always an included feature.
- Interoperability: Interoperability refers to the ability to quickly share patient health records across your practice and with other connected practices. This can improve outcomes for your clients both in your practice and at their other providers, since you will be able to see data changes quickly and easily. It also can help reduce data entry for office staff since records are available through digital sharing using safe connections.
1. SimplePractice
SimplePractice offers a simple, affordable EHR solution for either solo providers and group practices—with functions to easily add clinicians or administrative staff. This makes it one of the best EHR solutions for both solo providers and group practices.
SimplePractice offers an EHR system geared toward several different professional career paths that other systems often do not support. Supported professions include:
- Mental health professionals
- Speech-language pathologists
- Physical therapists
- Chiropractors
- Social workers
- Lactation consultants
- Massage therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Substance use counselors
- Dietitians and nutritionists
- Acupuncturists
To make set up easy, SimplePractice offers support in helping you transition to their system—whether it is the first EHR system you plan to use or if your practice is switching from a different solution, SimplePractice’s support team is there to help you along the way. You can get started on your own or with their guided assistance to get set up and running quickly.
SimplePractice offers a 30-day free trial without providing a credit card. If you decide to continue using the service, you will set up payment based on the plan best suited for your practice needs.
SimplePractice offers three levels of plans—with customizable add-ons like telehealth, additional clinicians, and Wiley Treatment Planners—to choose from.
The SimplePractice plans include:
SimplePractice Starter
The SimplePractice Starter plan includes everything you need to get started in private practice—from treatment plans, template forms, and progress notes, to credit card processing and automated billing for patients.
You will also receive access to live customer support. This plan also includes paperless intakes, a client portal, and mobile app—so you can stay connected with your clients. You can also make a professional website for your practice to increase your web presence. For a small additional fee, you can add their HIPAA-compliant telehealth feature on the Starter plan.
SimplePractice Essential
The SimplePractice Essential plan offers everything that the Starter plan includes, along with some added features. Telehealth comes included in the plan price, but you can also file up to 10 insurance claims for free.
You also gain access to features such as customizable notes, an analytics dashboard, professional website, secure client messaging, online appointment requests, Monarch directory, and appointment reminders. You can also add Wiley Treatment Planners for a small monthly fee.
SimplePractice Plus
The SimplePractice Plus plan is the most scalable option that provides all the benefits of the smaller plans, with the flexibility to grow your practice. It also includes the Wiley Treatment Planner, external calendar syncing, ability to add appointment request widgets to your external website, a client waitlist, adding schedulers and billers, and up to 35 insurance claim submissions per month—all for free.
You can also add practice managers and more clinicians for additional monthly fees per added person.
SimplePractice offers several levels of support to help you get started and answer questions that come up in the future. They provide phone support during their normal business operating hours, unlimited email support, video chats, an extensive Help Center, and live chat for extended business hours.
The SimplePractice team also provides virtual learning that includes live and on-demand classes to ensure you understand everything their EHR solution offers and how to use it to set your practice up for success.
In addition to classes and tutorials on how to get started with SimplePractice, you can peruse any of their pre-recorded webinars discussing popular practice management topics. To get invitations for upcoming webinars, sign up for their Pollen blog newsletter. Feel free to also check out their free downloadable resources, packed with letter templates, diagnosis guidelines, eBooks, and more—proving that starting a private practice doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel.
SimplePractice also offers additional software options to help licensed and pre-licensed practitioners alike:
- SimplePractice Learning: Behavioral health professionals provide evidence-based continuing education courses that you can do at your pace and at times that work for you.
- Track Your Hours: Mental health clinicians seeking certification in New York, Texas, or California can use this tool to track the hours needed to achieve your credentials. There are several supported licensures based on the state a person lives in.
- Monarch: Monarch is a searchable nationwide directory that connects people seeking therapy with the right therapists no matter where they live. The Essential and Plus plans allow you to place your practice on this directory to help people connect with your practice.
SimplePractice pros and cons
Some of the pros of SimplePractice include:
- One of the best EHRs for solo providers and group practices that can scale with your needs
- SimplePractice streamlines and simplifies your admin work—with everything from notes to billing all-in-one solution
- Unlimited, free client storage
- SimplePractice is HIPAA compliant, HITRUST CSF Certified, and PCI Compliant, meaning your data and clients are safe
- Reliable support that includes learning opportunities
- Upfront and affordable pricing for smaller practices
- A free 30-day trial period with no credit card required to get started
Some cons may include:
- The lowest priced option may not include everything your practice needs
- Mobile app functionality doesn’t include all the features of the web browser version
2. DrChrono
DrChrono EHR software offers an easy-to-use cloud-based solution with fully customizable settings, making it easy to adapt to your practice. It also allows you to tailor notes, billing, and records to fit your practice’s needs.
DrChrono was the first EHR software to offer a full-capacity Apple or iOS app. This means you can complete visits using an iPad or even iPhone. The app allows practitioners to gain full access to their client records, and allows your clients to access their records at any time.
DrChrono features fully integrated billing, client record keeping, and scheduling. It allows you to set up workflows to make record keeping and billing easier.
For clients, DrChrono offers a patient portal. This allows your practice to send secure information to each client that can include upcoming appointment reminders, access to their own health records, and allows them to make payments.
Patients can also use the app to check into appointments and send messages to their therapists or other members of your practice. Therapists can also send materials through the portal to share with their patients.
DrChrono offers therapists and patients the ability to meet virtually via telehealth. Patients with challenging schedules, young children at home, or those who cannot make it in person may benefit from being able to schedule a secure virtual visit.
Practice management in DrChrono is customizable.
DrChrono offers several levels of plans that include a basic plan (called Prometheus) that offers only bare-bone features, while their Apollo plan includes everything they have to offer. However, there are no customizable plan options, and it is unclear exactly how much each plan costs.
Finally, DrChrono offers free demos as well as a 30-day free trial period.
DrChrono pros and cons
DrChrono EHR software offers several features your practice may find helpful.
Some of the main pros include:
- HIPAA-compliant
- Offers a 30-day free trial
- Electronic prescriptions
- Offers the ability to send messages
- User-friendly
- Dashboard for reporting
- Offers speech-to-text
Like other top EHR solutions, DrChrono has drawbacks too.
Some possible cons include:
- Does not support Android app
- Phone support only available through e-tickets
- Pricing lacks transparency
- Offers only a limited number of appointment reminders
- Does not have advanced patient collections features
3. eClinicalWorks
eClinicalWorks offers an all around good EHR solution, but it does not include practice management in its base product.
eClinicalWorks has been around for over 20 years, providing EHR solutions to healthcare practices. The staff of over 6,000 employees offers support for over one million medical professionals using their software in over 110,000 facilities around the world.
eClinicalWorks offers three differently priced plans. They include:
- EHR only: $449 month per provider
- EHR with Practice Management: $599 month per provider
- Revenue cycle management (RCM) as a service: 2.9% of total practice collections
All three plans offer some similar features, which include items like:
- Cloud-based
- Patient portals
- 24/7 support
- Document management
- Messaging system
- Registry reporting
- Referral management
- Document management
- Maintenance
- Unlimited free webinars and videos
In addition, none of the plans require a start up cost. They offer support setting up a brand new EHR solution or transferring from a previous system.
It also integrates with the healow® app, which offers a variety of health and lifestyle management tools in both English and Spanish versions. These apps can help a person track several aspects of their health, such as weight, blood pressure, activity level, and sleep.
A person can also make payments to your practice directly from their mobile or computer app.
For your practitioners, eClinicalWorks offers voice to text and a virtual assistant. The assistant can help your team find items of interest faster by asking for things such as patient records, latest progress notes, or a list of medications.
eClinicalWorks offers providers interoperability. Interoperability means you can access your patient’s health records quickly from any participating system. You can retrieve data from any healthcare provider whose EHR solution participates in the Carequality and CommonWell Health alliance networks.
For additional monthly fees, eClinicalWorks offers two options for revenue cycle management. You can choose the self-service or complete end-to-end solution that takes care of most of the work for you. With either option, the company boasts a 98% first time acceptance rate for claims.
eClinicalWorks does not offer a free trial period, but it does offer demos so you and others in your practice can get an idea of what the company has to offer before signing up.
eClinicalWorks pros and cons
eClinicalWorks stands out as one of the best EHR solutions because of the following pros:
- Easy to learn and use
- 24/7 support
- Offers messaging and telehealth with each plan
- Comprehensive interoperability
- Several clinical templates
Like any EHR solution, eClinicalWorks may not be the best option for your needs. Some possible cons include:
- Does not offer a free trial period
- Practice management requires an added fee per month
- Third-party integration requires additional fees
4. Kareo Clinical
Healthcare providers designed and built the Kareo Clinical EHR system. Their original and ongoing goal was ease of use for practitioners.
Their system is cloud-based. This means data is available to any connected device and requires no downloading of software to get started.
On their website, they state that you can get started using their EHR solution in minutes instead of days. They offer support to transfer from a previous EHR solution to their platform, with a coach to help along the way.
Practices that are brand new to EHR systems can get started quickly with some basic information and login credentials.
Features included in Kareo’s EHR system include:
- Comprehensive dashboard
- Charting
- e-prescriptions
- Integrated patient portal
- Electronic billing
- eLab reports
- Calendars
- Agenda overview, allowing you to see outstanding tasks that need your attention
- Flowsheets
- Integrated information on prescription discounts
- Workflow support for all aspects of care
Pricing is individualized and not up-front, but it does include packages based on whether your practice offers physician providers—like different types of doctors—or non-physician providers, such as registered nurses, physical therapists, or other specialities.
They offer their customers support through chat, email, and phone.
Kareo Clinical’s billing system helps practitioners collect bills from clients and bill insurance companies for the services rendered.
They also offer Kareo Engage, which helps patients get more involved in their care. The engagement software includes:
- Kiosk check in
- Automated appointment reminders and online scheduling
- Online intakes
- Client messaging services
- Help with potential clients finding your practice online
- Ability to accept and publish patient reviews to help boost sales
- Provider profiles
- Patient broadcasts that help your practice stay in touch with clients—with messages such as birthday greetings or letting people know if the practice is running behind before they show up
Kareo Clinical does not provide upfront pricing. To find out how much it will cost your practice, you need to fill out a form first.
They also do not include a free trial. The best way to find out if Kareo Clinic is the best EHR solution for you is to schedule a demo prior to signing up.
Kareo Clinical pros and cons
Some pros of the software include:
- Client messaging
- Integration with billing and office management software
- User-friendly design
- Third party integration
- All levels of plan offer claims submissions, denial resolution, and patient payment collection
- Good option for practices with roughly 10 or less providers
- Offers support for several specialities, both physician and non-physician providers
Kareo Clinical cons include:
- No upfront pricing
- Does not include a free trial period
- The scheduling service is fee-based
5. NextGen Healthcare
NextGen Healthcare offers a cloud-based EHR solution for small- and large-sized practices.
NextGen Healthcare’s EHR solution offers services for several specialities, including behavioral health, physical therapy, and more. Your office’s speciality may affect what services you ultimately need from the EHR service.
Like other EHR solutions, they offer HIPAA compliant and secure data storage to keep you and your clients’ data safe.
For your clients, they offer a patient portal that gives them access to their healthcare records. Clients can also pay for services and schedule and edit appointments directly from their portal. You can send them appointment reminders and messages as well.
NextGen offers two plan options: NextGen Office and NextGen Enterprise.
NextGen Office helps smaller offices with several features. It is designed for practices that do not have multiple facilities or practitioners.
NextGen Enterprise provides the same features as Office, but they are designed to support larger numbers of practitioners and can be scaled up. As the name implies, it supports enterprise level practices that may include multiple facilities, practitioners, and specialities.
Both plans offer features such as:
- Intuitive workflows
- Patient engagement features, like messaging and scheduling support
- Revenue cycle management
- Free customer support and training for practitioners and office staff
- An integrated practice management platform
- Secure databases
- Mobile access
- Customizable templates and pre-built forms
- Connected dashboards and data for providers, office managers, and billers to streamline patient care throughout the process
They also offer training and learning opportunities for practitioners. Their resources include videos, brochures, eBooks, webinars, and more learning opportunities.
NextGen also offers help with billing and insurance claims, providing insight into ways to improve billing and ensure proper and timely payment.
They offer several support options to their users, including EHR system training that may help ease the transition to the new system. Their training sessions are live and hands-on—helping end users learn the system easily. They also offer professional training opportunities to those interested.
The pricing for NextGen is not upfront. You will need to fill in a questionnaire and contact customer support to get set up with their pricing and correct plan for your practice’s needs.
They offer a demo to get an idea of how NextGen Enterprise will work, but they do not have a 30-day free trial that other top EHR solutions tend to offer.
NextGen Healthcare pros and cons
NextGen Healthcare EHR service offers several potential pros, including:
- Messaging capabilities to clients
- Patient portal
- Integrated billing services
- Ability to integrate third party software
- Several online payment options for clients
NextGen Healthcare may not be a good fit for everyone. Some potential cons include:
- Hidden pricing
- Does not include reporting dashboard
6. Valant
Developed in 2005, Valant provides one of the best EHR solutions for behavioral health therapists and practices. With over 18 years of experience, they have over 18,000 users.
Initially designed by a psychiatrist, Valant offers workflows and an EHR solution that caters to therapists and behavioral health care workers. The software can help nearly anyone in your practice, including the owner, biller, office manager, and both prescribing and non-prescribing providers.
Therapists may find that they spend less time on paperwork, allowing them to focus their attention where it matters—time spent with patients.
Valant offers a scalable solution for behavioral health practices. It offers support for a large group down to a solo provider. It also allows for easy scaling, which means that if your practice grows, Valant can grow with your needs.
Like other top EHR solutions, Valant offers therapists and patients to meet virtually. This allows your practice to offer flexible scheduling to clients who may not be able to make it into the office easily.
The EHR software also offers secure messaging capabilities. This allows therapists and clients to communicate with each other directly as needed.
If your practice offers group sessions or group therapy, Valent has the functionality to facilitate these sessions. This can include tracking attendance, recording group notes, allowing ongoing enrollment, and multi-participant virtual visits.
For prescribing therapists, Valant offers the ability to both prescribe and track medications. This helps your practice stay on top of prescription care and medication management.
Valant offers the ability to manage patients from start to finish. The software can handle pre-patient registration forms and information. Once accepted, practitioners can create treatment plans and track progress using built-in evidence-based care tools.
Valant offers several built-in forms, data tracking, and notes that can help save time when completing paperwork. Many of the forms allow an automatic transfer of pertinent information from one form to the next. The system then generates professional quality forms that therapists can share with their patients.
Valant does not currently offer a free-trial period. You can get a preview of the software through scheduling a demo, but once you commit, you will need to pay for the software upfront with no chance of getting your money back if you decide it’s not for you.
Valant was designed specifically for behavioral health services. All the features—from intake to billing—cater to the needs of mental health providers, which may make it a more attractive option for therapists who have tried more generic, one-size-fits all EHR solutions, but may be limiting for other practitioners.
Valant pros and cons
Some of Valant’s top pros include:
- Measure and track progress using evidence-based care tools
- Billing capabilities
- Messaging capabilities
- Reporting dashboard
Even the best EHR software will not work for everyone.
Some of Valant’s cons include:
- No free trial
- Steep learning curve
- No third party software integration
7. AdvancedMD
AdvancedMD offers one of the best EHR solutions for large practices, but it can scale down to a single provider practice.
AdvancedMD offers support to a large list of different provider types, including various specialities. For behavioral and mental health providers, you can select an optional add-on to handle your coding, billing, and form needs.
Like some of the other EHR software examples, AdvancedMD offers both practitioner support in the way of treatment plans, notes, and other documents and services, as well as backend support for billing, insurance claims, client intake, and more.
Your clients can connect with your practice through a variety of features. They include telehealth, messaging providers, appointment reminders, and ability to set up online appointments. There is also kiosk check in and online bill payment functionality.
AdvancedMD is 100% cloud-based, meaning data is available on any connected device. The software supports both computer and iOS mobile devices. It does not currently support Android mobile users.
Some features and options include:
- One-to-one support to get started with the EHR system
- Customizable forms and workflows
- Revenue cycle management
- Professional training for certifications
- Interoperability and instant data updates to stay up to date on client changes, helping to eliminate the need for data entry
- Forms and support for front end staff, including kiosk check-ins and integrated forms
- Support for multiple building practices
- Patient portal
- Telehealth
- Client messaging available
- Personalized client engagement
For learning, they offer on-demand webinars, videos, demos, and documents to help practitioners with skill development. The content is up-to-date and from research-based sources.
They offer several means to support their clients, including chat, email support, and the ability to request custom forms for your practice.
Their pricing is a bit vague and requires you to build your custom options or fill out a form to receive a quote. Options for pricing include:
- Build a bundle: Allow you to choose the features you like or need for your practice.
- Standard pricing: Includes a set amount of services in a preset bundle. You can add additional services for added monthly fees. This model offers the most flexibility to make the software work best for your practice.
- RCM price quote: Price is a percentage of your practice’s earnings.
- Add ons: You can add on additional bundles to any base plan. They include Mental Health Pricing Bundle, Physical Therapy Pricing Bundle, and Billing Services Pricing Bundle.
AdvancedMD provides custom, personalized pricing per plan, or bundle. You need to contact them directly to receive a quote on how much their services will cost your practice. Upon inquiry, they offer help with figuring out the best bundle to fit your practice’s needs.
Prior to purchase, they offer demos of their software. This may help with deciding if their services fit your needs. Unlike some of the other top EHR solutions, they do not offer a free trial period, so you will start paying for the service once you select your plan.
AdvancedMD pros and cons
AdvancedMD offers a comprehensive EHR solution, geared towards larger practices.
Some pros include:
- Auto-accept consent forms
- Personalized patient engagement
- Messaging ability
- Claim attachments features, such as adding notes, images, diagnostics, and lab reports
- Free upgrades and updates as available
- Packages have several customization options
AdvancedMD may not be as attractive to smaller practices or behavioral health providers. Some other possible cons include:
- Does not support Android devices
- Third party software integration requires additional fees
- No upfront pricing
How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice
SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software with everything you need to run your practice built into the platform—from booking and scheduling to insurance and client billing.
If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR system, SimplePractice empowers you to streamline appointment bookings, reminders, and rescheduling and simplify the billing and coding process—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.
Try SimplePractice free for 30 days. No credit card required.