ChARM EHR Software

Liked there soft ware in general

Pros

I like there software in general, scheduling and itemizing unique purchases and price. This is all good if they had customer service.

Cons

Lack of support or none.. We needed help with the Faxes stopped working and tried calling and just left message. Days later no response, so we had to use another company for faxes.

Pros

Touted features sound great, but the implementation needs work. Cost is reasonable. I like the idea of the Kiosk, but the app was thrown together.

Cons

1. Customer service is on the West Coast and they do not pick up until 12:00EST
1.5 Actual team that fixes problems is in India so NOTHING GETS FIXED until the next day!
2. Customer Service rep needs to find another line of work, he does not do well with customer service.
3. Every day there are new challenges with the software. Today, all of our patients disappeared for the day, yesterday, we could not get into and view the schedule. Lets see what tomorrow brings.
4. No higher-ups we can discuss issues and the aforementioned frustrations!

I would highly recommend this to any small practice.

Pros

Easy to use. Devs are always adding features with the integrated fax being one of our favorites. Its easy to add new patients, upload files to their chart and utilize patient management.

Cons

There really isnt too much I dont like. I wasn't a fan of the new UI very much but they allowed users to revert back to the old. The newer UI does offer a pretty cool texting feature for users withing the practice.

Customer support is excellent. You can get a hold of someone to help by email, chat, or call back. Very knowledgeable folks.

Pros

The software is very functional and customizable. It has all the necessary aspects for just about any primary care practice. There is a massive template library to choose from as well as the ability to make your own (although with the number of templates available, that doesn't seem to be necessary). Appointment calendar is nice. Has an accompaning App that I have on my phone that I can review appointments for that day or any other day. Handy tool.

Cons

There is a learning curve to modify the templates. Once you get the "hang" of it , no problem. There are many features that take some getting use to, but with some patience works well. Could get rather pricey if you have a very large practice.

Great program overall, maybe they will make it so there are less tabs and less clicks to get around. If you do not have a lot of visits per week this is a great value. It may also work if you are just starting up a practice, that way you don't have to agree to hundreds of dollars per month.

Pros

-Many features, comparable to any other program out there (e.g. syncs up with major laboratories)
-Cloud based
-Works with integrated MD/DC/PT offices, so you can have many types of providers
-Great ability to customize exam forms and notes

Cons

-You are charged by each patient encounter. This can be bad if you have a high number of low-fee visits (like ancillary services). This may make it difficult to estimate how much it costs per month
-Clicking on tabs takes up time. Some programs do a better job of integrating everything into one screen

Pros

Has many features that other EHRs do not have such as open library shared amongst all users; it is completely customizeable for templates; versatile

Cons

Pay for extra services; image annotation isn't multipurpose; the app cannot be used for comprehensive visits

Pros

FLOW OF INFORMATION IN THE CHART. I LIKE THE EASE OF ACCESSING PATIENT CHARTS AND BEING ABLE TO SEND MESSAGES TO MY NURSE PRACTITIONERS.

Cons

THIS SYSTEM MAY NEED MORE DETAILED TABS FOR A FAMILY MEDICINE PRACTICE TO DELINEATE INFORMATION SPECIFICALLY FOR MEANINGFUL USE.

We have worked with several EHRs in the past. This EHR had all the features that we were looking for especially for an Integrative Medicine Conciege Practice!
Looking forward to an updated version.

Pros

Ease of use, multi-functionality, very affordable, great patient portal messaging, ability to create templates, share handouts , ability to personalize the app which the patients can access through their smart phones

Cons

E prescription - takes longer time to finish, needs updated ICD 10 codes, wish they had another option for integrated credit card transaction than Blue Fin

Pros

Our office has used Charm EHR for a couple years now. Out of all the other medical management software that we have used, we definitely like this one the best. It is very well organized, and easy to use (both for practitioners and patients)

Cons

When issues arise either for practitioners or patients, it is difficult to get the issue resolved with customer service. For example, there is a limit on the amount of messages that a patient may send to their provider, which in general is a great rule. However, the message limit is supposed to reset after each visit, and often times, it does not. Patients often get quite frustrated over not being able to reach out to their doctor, and it creates more hassle for the office as well. If there is a way this can be altered/fixed, that would be wonderful!

I've been using Charm for about 1 year and am pretty pleased overall.

Pros

I like the options to customize some templates such. I don't use billing features but it's great that it's included.

Cons

You cannot enter information directly on an invoice. For example, if you want to add a product into an invoice or a service that is out of the ordinary or brand new, you cannot just enter it and have it remain on the invoice. Everything has to be entered in inventory before hand. This is sometimes too time consuming.
Some fields cannot be modified, like vaccines. Most patients do not know details, such as injection date. This if field is required so I enter visit date and then have to make other notes.

Advice to Others

Good overall value. Certain fields are too difficult to use so I end up typing free hand into Plan section a lot.

We have been using Charm for a year. We love the ease of use
We plan on having charm for a long time.

Pros

ease of use

Advice to Others

I would try it for a month. Compared to other EMR you will find charm..very charming.

A colleague recommended Charm Tracker for my EHR needs, so I decided to check them out. I've been a client for about a year now. I have a small practice so cost was an issue - no problem. I don't have employees and would need to know how to run the program - no problem. I wanted to make sure it was HIPPA compliant and secure - no problem!

I decided to try this EHR system as I was running out of space with filing. Not to mention the time to file away chart notes. When I do have to print off my chart notes - they look so professional.

They assign you a consultant who will train you on how to use the program. I was able to design my own chart note system. My consultant has been faithful to check in with me on a regular basis, so I feel supported. It's been a win-win system for me.

Pros

1. cost - free to join & free to use up to 50 entries per month. And the cost afterwards is reasonable.
2. reduces paper & time - frees up space - my files were getting larger and taking up room. frees up my time away from filing
3. great training and good customer support
4. HIPPA compliant and secure in cyberspace

Advice to Others

I would highly recommend this program for your EHR needs.

I started using ChARM EHR in my practice in July 2014 when I wanted to move away from paper charting. I had worked with hospital-based EHR systems in the past, and I am delighted to report that ChARM EHR has been far more reliable than the previous hospital-systems I used. I love the ability to fax and receive records directly from the system without having to print. Charting, uploading labs, uploading documents, and communicating securely with my clients has all worked well. There have been a few minor bugs along the way, but the company is very responsive to the support reports that I have sent and they are continually making improvements to the system that I love. Some of my clients have had difficulty accessing the online scheduling and filling out the online questionnaires, while most of my clients seem to use these functionalities with no issues at all.

Pros

Online faxing directly in the system
Customization of chart notes and labs
Ease of charting
Reliability
Ease of communicating with clients

Advice to Others

I wish I had started using this earlier in my practice. Start sooner rather than later!

Good free software for a star up medical clinic. I would recommend for any small clinic that doesn't want to pay for other EHR's. It has a lot of features for a free software.

Likes Best

I like that is is very easy to use and has saved me a great deal of time.

Likes Least

I wish it had a better appointment reminder system.

Recommendations

It is a great system for the price. It's saved me about an hour per day.

Likes Best

Easy to use, lots of options for a good price. Ability to fax and text reminders within the software. Scheduling is OK but the patient portal is nice.

Likes Least

The fax cost is a bit high for 200 pages, getting help for or tutorials can be cumbersome. Navigating the settings page takes time to get used to but once you know where to go for things its pretty simple. The text reminder function (at this time) doesn't allow for the patient to confirm appts.

Recommendations

If you are a small practice and looking for a company that is growing and always making EHR better this is the one for you. Being able to fax referral notes back to the DR inside the software is really beneficial.

Likes Best

I have been using Charm for my Integrative practice for over 4 years. They have been really responsive to customer needs and wants. It is very flexible and has many more options for supplementation and dietary recommendations then most other systems. This at a very reasonable price (based on volume) for what is included!

Likes Least

They are having some growing pains with customer service and some times do not get issues resolved until you get in touch with a senior representative.

Recommendations

If you need the ability to offer multiple types of recommendations and learning from other practitioners shared templates, this is a great product with many options.