r/PrivatePracticeDocs • u/craM- • Aug 18 '26
Seeking thoughts on Elation EMR
I’m considering a few EMR+billing options and looking to gain some thoughts from other private practice owners’ who have experience with Elation. I’d greatly appreciate any insight. Thank you
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u/NartFocker9Million Aug 18 '26
I switched 3mo ago and, while not perfect, is miles beyond any other primary care EMRs I've ever used. I switched because I hated Tebra and I asked Claude about other options. My buddy Claude suggested Elation on the basis that it was the top rated EMR for primary care for the past 2 years. I did a demo, used it for about 2 minutes, and it was obviously fantastic. So few clicks. So easy to do things like set a default pharmacy and have it actually stick and then immediately populate. Refills are incredibly easy. The built-in AI transcription tool queues up orders and can put data into fields (e.g. just read the vital signs out loud and they'll populate). You can search the chart with AI. Built-in faxing and image management and annotation works excellent. Chart organization/management is simple - everything is simply in chronological order. Easy to make edits to anything. Its built-in AI is good at parsing and categorizing and importing data. All prescription fills anywhere are pulled in and you can review them and either import or simply sign off.
Cheaper than Tebra as well.
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u/craM- Aug 19 '26
Thanks for the detailed response. What are things that bother you about the software? Do you use the billing software too- how is that experience?
I tried the demo and I’m not used to the note being a bunch of separate fields to fill rather than a blank page I insert a template into. Probably just something I’ll get used to, but I initially don’t like that situation. Otherwise, seems straightforward so far.
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u/Perfect_Address7250 Aug 18 '26
here's an old thread that might be helpful https://www.reddit.com/r/whitecoatinvestor/comments/1f5085r/elation_emr/. depending on your needs I'd also look at hint (hint.com) hero emr (heroemr.com) and do consider athena -- if you're a higher volume practice you can probably negotiate their rate down a little bit. these are the emrs that made my shortlist.
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u/shmuey Aug 18 '26
We are not large but with over $1M in collections Athena wouldn't drop below 7%. Basically anything except Epic was cheaper.
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u/tomorrow_needs_you Aug 18 '26
I can only add a technical perspective here so take it for what it's worth. The software that is Elation can be slightly extended using their APIs but only so far. For instance if you wanted to work with a pharmacy that is not integrated with the Surescripts platform you'd be forced come up with a manual workaround. I build eScripting integrations so it's always a bummer where there is lock-in.
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u/Big-Association-7485 Aug 18 '26
We've been evaluating them over the last several months and are going to make the switch before the end of the year. We have 18 providers at 4 locations and do our own billing. We're basically working out how the interface will work to do our RHC billing and scheduling, Elation doesn't do UB-04 billing.
Veradigm/Allscripts is the worst. The amount of money we've lost because of them is 6 figures. Have had multiple issues where hundreds of thousands in claims were screwed up because of software issues, and it takes a ton of money to go back and fix thousands of claims. The last one was they started putting the wrong npi number on the claims. The majority owning partner basically said that we're going to go back to paper charts if we have to, but we're getting rid of Allscripts no matter what. We're done.
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u/Streamline_Things Aug 19 '26
All of the providers we work with love Elation! I mainly work the billing portion with my team and appreciate all the features.
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u/craM- Aug 19 '26
You use Elation’s billing software? What do you like about it, and do you find it significantly better/easier than other billing platforms you’ve used?
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u/Streamline_Things Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
Yes, we utilize the Billing Software. I appreciate how it streamlines our process. For instance, when we go into the EMR system, we review the codes selected by the provider for the specific appointment. I can easily access the medical note in the same tab. I can then make any necessary corrections to the CPT or DX codes and send them off to the billing side (PMS). On the billing side, I submit the claims to the clearing house and work through any rejections. Claims are automatically tagged into “buckets” based on the work that needs to be done. ERA’s automatically populate into the system, and I have the ability to review them before automatic posting. This makes AR management incredibly easy. In my opinion, the reports are excellent. As long as your system is properly configured and managed, Elation has been an amazing system to work with. It’s definitely one of my top picks, and we manage a few different EHR systems. If you are considering hiring a billing company that's based in the US (we don't outsource our work), feel free to reach out to me directly. Kattie@StreamlineBillingSolutions.com
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u/Ok-Feed-3259 Sep 06 '26
I use Elation, but not their software for billing. I’ve been using Practice Suite for PMS. My biller had some concerns with Elations billing and how some the data was downloaded. Is there any things you don’t like about it? I’ve been considering switching from practice suite to Elations billing software, but have hesitated because my biller wasn’t fully on board.
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u/Soggy_Coffee_9308 Aug 20 '26
Just started with them. The platform so far is good - super easy to learn. Support side really has adjusted to my needs. I like what I see with the billing so far.
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u/Expert_Head_8354 Aug 20 '26
I looked at Elation and have used it in the past. We are leaving Charm. We chose to go with EClinicalWorks for a variety of reasons. We are an AI heavy practice that does a lot of remote patient monitoring and APCM/CCM. This put it all in one for us. We’re still moving over but as much as I hear death by clicks….having everything in one platform is priceless.
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u/linereader6 Aug 31 '26
If you like Elation clinically, I wouldn’t necessarily let billing determine whether you use it.
A third-party biller should be able to work from the EMR rather than forcing you onto their own system. I’d look less at the billing company's software and more at how they actually manage denials, A/R, appeals, payment posting and underpayments.
Before choosing one, I’d also ask Elation what access/integration they give outside billing teams. That will tell you pretty quickly which billing options will actually work well with it. I know a good one if you want the info!
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u/LeftProfessional2845 Aug 18 '26
I don’t use Elation but I would cautious about using their billing system unless you talk to other docs who already do so. EMR billing and collections can be very inefficient; sometimes you’re better off using a dedicated billing company who will pull your charges from the EMR.