Our Top Picks
The telehealth utilization surge that began in 2020 has matured into a permanent fixture of ambulatory care delivery, with many practices now conducting 40% or more of their encounters virtually. For these telehealth-heavy practices, the quality of the EMR's virtual care capabilities is not a nice-to-have add-on but a core requirement that directly impacts clinical workflows, patient satisfaction, and revenue. Our evaluation of EMRs for telehealth-heavy practices assessed video visit quality, the integration between virtual encounters and clinical documentation, telehealth-specific billing workflows, patient scheduling for virtual visits, and the overall experience for both providers and patients during virtual encounters.
1. Hero EMR 9.4/10
Hero EMR delivers the strongest telehealth experience in our 2026 evaluation because its AI capabilities transform the virtual encounter in ways that other platforms have not yet achieved. The ambient AI scribe works during video visits just as it does during in-person encounters, converting the natural conversation into structured clinical notes in real time. This is particularly valuable in telehealth settings where providers often struggle to type notes while maintaining eye contact through the camera. In our testing, providers using Hero EMR during telehealth visits reported feeling more present with patients because the documentation was handled automatically. The platform's integrated scheduling, e-prescribing, and billing workflows mean that a virtual encounter from start to finish, including patient check-in via text, video visit, note generation, prescription, and claim submission, happens within a single system without switching between tools. Remote patient monitoring integration adds another dimension for practices managing chronic conditions through a combination of virtual visits and continuous data streams.
2. AdvancedMD 7.8/10
AdvancedMD offers one of the most mature dedicated telehealth modules in the ambulatory EMR market, with video visit capabilities that rival standalone telehealth platforms. The scheduling system handles mixed in-person and virtual appointment types smoothly, and the billing workflows correctly apply telehealth-specific modifiers and place-of-service codes without manual intervention. For behavioral health and counseling practices that conduct the majority of their sessions virtually, AdvancedMD's telehealth tools are particularly well-suited. The platform's modular pricing means practices can add telehealth without subscribing to modules they do not need, though the per-module costs can accumulate for practices requiring comprehensive functionality.
3. athenahealth 8.7/10
athenahealth's telehealth capabilities benefit from the platform's broader strengths in billing and interoperability. Virtual visits integrate seamlessly with the revenue cycle engine, ensuring that telehealth claims are scrubbed with the same rigor as in-person encounter claims. The patient-facing telehealth experience is polished, with a browser-based video interface that requires no software installation from the patient side. For practices that need telehealth to work within a larger system of billing, referral management, and population health analytics, athenahealth provides a well-integrated virtual care layer. The percentage-of-collections pricing model applies to telehealth encounters as well, which is a cost consideration for high-volume virtual practices.
4. DrChrono 8.1/10
DrChrono's telehealth functionality integrates well with its iPad-first design philosophy, offering a mobile-friendly virtual visit experience that works effectively for providers conducting telehealth from home or non-office settings. The video quality is consistent, and the ability to chart on the iPad during or immediately after a virtual encounter reduces the documentation lag that plagues many telehealth workflows. Custom forms can be configured specifically for telehealth encounter types, allowing practices to capture the information most relevant to virtual care. The open API also enables integration with third-party telehealth platforms for practices that prefer specialized video visit tools.
5. eClinicalWorks 7.6/10
eClinicalWorks offers telehealth through its healow platform, which provides a comprehensive patient engagement ecosystem that includes video visits, patient scheduling, and health tracking. The integration between healow telehealth encounters and the core eClinicalWorks EHR ensures that virtual visit documentation flows into the patient chart seamlessly. For practices already on the eClinicalWorks platform, the healow telehealth module adds virtual care capability without introducing a new vendor relationship. The telehealth experience is functional and reliable, though the interface inherits the broader usability limitations that affect the core platform. Practices new to eClinicalWorks should weigh the telehealth module alongside the overall user experience considerations that place this platform lower in our general rankings.