Latest research figures suggest there are as many as 2,000 EMR companies in the US. A large part of these companies are catering to solo providers while others are offering solutions for small, medium and large practices. Quite a small part of these providers are also catering to hospitals. On average, a small practice usually contains 2 to 5 providers while a medium sized practice will have up to 25 providers. For hospitals, the provider number usually goes up to 100.
So in case you are a provider looking to make the big shift to healthcare IT or just want to break away from your current EMR system, you will want to move to the best option you have based on your practice size. However, it is easy for practices to lose track of what they actually want when they enter the EMR market looking for their new system. EMR vendors these days sugarcoat their products in a way that they appear very appealing to the potential buyers. However, providers often regret their decisions when the system is put to practice in real life. They struggle to keep their workflows smooth and are left with spending more time in front of a computer rather than on a patient.
So let’s give you some of the best EMR vendors available out there in the market which guarantee you choose the right product for your practice and do not regret your investment later on.
Best EMR for solo providers
1. CureMD 
One of the most experienced vendors out there in the market, CureMD has been catering to solo providers for over 17 years. It is the pioneer of cloud-based EMR and offers a complete solution for providers including practice management and billing services as well. As of now, it is serving over 100,000 users across 52 states representing a mix of over 30 specialties.
In addition to the core services, CureMD now also offers an iPad EMR offering a multitude of features such as enterprise scheduling, patient profile, clinical review, insurances, etc. Furthermore, it offers a complete patient portal and the ability to electronically prescribe medications whenever a physician requires.
As per Research, CureMD has a 52% user satisfaction ranking, by far one of the best averages in the industry. Compared to some other big names in the market, it really excels in customer support as users have the ability to put in complaint tickets and are responded to by the client services executives in no time. Other than that, users of CureMD EMR are really happy with the way company is moving forward in terms of its design, usability, functionality and reliability.
2. e-MDs 
e-MDs is another vendor which is counted amongst one of the experienced health IT vendors in the market. Catering to solo and small practices, e-MDs offers EMR and billing solutions as part of its package. While it does not offer a standalone practice management software, it does have the ability to incorporate enterprise scheduling, document management and mobile charting facilities.
e-MDs is catering to over 20 specialties and enables providers to attest for Meaningful Use Stage 2 as well. Like CureMD, e-MDs is also cloud-based and offers an iPad based solution for its users.
Based on Research, it also has a very high (52%) customer satisfaction ranking and one of most important benefits as per users is the ability to finish their work on time. However, among some of the issues users are talking about e-MDs are low system reliability, charging for every system upgrade, lab integration issues and their inability to innovate.
3. Amazing charts
Amazing Charts is another vendor which is catering to solo, small and medium practices across the United States. Frequently ranked amongst the top 20 EMR vendors by Black Book Rankings survey 2013 and Medscape, Amazing Charts offers EMR and Practice Management solution along with billing services. In addition to the basic services, Amazing Charts supports scheduling, messaging, e-prescribing and reporting tools.
Although not ready for ICD-10 yet, Amazing Charts does offer patient portal and lab integration with medical devices.
However, it is important to give an unbiased insight into our favorite EMRs. As per Research, Amazing Charts has a 50% overall user satisfaction ranking but some users complain of issues in the customer support.
Best EMR for 2-5 providers
1. CureMD
In the category of 2-5 providers, CureMD once again ranks as our favorite. It is virtually the best system you can get for your practice. One of the best features for you as a provider is it is ready to meet ICD-10 and Meaningful Use Stage 2 challenges and can really help you transform your workflows with ease.
With a five star usability ranking and HIPAA compliance, CureMD offers fast track implementation and KPI dashboards. In addition to this, CureMD billing reduces cost to collect payments per procedure and major reductions in Accounts Receivable days.
However, the best reason to choose CureMD is its proven track record of innovation and corporate stability. It offers free updates and guarantees 99% uptime. In addition, it offers fast track implementation, training, support and data backup/migration services to its customers.
2. Athena Health
Athena Health is another EMR vendor which is hugely famous in the industry with its state-of-the-art cloud-based EMR and Practice Management solutions. Although a bit on the expensive side, it is an ideal solution for small and medium practices. According to Capterra, Athena Health ranks number 5 in terms of popularity. While Athena Health offers EMR and PM solutions, it does not offer billing services to its clients.
Amongst some of the top features as listed by the users on Research are robust interface, complete integration the personal support and feedback they get from the staff at Athena Health.
On the flipside, some users complain of interoperability and interfacing issues with Athena Health clinicals.
3. Aprima Medical Software
Aprima is another Health IT vendor that is ideally suited for small and medium practices, offering Electronic Medical Records, Practice Management and Revenue Cycle Management solutions. Like other products in the category, Aprima is also ideally suited if you have a practice comprising of 2-5 providers.
Ready for Meaningful Use Stage 2, Aprima offers the facility of e-Prescribing, PQRS, Patient Portal, Drug Database, Interfacing, Document Management, etc. in its product for users.
Looking at the user feedback of Aprima from Research, users are complaining of mistrust on the company, not delivering the solution they promised initially, interfacing issues, performance issues, navigation issues and reliability issues.
However, Aprima has also been lauded for its flexibility, usability, customizable templates and inexpensive solution. Another area for which Aprima has received a lot of recognition is their support and physician acceptance.
Best EMR for 6-10 providers
1. Epic
One of the biggest EMR companies in the industry, Epic serves over 230,000 users. (source: Capterra) It is suited for medium to large practices and caters to hospitals as well. Although it is a bit expensive, it offers server-based Ambulatory EMR and Practice Management solutions for providers. For Hospitals, it offers Inpatient EMR, Patient Accounting and Management and an integrated, Ambulatory EMR as well.
Epic has consistently been ranked amongst the top EMR providers in the country and has an overall satisfaction level of 85% in terms of sales, implementation, training, functionality, service and support. Users really appreciate the way Epic delivers its solutions and facilities. However, on the other hand, some users have complained frequently about the user interface of the product, which they say is old and below par implementation of the system.
2. CureMD
The second best product which you can look to buy if you are serving up to 10 physicians is CureMD (http://www.curemd.com). Although we have talked at length at how this product is ideally suited for small to medium range practices, it is even suitable if you are serving more than that.
CureMD uses a single platform, single database architecture for its Electronic Medical Records and Practice Management solutions, allowing for a more robust, integrated and reliable package. On top of all, it is completely cloud-based, meaning that any user can access the CureMD application from virtually any device sitting in any part of the country and use the enterprise-grade solutions.
With an overall product score of 83% in Research, CureMD certainly ranks amongst the top EMR vendors in the country and is looking to be even better with its innovations and solutions designed to meet the challenges of the future.
CureMD users really appreciate the robust integration with labs and the user-friendliness of its EMR In addition, it offers the best mix of enterprise-class features at the most affordable price.
3. AdvancedMD
Here is another product which is suited for medium to large practices and offers a great mix of products. It is offering a cloud-based solution comprising of Electronic Health Records, Practice Management and billing solutions. Ranked at number 12 on the list of most popular EMR vendors, AdvancedMD has a 78% customer satisfaction.
Although it is catering to only six specialties ranging from OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular to Pain Management, the vendor has quite a high user dissatisfaction level as far as Research is concerned. As of now, it has a overall user satisfaction level of only 38% while 52% of the clients are very dissatisfied with the product.
Their iPad app is also being rated as very basic and not being able to let physicians perform important tasks.
Best EMR for 11-25 providers
1. GE Healthcare
Let’s now shift our attention to some of the big players in the market. GE Healthcare leads the way for systems built for the mass market. It is primarily catering to medium to large practices and hospitals. GE Healthcare, because of its massive backing from the multi-billion dollar parent company General Electric, has been able to cater to the top end of market.
GE Healthcare is offering solutions at a very minimal cost compared to some of the other products available in the market. However, their solution is not cloud-based and requires installation of a dedicated server to use the product.
On the other hand, GE Healthcare offers a wide range of products ranging from real-time location systems to practice management to ambulatory EMR to radiology and claims/clearinghouse facilities.
In addition, GE Healthcare also provides large scale health organizations with Enterprise Resource Planner (ERP) systems.
2. CureMD
Once again, our favorite EMR vendor CureMD makes the cut in this list as well. Over the years, as an independent observer, I have personally noticed how CureMD has catered to the mid market segment despite having a product that is ideally suited for up to medium sized practices.
The ability of CureMD to reduce cognitive overload, catering to specialty workflows and unique clinical approaches make it a perfect fit for your practice which caters to up to 25 providers.
The best feature is its ability to provide evidence based knowledge, rich specialty content and custom forms. It has a simple and intuitive user interface with automated history and default data import features. These protocols simplify and standardize care delivery and expedite encounter documentation.
On top of all, it is one solution that is completely interoperable in the truest sense of the word. It is able to connect with health information exchanges, labs, pharmacies, payers, imaging services, hospitals networks, referring providers and patients seamlessly.
3. Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion ranks third in our list of health IT vendors which are offering solutions for practices catering up to 25 providers. The biggest advantage of using a Practice Fusion solution is that it is completely free of charge and does not require any fee for its setup.
A completely cloud-based solution, Practice Fusion is offering support for over 40 specialties in its EMR product. Additionally, it is offering lab integration, imaging services, support for pharmacies, ACOs, and billing solutions for its customers.
However, like they say, all that glitters is not gold and same is the case with Practice Fusion. Research suggests that a whopping 52% of its customers are unhappy with the product they are using. One of the biggest complaints users most frequently have is the limited functionality it offers when put to practice.
Best EMR for 26-100 providers
1. eClinicalWorks
Arguably the best EMR vendor for large scale practices, eClinicalWorks has got it all. Offering server and cloud-based solutions, eClinicalWorks is catering practices ranging from solo providers to large scale hospitals. With over 370,000 users (source: Capterra), eClinicalWorks offers solutions at a very reasonable cost, starting from $449/month.
In its product, eClinicalWorks is offering Electronic Medical Records, Practice Management, Patient Portal and Billing services for its clients. Additionally, it is offering industry standard features such as Meaningful Use dashboards, Registry reporting, ePrescribing and Formulary checks, etc.
However, the situation as per Research is not all that rosy. A whopping 49% of its users are dissatisfied with its services with only 41% satisfied.
2. McKesson
In terms of popularity, McKesson is perhaps the only one who matches eClinicalWorks through its cloud and server-based solution, albeit at a higher price. Like its competitor, McKesson is also catering for all types of medical practices ranging from solo to large scale ones including hospitals. With over 200,000 users, McKesson is by far one of the largest providers of EMR solutions across the US.
It is offering a patient-centered hospital information management system along with a practice management solution. With advanced features such as population health management, diagnostic imaging and enterprise intelligence, McKesson certainly covers all ends of the health IT market.
However, as per Research, McKesson is below par in terms of usability and overall vendor software average with a score just above 70. Quite shockingly, 61% of the users are dissatisfied with the solution McKesson is offering. Amongst some of the problem areas are poor customer support, and the product being terrible overall.
3. CureMD
Last but certainly not the least, and as clearly evident from the two top-end solutions designed for large scale practices, sometimes the biggest vendor is unable to deliver the solution that you are looking for. If the system is not improving physician workflows and they are unable to chart the way they do in real life, it is of no use. This is why CureMD ranks once again with the top end solutions as far as we are concerned. Their All-in-One solution is not expensive, built on solid grounds and is very intuitive and user friendly. On top of all, it works flawlessly with all medical devices and has superb lab, radiology and pharmacy integration.
Although designed to cater only to the small and medium practices, CureMD certainly has the infrastructure, vision, technology, support and experience to handle large scale practices and deliver a solution unlike other health IT vendors.
With this final classification, it brings us to the end of our discussion of selecting the best EMR by practice size in the United States. Depending on your medical practice, any of these systems can be a good fit for you. However, shifting to technology is never easy and takes a certain amount of time before its benefits can be fully realized.
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