Well-Organized and effective patient care is key to a successful and well run medical practice. In this day and age, medical practices are moving towards patient portals and electronic records.EMR is the electronic medical records that are the digital version of the paper charts in the clinician’s office. In one practice, the EMR enables the healthcare providers to maintain the medical and treatment history of the patients
More than 95 percent of hospitals use EMRs in the US. In 2017, the Global Hospital EMR Systems Market was accounted for $10.01 billion, and by 2026, it is expected to reach $24.57 billion. Furthermore, during the forecast period (2017-2026), it will register a healthy CAGR of 10.4% as per Statistics MRC reports indicated.
Medical professionals use Electronic Medical Records software to track patient data over time. Digitally the software stores information like treatment history or prescriptions. Electronic Medical Record software solutions improve the overall quality of care by monitoring the patient’s vital signs and allowing doctors to identify as to when a patient would be requiring the next checkups.
You can maintain the standard medical and clinical data of the patient through EMR solutions in healthcare software.
Key Features
The usually used EMR features that are a part of the clinical management software are as follows:
Significance of EMR
Electronic Medical system is essential for patients, clinics and doctors. Let’s see how!
The more comprehensive report of the patient’s overall health is termed as the EHR, and the narrower view of a patient’s medical history is known as EMR.
Which countries have an EMR system?
The countries that make use of Electronic Medical System are
How costly is the Electronic Medical Record system?
The implementation of the EMR system could cost a bit high to a single physician. The commercial EMR software solutions are expensive, so the best option is to have the free open source electronic Medical record software for the hospital and small healthcare setups.
As high cost is associated with the Electronic Medical record software, so free open source EMR software can be the ideal start. In rural or remote areas, the hospitals and clinics with low budgets should not fear about financial requirements as free and open source electronic medical record software are good alike the commercial ones.
Free and open source Electronic Medical Record Software
1 OpenMRS
OpenMRS works as open source Electronic Medical Record software to improve healthcare delivery in low-resource environments. These cloud-based EMR software solutions allow practices to design and create the patients’ medical records.
OpenMRS consists of a community of developers, users, and implementers working toward a shared and open foundation for managing information in developing countries. Tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria trouble the lives of millions of people in the developing world. The actively building and managing health systems make use of this free Electronic Medical Record software.
It is a library of API calls and databases that finds compatibility with the practices of all sizes. At the core of the application, this software includes a concept dictionary that acts as a storage medium for all general questions, procedures, and drugs. Windows, Linux, Mac, and OSX are the platform of this software.
Without a programming language, this software facilitates the design of a customized medical records system. It serves as the software platform and reference applications.
For users, it serves as the toolkit with the knowledge of the medical and policy analysis that builds own custom EMR without specialized experience with a specific programming language.
(Source: OpenMRS)
Highlights:
- Patient repository
- Security & Reporting
- Cohort Management
- Patient Workflow Management
- Central concept dictionary
- Privilege- based access
- Multiple identifiers per patient
- Data entry & data export
- Modular architecture
- Patient Merging & Relationships
- Localization/ Internalization
- Supports complex data
- Person attributes
2 OpenEMR
OpenEMR is another popular free and open source electronic health record and medical practice management application. It is ONC Complete Ambulatory EHR certified, and an active community of volunteers and professionals support it. The goal of the community members is to make this Electronic Medical Record Software a superior alternative to its proprietary counterparts.
The passionate volunteers and contributors are enthusiastic about guarding the status of OpenEMR as free and open source software solutions for medical practices with a dedication to openness, compassion, and collaboration.
In the healthcare open source software market, OpenEMR is considered as the leader that has changed the world for the better. It runs on Windows, Mac, OS X, Linux, and many other platforms.
(Source: OpenEMR)
Highlights
- Scheduling
- E-Prescribing
- Medical Billing
- CMS Reporting
- Lab Integration
- Advanced Security
- Clinical Decision Rules
- Multilingual Support
- Patient Demographics
- Prescriptions
- Patient Portal
- Extensive Reporting
- User-based Security
- Support & Community
- Document management
- Prescriptions management
- Extensive electronic medical record (EMR) functionality
OneTouch EMR is a user-friendly open source electronic medical record that works speedily and efficiently. You can customize it to suit the hospital needs in a flexible and faster way.
This hospital management software can be used on both mobile and desktop. The solution helps practices related to Internal Medicine, General Practitioners, and Family medicine. The physicians looking to qualify for meaningful use can employ this software that works as an ONC-ATCB certified solution.
The solution helps doctors to manage largely note-taking capabilities and offers a virtual Encrypt-and-MAC coding assistant along with the reimbursements.
This software offers support through online chat and tutorial videos phone. Effortlessly the solution can integrate with several practices management and billing solutions. It takes account of scheduling, e-prescribing, integrated fax, and much more.
Source :( OneTouch EMR)
Highlights
- Patient Registration
- Appointment Management
- Procedure Management
- Electronic Medical Record & Doctor Consultation
- Claims & Expense Management
- Physician Management
- PACS support, Imaging information system, and radiology
- Pharmacy Information System
- Lab Information System
- In-patient management system
- Consumption tracking, purchase & Inventory management
- Billing system
- Patient discharge
- System Administration functions
- Out-patient management
4 NOSH
Nosh is the fully hosted open source electronic health record system. This new open source health charting system delivers an ultimate end-user experience with different sorts and settings of EMR.
In the current daily practice, the NOSH EMR addresses the significant issues for general practitioners regarding medical databases that are necessary for medical training and the FDA drug database.
This Electronic Medical Records Software is designed to be modular. If you don’t require some features, then you can be turned off. Some elements can be extended like rCopia ePrescribing and Medicare Medication therapy management module. The platform of this software is Linux and web browser.
The NOSH charting system is about equal opportunity, openness, sharing, versatility, choices, quality, and believes in making the medical provider the priority of how the system works.
(Source: Nosh)
Highlights
- FDA drug database
- ICD-10 database integration
- SNOMED-CT database integration
- CPT database integration
Chart Features
- Active issues & Medication list
- Supplements & Allergy list
- Past encounters
- Planned document handling system
- Mechanized task reminder and alert system
- Create personalized templates for the HPI, ROS, and PE
- Form customized electronic patient forms
- Online scheduling
| Provider ordering features | Practice Management features | Patient Portal features | Communication features | Pediatric features |
| Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) | Export claims to HCFA-1500 format | Secure messaging to the provider | Electronic fax integration | Growth charts |
| E-Prescribing | Export request in the form of the single print image text file | Schedule online appointments | Generate clinical summaries | Immunization tracking |
| Checks for medication interactions | Track remaining balances to a claim | Automatic appointment reminders | Print chart into PDF format | Well-child check documentation |
| Patients instructions | Track revenues monthly or yearly | Review lab results | Export health information in C-CDA format | Vaccine information sheet printouts |
| - | Health supplements documentation | Integration of personalized electronic forms | Import documents | - |
| - | Track tags for encounters, messages & documents | - | - | - |
| - | Inventory tracking | - | - | - |
5 Solismed
If you are looking for Free electronic medical record software for your business, then Solismed is the apt choice that holds a host of features. It is created for multi-specialty practices and free clinics.
This software works as the clinic management system for independent practices and free clinics. Several times the saving tools are provided to boost productivity.
Users can manage utilities, bills, and stock from this one integrated system that provides appointment scheduling, patient encounter management, secured medical records, free e-prescribing, billing, inventory control, and patient portal.
To meet the needs, you can do all the configurations in the user interface. This software is reliable, secure, and browser-based. It provides customizable solutions and professional support. Feel free to enjoy 100% data ownership. Automate your clinic operations with amazing features.
(Source: Solismed)
Highlights
- Patient registration tracking
- Modern Scheduler
- Detailed Reporting
- Multi-tasking
- Team collaboration
- Intelligent Dashboard
- Schedule
- Contacts & Walk-in registration
- Financial management
- Reports
- Operations
- Utilities
- Preferences
- Exchange
- Secure messaging, phone calls, letters, faxes
- Insurance claims via office ally
- Built-in Patient portal
- Customizable solutions
6 Bahmni
All around the world, this user-friendly EMR software is extensively accepted and implemented in various hospitals. This EMR and hospital system uses OpenMRS to manage the medical records of the patients. It holds an easy-to-use interface, and you can implement it in low resource settings. In a single solution, it combines and enhances existing open source products.
On the variety of devices, including tablets or mobile phones, you can easily configure Bahmni. The model of this free electronic medical software is flexible where the workflows and processes are designed as per the hospital’s requirements. You will find this medical billing software simple and easy to use. To create a draft medical bill with every product, it uses setup discount, credit, and tax relating accounting heads.
This open source Electronic Medical software supports health-care services in rural area. The experienced developers can add more modules and extend its features as it holds the modular system. It runs on CentOS Linux that works as an enterprise-grade community.
(Source: Bahmni)
Highlights:
- Patient Information Management
- Payment Processing
- E-Prescribing
- Remittance Advice
- Patient Eligibility Checks
- Billing Management and system
- Charting
- Appointment Management
- Claims Management
- Patient Record Management
- Patient Payment History
7 FreeMED
FreeMED software provides an XML-RPC backend and multiple imports and export formats. This free hospital management system is developed to offer enhanced healthcare information management services to the hospitals. To take care of patients’ records, this open source electronic medical record system can be modified as per the requirement of the hospitals. It is a full-featured and Practice Administration package based on Apache, PHP, and MySQL.
In multiple languages, it runs in any web browser and is GPL-licensed Electronic Medical Record and Practice Management system for medical providers. It stores and represents its medical data as a group of “modules” that consist of a database model and user interfaces.
This software has strived hard to offer a stable, simple, and well –organized electronic medical record and practice management system. The built-in medical device interface, signature, label support through FreeSHIM.
(Source: FreeMED)
Highlights
- Web-based interface
- XML-RPC web services
- Extensible and modular architecture
- Translations including French, Japanese and German
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act complaint
- HL7 interface
- PDF form templating
- Printing System
- Patient Scheduling
- External billing software- REMIT
- Document management
- Scheduling
- Prescription writing, printing and faxing
- Intra-messaging and reporting services
- Billing facilities
- Claims management
DoliMed is the specialized version of Dolibarr ERP and CRM software that is enhanced with the module Dolimed. This open source Electronic Medical Records software matches the needs of doctors and medical centres to follow their patients.
To manage the caregiver activity like patients, documents, consultations, and much more, you will find it easy to use solutions. From the download area, you can install and use this software as a separate application. If you want, then you can use it from anywhere by installing it on a mutualized or dedicated server.
It is fast, secure, and easy to use software that is built on top of a stable and usable ERP solution. This open source electronic medical record system is built on ERP for Linux, Mac, Windows, and OSX.
(Source: DoliMED EMR)
Highlights
- Patients’ records management
- Easy patient scheduling
- Task management capabilities
- Billing system integration
- Clinical interoperability
- Users Management
- Consultation Management
- Documents management
- Contact Manager
- Influential HRM – Human Relational Management inherited from Dolibarr ERP
Comparison Chart of Free Open Source Electronic Medical Software
Praxis EMR, TherapyNotes, Cerner, Kareo, Aprima, 75Health are some of the famous Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software. Indeed eClinicalWorks can also take the credit. The article below highlights the prominent features of the same.
eClinicalWorks provides better healthcare and engagement. 80,000+ facilities are running on this platform. A huge number of physicians and healthcare professionals are making use of this app. It is considered a leader in healthcare IT. This software is popular although not free and open source.
The physicians and nurse practitioners benefit intensely from this software, which in turn helps them to meet their daily electronic health and practice management needs.
This app is built for usability, interoperability, and patient engagement. The user can make use of this tool on a PC, smartphone, or iPad. With comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Practice Management (PM) Solutions, this tool believes in providing innovative and customizable solutions for every type of setting. These settings are related to ambulatory surgical centers, health centers, hospitals, mobile clinics, and primary care offices.
(Source:eClinicalWorks)
Highlights:
- Patient Engagement
- Live demonstrations
- Population Health
- Patient Portals
- Patient Charting
- Track data regarding health and wellness
- Appointment Scheduling
- E-Prescribing
- Self-service Portal
- Handwriting and voice recognition
- Electronic referrals
- Hospital interoperability
- Data reports on healthcare records
Conclusive Statement
I hope this article must have given you an idea about some to the best and top electronic medical record software for your specialty medical practice. You can enjoy the maximum efficiency from these free electronic medical records system.
For a small to medium set up, I am sure free open source EMR software can be of great help. Having one of the best electronic medical record software systems can help you minimize errors, maximize cost-efficiency, and provides better coordination between healthcare providers.
If you have used any of the Electronic Medical Records software as mentioned above, then feel free to share your valuable views and feedback on the same.
