Finding software can be overwhelming. Software Advice helps practitioners choose the right nephrology software so they can chart patient encounters and manage images (e.g., MRIs and CTs).
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RXNT’s integrated suite of EHR, Practice Management, and Medical Billing software optimizes clinical outcomes and revenue management and includes free setup, training, and ongoing support. RXNT’s affordable pricing is predictable,... Read more
AdvancedMD is a unified suite of software solutions designed for mental health, physical therapy and medical healthcare organizations and independent physician practices. Features include practice management, electronic health rec... Read more
athenahealth recently named 2020 Best in KLAS: Small Practice Ambulatory EMR/PM, athenaClinicals, for 10 or fewer physicians, and Ambulatory RCM Services, athenaCollector, is providing cloud-based services for electronic health re... Read more
Kareo is a Web-based EHR, medical billing, and practice management used by thousands of physicians across the United States. This system suits small practices and billing companies. With Kareo, practices can schedule patients, con... Read more
PrognoCIS EHR and PrognoCIS Telemedicine have earned a reputation for fast, flexible individual provider workflow. The software package offers a full suite of highly desirable features and functions. PrognoCIS provides a cloud-bas... Read more
AdvancedMD is a medical office software suite with cloud-based, integrated physician-patient workflow solutions including: practice management/medical billing, electronic health records, telemedicine, patient engagement, practice ... Read more
MDConnection is a web-based solution for medical practice management. The system serves the needs of small practices consisting of just one physician or a small group of physicians. The core functions include scheduling, medical b... Read more
ChARM Health is a MU certified, cloud-based EHR, Practice Management and Medical Billing solution that helps healthcare organizations ranging from large multi-specialty groups to small independent medical offices function efficien... Read more
Benchmark Systems' suite of healthcare solutions offers clinical, financial and administrative tools for healthcare providers in a variety of specialties. It is suitable for physicians and large group practices and can be installe... Read more
Euclid is a medical management solution that helps hospitals and healthcare providers streamline various clinical operations such as claims processing, scheduling, billing and more. With its administrative dashboard, professionals... Read more
Harmony e/Notes is a hybrid integrated solution that offers functionalities for electronic medical records, practice management, billing and revenue cycle management. Specialities that the solution caters to include cardiology, ge... Read more
DAQbilling by CompuGroup Medical (CGM) is a medical billing and patient scheduling system designed to streamline medical billing. The solution covers eligibility inquiries, claim submission, and payment posting. The system has an ... Read more
Lightning MD is a secure, cloud-based medical billing software. The software is easy to learn and requires minimal training. In most cases, the user can set up a practice and be using the software within one hour. Lightning MD a... Read more
ClinicalWorks, an electronic health record (EHR) and practice management solution, provides technology for every step of the patient care delivery process. Clinicians access features including patient engagement, Telehealth, custo... Read more
MedicsPremier supports comprehensive financial/operational/workflow management and a nearly 100% success rate on first attempt HCFA/UB clearinghouse claims with a utility for workers compensation/no-fault claims/documentation. ... Read more
Waystar is a cloud-based revenue cycle management platform for healthcare systems. The solution is used by organizations of all sizes to manage administrative and clinical functions. Key features include insurance verification, co... Read more
NephroChoice is an iSalus solution offering electronic health records and practice management software geared towards Nephrology practices of any size. We provide tools to manage office visits, hospital rounds, and dialysis rounds... Read more
iTech Workshop provides a suite of products for the healthcare industry. iTech’s mission is to create and deliver standards-based healthcare solutions and good customer service. They have a handful of EMR, healthcare partners and... Read more
Claimocity is a modern solution for modern physicians, including an award-winning rounding app, practice management software, mobile charge capture, end-to-end billing, coding, credentialing, and revenue cycle management services.... Read more
Mend is a cloud-based healthcare communication solution that enables patients and providers to connect and share files, messages, assessments, photos and data. Users and providers can use video conferencing and live chat tool... Read more
Popular Comparisons
Electronic health record (EHR) software—also often referred to as electronic medical record (EMR) software—addresses many of the same concerns for nephrologists as it does for practitioners in any medical specialty. Broadly speaking, this software will automate repetitive tasks, streamline documentation, improve access to information, enable more accurate and profitable coding and foster efficiency.
But nephrologists have some unique needs they’ll want their software to address, as well. We’ve created this guide to help you evaluate software to find an ideal fit for your practice.
What is nephrology EMR software?
Common features of nephrology software
Benefits of nephrology software
Important considerations
What is nephrology EMR software?
Nephrology EMR software is an electronic medical record system (more commonly referred to as an electronic health record, or EHR, system) that is specifically designed to be used by nephrology specialists. These EMRs / EHRs include specific functionality, features and data sets that will only be used by nephrologist practices; for example, they will be pre-programmed with nephrology CPT & ICD coding as well as templates that address specific nephrology-related fields.
While nephrology practices can certainly use general EMR or EHR software systems, utilizing a specialty-specific system will save time and improve accuracy of records, diagnosis, treatment, and billing.
Common features of nephrology software
The following features are those that nephrologists commonly cite as most helpful in medical software:
| Lab integration | Receiving, reviewing and sharing lab results is critical for nephrologists. Some EHR systems integrate with laboratories and/or support alerts for abnormal lab values. |
| Nephrology CPT & ICD coding | Your software solution should be able to reference current CPT and ICD code sets for nephrology. Many systems allow you to identify “favorite” codes that you use frequently so they can be called up quickly, and some even suggest codes automatically. |
| Nephrology-specific templates | Many software solutions will offer templates specific to the nephrology specialty, such as note templates for CKD, Dysuria, Flank Pain, Hematuria, Renal Failures and others. These templates are designed to make documenting the types of visits you conduct most frequently more efficient. |
| Sophisticated scheduling | Nephrology practices tend to need the ability to access and create appointments based on their own office calendar as well as dialysis center calendars. Many scheduling systems offer this level of visibility. |
| Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) | Some EHR software offers a PACS feature, which will manage the storage, retrieval, distribution and presentation of MRIs, CTs and other patient images. |
Not all nephrology EHR software will include all of these features, and some features may be supported to varying degrees in various products. Further, you may place higher importance on some features than others. Be sure to identify the features that are most critical to your practice’s operations, and evaluate software that supports them.
Benefits of Nephrology Software
Implementing a new EMR with nephrology-specific features can help your practice reap a great deal of benefits, such as:
- Improved documentation: When evaluating kidney-related conditions, it’s key to keep detailed notes of every patient counter so you can track progress over time. Note templates ensure you’re capture all the necessary information in a clear and comprehensive way.
- Greater access to records: Digitizing medical records makes them easier to share through tech-enabled processes and platforms, such as direct messaging or patient portals. This eliminates the need to spend time locating paper files, making copies and sending them to patients or referring physicians.
- Faster workflows: Most EMRs come with time-saving features, such as e-prescribing and clinical decision support tools. The first of these allows you to generate and send a prescription order (e.g., dialysis medication) directly to a patient’s pharmacy so you don’t need to rely on phone calls and faxes. Clinical decision support tools may include computerized alerts/reminders, clinical guidelines and patient data reports that can make it easier to treat and diagnose patients.
Important considerations
Aside from the functionality mentioned above, there are a few other things to keep in mind as you evaluate software solutions.
What applications do you need? Do you only need an EHR? Or will you need applications for medical billing and/or appointment scheduling, as well? If you’re only looking for a single application, that application will be known as a “standalone” or “best-of-breed” solution. If you’re looking for one system that includes multiple applications (e.g., EHR, billing and scheduling all in one), that is what’s known as an “integrated suite.”
Most nephrologists we talk to are seeking an integrated suite, with one major exception: if you currently outsource billing and don’t plan to bring that function back in house, you probably won’t need a billing application. However, you may still want to evaluate integrated EHR and scheduling offerings.
What type of deployment do you prefer? “Deployment” refers to where the software is “hosted,” meaning where it lives. If the software is installed on your own office’s servers, it is an “on-premise” system. Alternatively, the software can be hosted online (in the cloud), meaning it can be accessed via an Internet browser on any device with an Internet connection. This type of deployment is known as “Web-based” or “cloud-based”—it’s also synonymous with software-as-a-service (SaaS). (To learn more about Web-based systems, check out our Web-based EMR buyer’s guide.)
On-premise systems usually entail larger upfront costs in the form of software licenses and hardware. Web-based systems, on the other hand, usually have a lower monthly subscription fee instead of a single, upfront license fee. However, the costs of the systems tend to diverge over the life of the software—check out our Total Cost of Ownership calculator to see how this often works.
Practices that prefer on-premise systems typically want the control of running the software on-site through an internal IT team. Practices that prefer Web-based systems generally like the flexibility of being able to access the software through any Internet connection, as well as the ease of automatic upgrades, which are typically “pushed” out to users without requiring downtime for installation. Some practices have no preference, and many vendors offer multiple modes of deployment.
Will you require mobile support? If you or users in your practice will want to be able to access your nephrology EMR software via a smartphone or tablet, you’ll want to make sure the vendor you select offers mobile support. This may be especially useful for nephrologists conducting dialysis rounds who wish to access charts on the go.
Keep in mind that while Web-based systems typically offer the ability to access the software through any Internet browser, you’ll still want to confirm that the vendor offers a “native” mobile app—that is, an interface designed specifically for use on a smaller screen, such as a tablet or smartphone. Take a look at our tablet EMR guide for more information on available tablet options.