Best Notes - EHR with Best Support

great experience so far , except those small issues with the separate emar app. The best thing I can say about Best Notes is the support I received from the technical team. They are ALL EXCELLENT, very helpful and super professional!

Pros

Reports are most useful for me when I need to audit client charts for all needed documentation. Very impressed with the work flow, how the information collected in one templated can be transferred into other relevant documents/ templates.

Cons

What I like the least about this software is the separation between the EMAR and Best Notes. Being a completely separated app is inconvenient. Also , when the client signs in the EMAR that they have received their medications, their name does not appear in the electronic signature. It just says patient signature, no name.

Excellent CRM

Overall our experience with BestNotes has been great. Their support staff is really on top of things. We are very much looking forward to what BestNotes Fresh has to bring.

Pros

I think the CRM functions of this software are fantastic. We run a multi-facility drug and alcohol treatment center and BestNotes certainly meets the needs for the varying levels of complexity that each client's chart needs based on their level of care. The note templates are highly customizable and the reporting functions have been a massive asset as tool for our chart audits.

Cons

Honestly, our biggest problems with BestNotes come from its integration with other software and the eMAR. As a CRM BestNotes functions well, but we use an integration with DrFirst for ePrescribe that disrupts some functionality within BestNotes. We also use a lab integration through HalfPenny that has been left wanting. The eMAR is nice to have, but the ability to audit and track medication changes is fairly limited at this point.

You Get What You Pay For

I really wanted to love BestNotes but I regretted my decision straight away. Having the trial was useless because the system is cumbersome but I thought it was just me. Thus stuck with in site of my concern, hoping things would get easier/better but that never happened. Lesson learned for selecting them based on a non-clinician referral who clearly didn't know any better. BestNotes reps acknowledge that little has changed with the platform in the past 15 years (since its inception) and it shows. They insist a new product is underway although they have no information on when it will be released. Think this said to merely pacify customers. I assume they gain and keep some customers due to the low price but using the software is like stepping into a time warp. I'd rather pay more money for a modern, user friendly system that can be used across device and is truly web based rather than a low price for a grossly outdated system. This EHR needs a complete overall!

Pros

The price for this EHR is phenomenal and BestNotes has the potential to be great. I like that you can add your own customized forms. The scripted treatment plan goals are better than most as they are measurable (but BestNotes did take some short cuts by simply repeating the same goals over and over).

Cons

As many users have been indicating since 2016, BestNotes is looks like something from the 1900's. Thus the systems uses a lot of odd symbols from the 1990's (such as a floppy disk).There seems to be no consistency with font size across pages. Some of the templates have typos. Minor clients that require parental signature consent forms is ridiculously complicated. They systems uses a lot of their own made up acronyms that are confusing. Many of the videos/self help guides are outdated or otherwise irrelevant. It is clunky, grossly outdated, has an ugly interface, and is not intuitive. This system is not web based, you have to download the software application on your computer, the client portal is practically useless since clients cant self schedule or pay a bill there, and have to contract with a third party for billing thereby increasing your costs. Sadly, the staff are nice enough but can be a bit condescending if you cant quickly make sense out of the madness that is BestNotes that they have normalized.

Exceptional Orientation Experience

I am able to move quickly through a note while I am with a patient with very little effort and this allows me to focus more on the content of the appointment, and less on charting. My patients are navigating the patient portal with ease, and I love the way their answers to questions during registration auto-populate into the note! The combination of comprehensive content, and the feature of integrating DSM-V criteria into my diagnosis, makes my note look amazing!

Pros

I find BestNotes very easy to use, and it makes both common and clinical sense when you navigate the system. I have used six different EHRs while working various Locums Tenens jobs, and they are often complex to learn without added benefit for use. For my Private Practice, I evaluated several EHRs that ranged from moderate to expensively priced and there were pros/cons to all of them. One of the most annoying issues I ran into when considering software was that there were often "training packages" to purchase that dictated how many hours of orientation and training you could have. I was told by a friend that uses BestNotes for Psychiatry and Addictions Treatment to look into BestNotes as she thought it was the easiest EHR she had ever used (she works for a large Hospital system and has her own practice). I looked into BestNotes and was very impressed with what it has to offer, and at a very affordable price. What really impressed me about BN was the excellent Customer Service from the first contact, to completing my orientation for implementation. I was given unlimited hours to learn the system at no additional cost. I had an amazing trainer "[SENSITIVE CONTENT]" who was knowledgeable, patient, and accommodated my busy schedule for weeks! In addition, not only did [SENSITIVE CONTENT] assist me with customizing auto-notes and templates, she actually taught me how to make changes for myself so that I can make improvements/adjustments independently. I can't say enough about the experience!

Cons

I think that there are always improvements that every EHR can make, however BestNotes is a robust and easy to use system. I appreciated their openness to hear input about how they could make changes, and their eagerness to let me know what changes are already in the works! More focus on the billing/clearinghouse integration would be beneficial, however this appears to be coming in the future.

BestNotes Fits our Practice Well

Pros

BestNotes has the functionality to support a practice with multiple different departments and offerings. We offer outpatient and residential substance abuse services as well as medical and mental health services. Finding an EHR that would compliment our service offerings was difficult, but BestNotes is doing a great job.

Cons

When initially setting up and getting familiar with the EHR you receive top tier support, after the initial period, however, support is not as responsive. BestNotes also isn't quite as polished as some competitors, but what they lack in visual design, they make up for in the customization and flexibility.