Electronic Health Records (EHR) have transformed the way medical practitioners manage patient information in today’s digital age. EHRs are more than just electronic reproductions of paper charts; they are full-fledged systems that contain patient data, medical histories, diagnoses, prescriptions, and other information. It is critical for specialized disciplines such as orthopedics to have an EHR that is tailored to their specific demands. Here are some of the best options in the space right now.

Why Orthopedics Need Specialized EHR Systems

Orthopedics, a medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, repair, and treatment of patients with skeletal deformities, presents its own set of challenges and requirements. In contrast to general practitioners, orthopedic practitioners frequently deal with complex disorders involving bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

A generic EHR system may not meet the unique demands of orthopedic practices. An orthopedic surgeon, for example, requires detailed imaging integration to view X-rays or MRIs directly within the EHR. They also require customized templates for a variety of orthopedic problems and therapies.

Key Features to Look for in an Orthopedic EHR

Here are some of the key features to look for in EHR for orthopedics. This is not a comprehensive list; these are some guiding principles:

Customizable Templates:

These templates should address a wide range of orthopedic disorders, including fractures and degenerative illnesses. They should be easily customizable to the unique needs of each patient.

Integrated Imaging:

The EHR should interact easily with imaging systems, allowing practitioners to view, annotate, and preserve X-rays, MRIs, and other pertinent images.

Surgery Scheduling:

Because many orthopedic therapies need surgery, an efficient surgery scheduling tool is essential. It should make scheduling, rescheduling, and tracking surgical procedures simple.

Patient Portal:

A dedicated portal that allows patients to view their medical records, schedule appointments, and connect with their orthopedic specialists improves patient engagement and happiness.

Mobile Access:

Orthopedic experts are frequently transferred between clinics, hospitals, and operating rooms. Mobile access ensures that they can access patient data at any time and from any location.

Interoperability:

The EHR should interact with other systems in hospitals or clinics, ensuring smooth data flow and lowering administrative burdens.

Benefits of an Orthopedic EHR System

The right EHR system can make all the difference with both your patients and staff. Here are some of the top benefits you can expect from EHR systems:

Improved Patient Care:

Doctors can access a patient’s complete medical history, including previous surgeries, prescriptions, allergies, and more, using a centralized database. This comprehensive approach guarantees that every decision is well-informed and in the best interests of the patient. Digital records ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and immediately accessible, reducing the chance of medical errors.

Streamlined Administrative Tasks:

EHR systems can be integrated with billing software, automating the invoicing process and decreasing billing errors. Doctors can also send prescriptions to pharmacies, decreasing wait times and ensuring patients receive their meds on time.

Additionally, you can integrate communication tools to allow for seamless interaction between doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding patient care. Communication tools like automated reminders can also help reduce no-shows.

Enhanced Data Security:

Most modern EHR systems automatically backup data to secure cloud servers. Data can be quickly restored in the event of any unanticipated situations, such as natural catastrophes or system breakdowns. User access to EHR systems is strictly controlled. Only authorized workers have access to sensitive patient data, ensuring confidentiality and HIPAA compliance.

Better Decision-making:

EHR systems include analytics tools that can provide insights into patient demographics, common ailments, treatment outcomes, and more. These insights can help doctors make evidence-based decisions and improve patient care standards.

Cost Savings:

Digital records minimize the need for physical storage while also lowering the expenses of paper, printing, and human record-keeping. Practices may also deploy resources more efficiently with streamlined processes, ensuring that staff and equipment are used to their full potential.

Environmental Benefits:

By transitioning to digital records, practices significantly reduce their carbon footprint, contributing to environmental conservation.

5 Best EHRs for Orthopedics

EHR Provider	Key Features	Unique Selling Points
AthenaHealth	– Customizable features – Real-time patient insights – Voice-powered services – Telehealth services	– Focus on care – Integration with vast care networks – Up to date with regulatory changes
DrChrono	– Integrated EHR – Free draw tool – Electronic prescribing – Telehealth services	– Specialized solutions for orthopedics – All-in-one solution – Award-winning experience
Epic	– Generative AI integration – Interoperability – MyChart for billing transparency – Clinical trials accessibility	– Reputation & experience – Focus on patient-centric care – Collaborations & partnerships
RXNT	– Practice management – Electronic health records – Electronic prescribing – Customizable templates	– Tailored for orthopedics – Integrated solutions – Commitment to orthopedic specialists
AdvancedMD	– Practice management – EHR software with ortho-specific templates – Imaging/testing integrations – Medical billing & coding	– Tailored for orthopedics – Integrated solutions – Expertise & experience

AthenaHealth Electronic Health Records (EHR)

AthenaHealth offers electronic medical records with the goal of simplifying the documentation process and making it easier for healthcare workers to document patient encounters and provide superior care.

Key Features:

• Customizable Features: Offers best-practice templates, macros, accelerators, and pre-encounter prep to reduce documentation time.
• Simplified Documentation: Reduces distractions and documentation time during patient interactions, improving the clinician experience.
• Intuitive Workflows: Specialty-specific workflows and mobile documentation.
• Real-time Patient Insights: Reduces manual data entry by proactively integrating data from a large network of care sites, such as CommonWell and CareQuality.
• Comprehensive Patient Records: By combining data from across the healthcare ecosystem, it provides a comprehensive perspective of a patient’s care history.
• Patient Record Sharing: Improves care coordination and identifies potential gaps in care.
• Regulatory Compliance: Automatically tracks regulatory and industry changes to keep products compliant.
• Voice-Powered Services: Hands-free dictation products integration.
• Population Health Support: Enables care coordination, patient engagement, and management of populations across multiple EHRs.
• Telehealth Services: Patients can contact doctors over video chat.

Price: Custom Pricing

Why AthenaHeatlh?

Focus on Care: AthenaHealth’s EHR is intended to free up healthcare workers’ time to focus on patient care rather than paperwork.

Integration with Care Networks: The EHR incorporates data from a large network of care sites to ensure complete patient records.

Up-to-date Solutions: AthenaHealth ensures that their products remain compliant with regulatory and industry changes.

DrChrono EHR for Orthopedics

DrChrono is an innovative and adaptable EHR that has exclusive tools for orthopedic and sports medical practices. Their platform offers to improve patient care and practice efficiency.

Key Features:

• Integrated EHR: Provides a complete practice management solution that combines patient involvement, scheduling, clinical workflows, and medical billing.
• Customized Medical Forms: With medical speech-to-text dictation and orthopedic surgery-specific templates, fast charting is possible.
• Free Draw Tool: Enables direct drawing on diagrams, including x-ray images.
• Diagnostic Test Ordering: Order tests like x-rays or MRIs directly from an iPad, with results appearing in the EHR.
• Medication Prescribing: Includes controlled substances (EPCS) and lab work ordering within the EHR.
• Patient Engagement: Paperless patient check-in, automated text/email reminders, insurance verification, and a secure HIPAA-compliant patient portal.
• Revenue Collection Management (RCM) Integration: Ensures clean claims, timely medical statements, and addresses denial claims within 24 hours.
• Exercise Prescription & Outcome Tracking: Thousands of peer-reviewed exercises and activities are available, including real-time results tracking.
• Telehealth Services: Convert in-person appointments to video visits straight from the EHR platform, allowing for seamless scheduling and conversion.
• Customizable Smart Templates: There are pre-built templates accessible for a variety of applications, such as patient intake, pain reporting, and preoperative forms.
• Clinical Photos: HIPAA-compliant high-resolution photos can be taken, annotated, and added to clinical notes.
• Lab Accessibility: Order lab work from a vast network of diagnostic labs and radiology centers, with results integrated into the EHR.

Price: Custom Pricing

Why DrChrono?

Specialized for Orthopedics: DrChrono’s EHR can be tailored for orthopedic and sports medicine practices, ensuring relevant features and tools.

All-in-One Solution: From patient engagement to billing, this software integrates all areas of practice administration.

Award-Winning Experience: Recognized as Black Book’s #1 mobile EHR from 2013-2022 and has received other accolades like the Med Tech Award 2022.

Epic

Epic is a well-known EHR supplier that develops software to improve patient care, expedite healthcare operations, and encourage healthier future generations. They are one of the largest software providers in the world. Their platform is intended to give each patient a single, comprehensive medical record that both educates and is informed by their health experiences.

Key Features:

Features:

• Generative AI Integration: Epic is integrating generative AI into health systems around the world, with the goal of harnessing the power of AI for better healthcare results.
• Interoperability: Epic is leading a group of health systems dedicated to the TEFCA national interoperability framework. Digitized referrals, FHIR-based APIs to make sharing documents easier, connection with health plans, and more.
• MyChart: A feature that makes billing clear and easy for patients.
• Patient Portal: Epic gives hospitals and patients scheduling tools, virtual visits, notifications, and integration with monitoring devices.
• All-inclusive EHR: Because they are one of the biggest in the world, they can handle large hospitals as well as small practices, and their system can work with multiple software. They have far-reaching integration with other applications. 

Price: Custom Pricing

Why Epic?

Reputation & Experience: Epic is one of the world’s premier EHR providers, having a long history of excellence and innovation in the healthcare IT field.

Focus on Patient-Centric Care: Epic’s software is built with the patient in mind, with the goal of providing a seamless and comprehensive healthcare experience.

Collaborations & Partnerships: Epic’s collaborations, such as those with Microsoft and Nuance, indicate its commitment to integrating the latest technologies and innovations into its platform.

RXNT EHR for Orthopedics

RXNT offers cloud-based comprehensive digital solutions that are tailored to the specific demands of orthopedic practices. They aim to improve revenue cycle management by streamlining healthcare procedures, lowering risks, simplifying administration, and streamlining clinical workflows.

Key Features:

• Practice Management: Billing is simplified, appointments are managed, and revenue cycle management is improved. It connects with RXNT’s EHR directly enabling a smooth transition from patient encounters to final reimbursement.
• Electronic Health Records (EHR): Offers real-time access to patient health and prescription history, charting, lab tests, automatic uploads, e-prescribing, patient portal, and patient check-in. It also satisfies MACRA requirements.
• Electronic Prescribing: A Surescripts award-winning and certified system that facilitates over 10 million prescriptions annually. It includes automated drug interaction cross-checks for dosage and selection.
• Customizable Templates: RXNT offers over 2000 customizable, user-friendly templates designed to standardize charting, improve efficiency, and reduce errors.
• Risk Awareness Toolkit: It provides resources to help you avoid hazards like malpractice, cybercrime, HIPAA violations, and poor health outcomes.
• Mobile Applications: Free mobile apps for iOS and Android allow practitioners to run their practice 24/7 from anywhere.

Price: Custom Pricing

Why RXNT?

Tailored for Orthopedics: RXNT’s solutions are specifically developed to meet the difficulties that orthopedic care providers confront, such as rising demand, shortages of surgeons, and high malpractice claim rates.

Integrated Solutions: RXNT’s integrated solutions, from practice management to e-prescribing, ensure a seamless healthcare experience.

Commitment to Orthopedic Specialists: RXNT emphasizes rapid implementation, certified technology, built-in accuracy checks, and high-level data security.

AdvancedMD EHR for Orthopedics

AdvancedMD provides an orthopedic practice management, EHR, and medical billing software suite that is cloud-based. The program is intended to integrate and automate procedures for both solo and small group practices.

Key Features:

• Practice Management: AdvancedMD’s software is specifically built for orthopedic clinics to boost productivity, automate workflows, and consolidate data in a single solution.
• EHR Software: It was created with practitioner input to solve typical difficulties faced by orthopedic doctors. Ortho-specific templates, patient progress monitors, imaging/testing integrations, and the capacity to collect and share digital pictures are all included.
• Patient Progress Trackers: Allows providers to track the progress of patients, both short-term and long-term, and get alerts for upcoming or recommended changes.
• Imaging & Testing Integrations: Information from various tests, such as x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, and others, is automatically sent into the EHR software.
• Disability & Workers’ Comp Management: AdvancedMD aids in managing claims from disability, workers’ compensation, and more, ensuring necessary documentation is captured.
• Medical Billing & Coding: Streamlines the process of locating suitable billing codes in order to maximize income. It supports numerous payer requirements, tracks self-pay and high-deductible health plan (HDHP) collections, and provides automatic coding updates.
• Secure Hosting: The AdvancedMD software platform is hosted on some of the most secure platforms with Amazon’s Web Services.

Price: Custom pricing

Why AdvancedMD?

Expertise & Experience: AdvancedMD’s software is designed with input from practitioners, ensuring it addresses the real-world challenges faced by orthopedic providers.

Integrated Solutions: AdvancedMD offers a comprehensive suite of tools, from practice management to e-prescribing, ensuring a seamless healthcare experience.Small/Medium-Sized Practice: The software and support are designed for small practices and offer a personal touch.

Need EHR for Your Orthopedic Practice?

Don’t worry, 360Connect can help your orthopedic clinic find the right software for you! Just fill out our 1–2-minute form and we’ll contact you to verify your information and needs. From there, you can sit back as up to 5 suppliers will contact you with quotes. You get access to some of the top providers in the industry all without having to search multiple places. It’s that easy!