Running a small medical practice isn’t easy. Money’s tight, the staff juggles a ton of roles, and doctors often stay late just to wrap up paperwork. If your EMR slows down billing or lets mistakes slip through, your cash flow takes a direct hit, and honestly, that’s the last thing you need.
We tested top EMRs for small practices by running through real-world setups, checking workflows, and gathering feedback from actual users. We zeroed in on billing performance, daily usability, how fast teams can get started, and whether the price really fits a small practice budget.
What follows are solutions that cut administrative hours, streamline billing, and prevent physician burnout for small practices.
Software | Rating | Trial Info | Starting Price | Best For | Key Features |
Practice Fusion- Editor’s Choice | 3.8/5 | 14-day free trial | $199/provider/month Get a Custom Quote | Easy template creation |
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3.6/5 | Available | Custom pricing Get a Custom Quote | Customizable features |
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3.6/5 | N/A | Custom pricing Get a Custom Quote | Billing workflows |
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3.9/5 | N/A | $140/month Get a Custom Quote | AI-powered updates |
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3.7/5 | N/A | Custom pricing Get a Custom Quote | AI-generated notes |
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3.9/5 | N/A | $300 Get a Custom Quote | Customizable templates |
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3.3/5 | N/A | $195/feature/month Get a Custom Quote | Effective scheduling |
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3.4/5 | N/A | $449/month per provider Get a Custom Quote | Unified patient records |
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3.8/5 | N/A | Custom pricing Get a Custom Quote | Single-page chart layout |
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4/5 | 30 and 7-day free trial | $49/month Get a Custom Quote | Appointment scheduling |
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4.1/5 | N/A | $118/month/provider Get a Custom Quote | E-prescribing |
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Practice Fusion is a cloud-hosted EMR designed to help small practices move from paper to digital records without heavy IT overhead. It simplifies patient charting and allows clinicians to easily monitor health data and chronic care gaps. Plus, providers can efficiently manage patients’ needs without extra administrative work. With built-in tools like appointment reminders, it eliminates no-shows. Most small practices can cut down excessive costs by opting for the tools they need.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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<H3> Best For
Practice Fusion is a strong choice for solo practitioners and small start-up clinics looking for a simple, ‘no-frills’ cloud solution.
Key Features
- Patient Portal
- Patient Charting
- Lab Integration
- Medical Billing Solution
- Electronic Prescription
- Enhanced Patient Engagement
- Auto Update
Pricing
Practice Fusion's official pricing for its cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) starts at $199/provider/month, with a required annual commitment and taxes not included. This base subscription includes one provider license along with 3 signing staff licenses and unlimited non-signing staff licenses. Before committing, you can try the EHR with a free trial to evaluate the system.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
Practice Fusion makes it to the best EHR for small practices list due to its scalability. It empowers users to use only the tools they need, starting with basic e-prescribing and expanding to full practice management as they grow. This keeps costs low and interfaces uncluttered. By avoiding overbuilt systems, solo providers get a streamlined, cloud-based workflow that simplifies charting and billing.
User Ratings
Users rate Practice Fusion 3.8/5, liking its intuitiveness, cloud access, and basic EMR tools, such as e-prescribing and scheduling, but often cite slow support, advanced features limitations as a drawback.
DrChrono is a mobile-focused EMR software, designed to consolidate medical billing, clinical charting, and scheduling into one cloud-based system. It automates repetitive manual tasks - insurance verification, appointment reminders, claim submissions - letting teams focus on charting. It has iPad-native tools, including dynamic photo charting, digital consent forms, and e-prescribing. Clinicians complete charts between patient rooms on an iPad, eliminating end-of-day documentation backlogs.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
DrChrono is ideal for tech-forward small practices and iPad-heavy clinics that prioritize mobility and high-speed charting.
Key Features
- Revenue Cycle Management
- Lab Integrations
- Patient Portal
- Speech-To-Text
- Patient Portal
- Compliance Measures
Pricing
DrChrono offers a flexible, tiered EHR and practice management platform designed to meet the needs of medical practices of varying sizes and specialties. Pricing is customized and based on size, specialty, and feature requirements. It also offers a free trial.
- Essentials
- Essentials Plus
- Advanced
- Advanced Plus
- Elite
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
DrChrono is an ideal solution for small practices for adapting to the provided medical guidelines. For small teams, its mobile capabilities allow doctors to move easily between rooms, charting on the go. They can handle patient care and paperwork more easily, without hiring extra staff or struggling with an unintuitive software that slows them down. It helps practices maintain unified data records and stay focused on patients every day. Thus, making a place in the best small practice EMRs.
User Ratings
Users rate DrChrono around 3.6/5, liking its Apple-friendly design, mobile access, and reporting tools, but often note poor support, payment tracking problems, and intake forms’ limitations.
Kareo (now known as Tebra) is a cloud-based EMR system built for independent, small-to-medium healthcare clinics. It automatically requests patient reviews post-visit, reducing manual outreach. It also combines clinical tools with high-powered billing services and takes care of time-consuming tasks like insurance checks and intake forms. This all-in-one platform helps clinics decrease their workload, get paid faster, and present a more organized, modern practice to patients.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
Kareo is a smart choice for small to mid-sized independent practices that need a ‘practice-in-a-box' solution, including clinical, billing, and marketing tools.
Key Features
- Integrated Patient Portal
- Patient Engagement
- Clinical Documentation
- E-Prescribing
- Billing Services And Revenue Cycle Management
- Secure Messaging
Pricing
Kareo provides customized quotes based on the specific needs, specialty, and size of your practice.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
We like Kareo for small practices because it practically eliminates the documentation bottleneck that burdens many small teams. Its standout AI Note Assist listens to patient-provider conversations and generates structured clinical notes, ultimately cutting down on repetitive typing and post-visit charting.
Combined with integrated patient communication, billing, and scheduling tools, Kareo creates a streamlined workflow that's suitable for small clinics and solo providers with limited administrative overhead. This combination of smart automation and all-in-one practice management makes it an ideal EMR choice in its category.
User Ratings
Achieving a rating of 3.6/5 based on user testimonials, the software is appreciated for its ease of use and functionality, while some notice its simple navigation and intuitive features for billing and documentation.
athenahealth is a cloud-based EMR that brings powerful clinical and financial tools to small clinics. By leveraging its athenaOne ecosystem, small healthcare centers can access high-performance capabilities that are usually reserved for larger systems. The platform’s standout capability is athenaNet Network Intelligence, which analyzes historical claims and payer data across its network to flag errors before submission to perform real-time claim scrubbing and automated insurance verification. Small clinics can accomplish frictionless interoperability with registries, pharmacies, and payers via a unified national network.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
Athenahealth is a smart choice for growing small practices that want to outsource their billing and administrative headaches to a vendor with a "proactive" service model.
Key Features
- Electronic Health Record
- Patient Engagement
- Revenue Cycle Management
- Medical Billing
- TeleHealth™
- Reporting And Analytics
Pricing
athenahealth pricing starts at $140/month, including appointment management, e-prescribing, HIPAA compliance, patient portal, billing, and patient records.
Disclaimer: The pricing has been sourced from third-party websites and is subject to change.
Why We Like It
We like athenahealth as one of the top EMRs for small practices because it delivers a rare balance of usability and operational depth. Its integrated EHR, practice management, and billing tools help small teams effectively deliver healthcare medical services. Clinical workflows are well-structured yet scalable, and athenaNet Network Intelligence helps reduce claim denials and automate insurance verification, freeing staff from time-consuming billing tasks. It stands out for independent practices seeking enterprise-quality revenue cycle and reporting tools, scaled to be practical and affordable for small clinics.
User Ratings
athenahealth remains a powerful but polarizing all-in-one solution with a 3.9/5 rating. While users value its superior revenue cycle management and time-saving AI ambient listening, these qualities are sometimes dampened by a click-heavy interface and opaque, revenue-based pricing.
AdvancedMD is a cloud-based EMR and practice management suite that lets small practices customize workflows and reports to fit their operations. It provides a "build-a-bundle" approach to EMR, allowing small practices to only pay for the features they choose. One of the software’s benefits for small practices is the workflow automation that smoothly links front and back-office tasks.
This way, when a patient checks in and pays, the chart is instantly flagged, and billing codes are pre-staged. This heavily reduces repetitive data entry for clinicians and allows them to deliver patient-focused care.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
The solution is a great choice for small practices that require high customization and a system that can scale as they add more providers or locations.
Key Features
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) Management
- Patient Portal And Appointment Scheduling
- Billing And Insurance
- Telehealth
- Population Health Management
Pricing
The cost of AdvancedMD is customized, depending on the features selected:
- Build A Bundle
- Software Pricing
- RCM Pricing
- Billing Service Pricing
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
AdvancedMD stands out as the top choice for small practices that are ready to grow. Its integrated EHR, billing, patient engagement, and scheduling tools streamline everyday operations, while its scalable, customizable features allow practices to adapt as they expand. The patient portals further enhance the care experience, enabling better patient communication as the practice grows. For small clinics looking to efficiently scale without complexity, AdvancedMD offers the perfect balance of flexibility and functionality.
User Ratings
Earning a rating of 3.7/5 based on user testimonials, the software is praised for its customization and all-in-one integration capabilities. However, some users feel a little drawback in e-prescribing.
NextGen Office is a cloud-based EMR solution designed for ambulatory small practices. It features Ambient Assist technology, which automatically converts patient conversations into detailed SOAP notes, saving up to 2 hours daily. The patient portal and communication tools enable online scheduling, refill requests, reminders, telehealth, and payments. These qualities greatly improve patient engagement and reduce front‑desk workload. Moreover, clinicians and staff can access charts, tasks, and documentation on tablets or laptops, improving flexibility.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
This software is a good fit for small clinics and primary care groups that need professional-grade EMR with built-in telehealth.
Key Features
- Patient Portal
- Interoperability
- Optimized Appointments
- Clinical Summaries
- Electronic Prescription
- AI-Powered Documentation
Pricing
The starting price for NextGen Office is $300.00. It is based on several factors, including the size of the practice, the number of users, and the advanced tools or modules required. The cost also depends on setup complexity, additional services like training and data migration, and ongoing support needs.
Disclaimer: The pricing information has been sourced from third-party websites and is subject to change.
Why We Like It
NextGen Office provides specialty-specific templates, flexible workflows, and revenue cycle management designed to fit the needs of small clinics. Its eligibility checks, integrated scheduling, and reporting tools help reduce errors and streamline administrative tasks, giving staff more time to focus on patient care. This combination of adaptable workflows and operational support makes it an ideal choice for small practices and primary care groups seeking smoother appointment flow, efficient patient intake, and more accurate billing.
User Ratings
Users give it a 3.9/5, highlighting administrative tasks management and overall reliability. Many practitioners appreciate the ease of checking insurance eligibility and benefits within the system, though some find the initial setup and onboarding process to be complex and more time-consuming than anticipated.
CureMD is an all-in-one healthcare management solution that combines EMR, practice management, and billing for multi-specialty small practices that need specialty-specific templates and AI documentation. For small clinics, it’s ideal with tools for different specialties and automatic handling of security updates and claim tracking, allowing clinicians to diligently focus on patient care. It is HIPAA-compliant and MIPS/MACRA-certified, a testament to its ability to meet federal healthcare regulations easily.
CureMD automates billing and claim submissions within the platform, directly linking clinical and financial data. This integration improves accuracy and accelerates reimbursement cycles by minimizing claim rejections and denials.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
It stands as an ideal solution for small practices seeking a cost-effective, fixed-price solution that includes EMR and PM.
Key Features
- AI Medical Scribe
- Telehealth
- Practice Management
- CureMD AI
- Medical Billing
Pricing
CureMD's pricing starts at $295/feature/month. Further plans include:
- Practice Management
- Electronic Health Records
- Billing Services
- All-in-One (PM + EHR)
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
CureMD excels for small healthcare centers by providing practice management, billing, and specialty-specific EHR in one cloud platform. Its integrated scheduling helps carry out operations effectively, while affordable pricing makes it accessible for multi-specialty clinics. CureMD also assists with concurrent financial reporting, enabling faster reimbursements and improved cash flow management, all within an affordable, easy-to-use system.
User Ratings
Holding a 3.3/5 rating, CureMD is considered a dependable choice for small practices. Many users report on its helpfulness of the technical support team during the initial setup and their responsiveness to specific practice needs; nevertheless, some users comment on its interface to be somewhat dated and overwhelming.
eClinicalWorks is a cloud-based EHR and practice management system designed for small and multi-specialty practices. It solves two critical revenue problems simultaneously, including documentation delays and no-shows. Its Sunoh.ai automatically converts patient conversations into clinical notes. The Healow no-show prediction AI identifies appointments likely to be missed so staff can easily reach out. Combined, these features prevent appointment no-shows while eliminating after-hours charting, addressing the two common revenue leaks in small, multi-specialty practices.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
The solution is a good fit for small to mid-sized multi-specialty practices with diverse patient populations. It is ideal for practices managing multiple specialties where AI automation improves efficiency across varied workflows.
Key Features
- Population Health Management
- Appointment Scheduling
- Patient Portal
- E-Prescribing Features
- Healow
- Sunoh.ai
Pricing
The pricing for EHR Only starts at $449/month/provider. This plan includes Electronic Medical Record (EMR), eClinicalMobile®, eClinicalWorks P2P™, Patient Portal, and more, with no start-up costs.
Further pricing tiers of the software are as follows:
- EHR with Practice Management - $599/month/provider
- RCM as a Service - 2.9% of practice collections
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
eClinicalWorks' Image AI solves a specific small-practice pain point that is fax management. Practices receive so many faxes daily that staff must manually sort into patient charts. It automatically recognizes document type (lab result vs. authorization vs. imaging report) and routes to the correct chart automatically. For small organizations dependent on part-time staff to sort faxes, this feature automatically organizes incoming documents, so staff can tend to more valuable tasks.
User Ratings
Rated as 3.4/5, users have praised the tool for its broad AI tools and direct integrations. However, some user concerns include workflow difficulty and slow support responses.
Elation Health is a clinical-first, unified EHR and billing solution designed to assist independent primary care practices. Its three-panel console helps healthcare organizations centralize clinical records and patient payments. This Best EHR in KLAS awarded platform for small practices manages HIPAA-compliant security, minimizing extensive administrative support.
Moreover, Elation simplifies operations by automating real-time insurance eligibility checks and claim submissions. By integrating AI-powered charting and dedicated data migration support, it effectively reduces administrative hours and improves practice cash flow.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
It makes a good fit for independent primary care and solo practitioners who want a clean, fast, and documentation-light experience.
Key Features
- Customizable Dashboards
- Medical Billing
- Secure Messaging
- Appointment Scheduling
- Electronic Prescribing
- Patient Passport
Pricing
Elation Health pricing is customized based on the specific needs, size, and type of your medical practice.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
Elation Health excels for small practices by putting the physician's focus back on the patient. Its three-pane dashboard is a standout, displaying history, vitals, and notes on one screen to eliminate the click-fatigue common in larger systems. This approach enables doctors to finalize charts during the visit. Beyond documentation, it works as a digital staffer by automating insurance verification and patient reminders. In addition, its Collaborative Health Record automatically pulls in external specialist data, sparing lean teams from the manual labor of chasing faxes.
User Ratings
Users rate Elation around 3.9/5, often praising its user-friendly interface, charting, and efficient patient communication that help small practices manage clinical workflows more easily. However, common complaints focus on inconsistent customer support, onboarding difficulties, and integration or feature gaps.
10. SimplePractice
SimplePractice is a centralized digital office that consolidates telehealth, clinical documentation, and financial data management into a unified HIPAA-compliant interface. For a small practitioner, it helps replace a traditional front desk by linking the secure client portal directly to the electronic billing system.
When a patient books an appointment, the system automatically triggers digital intake forms and insurance verification. Once the session is logged, the software generates and submits insurance claims and processes credit card payments via a native integration. This technical cohesion allows a small practice to manage high-volume scheduling and complex medical coding from a mobile device without hiring an assistant.
Pros And Cons
Pros | Cons |
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Best For
SimplePractice is a smart choice for solo and small group mental health practitioners (therapists, psychologists) who want a paperless office.
Key Features
- Telehealth
- Insurance Claims
- Measurement-based care
- ePrescribe
- Client Portal
- Scheduling
Pricing
The pricing for Starter starts at $49/month. This plan includes core features like basic diagnostic and treatment plans, integrated measurement-based care, online appointment requests, and electronic claim filing.
Further pricing tiers of the software are as follows:
- Essential: $79/month
- Plus: $99/month
It offers 30 and a 7-day free trial.
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
SimplePractice functions as a specialized digital system that replaces the need for a physical front office in small wellness clinics. Its technical strength lies in the integrated credit card autopay system that allows clinicians to collect fees instantly at the time of service.
What makes it stand out for small practices is its patient intake automation capability, including the verification of insurance details and intake forms before the appointment. This removes the need for administrative staff to manage these tasks and allows healthcare providers to focus on care while maintaining a smooth, efficient operation.
User Ratings
SimplePractice earns around 4/5 for its value for small practices. Users like it for its intuitiveness and advanced basic EMR features that optimize documentation and patient management. Common dislikes include limited advanced reporting, customization, and occasional customer support issues.
11. RXNT
RXNT is a cloud-based clinical ecosystem that consolidates e-prescribing, EHR, and billing into one HIPAA-compliant interface. For small teams, it is quite effective because it unifies the entire patient journey, from scheduling to final claim, within a single login, and with medical coding accuracy. Its technical strength lies in Ambient IQ, an AI-powered scribe that captures and transcribes patient visits in real-time, significantly cutting documentation hours.
Its integrated claim scrubbing and revenue cycle features act as a technical safety net. By catching coding mistakes before submission, the system ensures small practices maintain smooth cash flow and high clean-claim rates without relying on a special billing department.
Pros And Cons
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Best For
The solution seems reliable for small practices that prioritize fast e-prescribing and need a reliable, affordable all-in-one system.
Key Features
- Electronic Health Records
- Ambient IQ
- Practice Management
- Medical Billing
- Electronic Prescribing
- Telehealth
Pricing
Pricing for the EHR Bundle starts at $118/month/provider. This plan includes EHR, e-prescribing, practice scheduling, and a patient portal, with an annual contract billed monthly.
Further pricing tiers of the software are as follows:
- PM Bundle – $207/month/provider
- Full Suite – $319/month/provider
- E-Prescribing – $665/year/provider
Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.
Why We Like It
RXNT is a strong choice for small practices because it combines secure, compliant e-prescribing with streamlined administrative workflows. Its DEA-certified Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) system ensures safe handling of controlled medications, while broader compliance and security features help reduce audit risk and errors for any small clinic. By minimizing regulatory burden, RXNT allows staff and clinicians across specialties to focus on patient care with greater confidence and peace of mind.
User Ratings
RXNT earns a solid user rating of around 4.1/5, with many users highlighting its cloud-based accessibility and easy-to-use patient templates. Common dislikes include a lack of intuitiveness in some areas, difficulties deleting patient records, and billing limitations, which can be a hassle for busy, small practices.
Key Buying Advice
When selecting the best EMR for a small practice, careful evaluation beyond surface-level pricing and flashy demos is important. Focus first on workflow alignment and ensure the system accelerates your daily charting and billing processes rather than creating new hurdles.
The Hidden Traps That Sink Small Practices
The Implementation Black Hole: Vendors quote monthly fees, but onboarding often consumes 2-3x those costs in lost productivity during the critical first 90 days. Small teams without IT staff drown in data migration and staff retraining.
- Integration Nightmares: A shiny EMR means nothing if lab results arrive as faxes or claims are rejected due to clearinghouse mismatches. Test real data flows during trials—disjointed systems create daily fire drills.
- Support Ghosting: Responsive demos vanish post-sale. How long trial support tickets take to resolve; that's your future reality when servers crash during flu season.
- Vendor Lock-In: Exporting patient data to switch systems later costs $10K+ in consulting fees. Demand clean data exports during demos.
Run your top 3 daily workflows through each trial platform under real conditions, then call 2 practices of identical size/specialty for their unvarnished year-one verdict. The EMR that survives this gauntlet delivers compounding returns through reduced administrative drag and reliable revenue flow.
