Practice Fusion vs eClinicalWorks at a glance
| Practice Fusion | eClinicalWorks | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Solo and small independent primary care and internal medicine practices | Primary care, specialty, behavioral health, urgent care and community health practices |
| Practice size | Small independent practices; 30,000 practices per the vendor | Solo to large groups; 180,000+ physicians and NPs per the vendor |
| Starting price | $199/provider/mo | $499/provider/mo |
| Pricing model | Per provider per month, billed monthly with an annual commitment | $499 EHR only or $599 with practice management, per provider per month; RCM at 2.9% of collections |
| Core approach | Lightweight browser EHR with optional billing software or billing services | Full EHR and PM suite with healow patient engagement and AI tools |
| EHR integrations | Lab and imaging connections; FHIR API; 600+ partner companies | FHIR APIs for provider and patient apps; TEFCA participant; lab and HIE interfaces |
| HIPAA / BAA | ONC-certified; BAA and security certifications not published | ONC-certified; BAA terms not published; Cloud page lists HITRUST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, CSA STAR and TX-RAMP |
| Platforms | Web browser on laptop, tablet or phone | Web (Chrome); eClinicalMobile for iOS and Android; eClinicalTouch for iPad; healow patient app |
| Notable strength | Low published price with three signing staff and unlimited non-signing staff per license | Breadth: PM, RCM service, patient engagement and Sunoh.ai scribe from one vendor |
| Main drawback | No built-in AI scribe or specialty modules advertised; annual commitment | Higher base price; AI scribe and RCM fees add to it |
Key differences
Price and what it includes
Practice Fusion costs $199 per provider a month, billed monthly with a required annual commitment, plus taxes. Each license covers e-prescribing including controlled substances, chart signing, MIPS reporting and claim submission, plus three signing staff and unlimited non-signing staff. A free two-week trial needs no credit card. eClinicalWorks costs $499 per provider a month for the EHR, or $599 with practice management and billing implementation, with no start-up costs. Its EHR tier includes e-prescribing with formulary checks, a patient portal, the eClinicalMobile app, cloud hosting and 24x7 support.
Billing and practice management
Practice Fusion offers integrated billing software with a clearinghouse, or full billing services, both priced on request. Its base EHR subscription focuses on clinical work. eClinicalWorks builds practice management into its $599 tier and also sells revenue cycle management as a service at 2.9% of collections, covering claims, denials, appeals and A/R, with extra fees for patient statements and messages. A practice that runs its own billing and wants scheduling, eligibility and claims tightly tied to the chart will find more in eClinicalWorks.
AI and patient engagement
eClinicalWorks sells Sunoh.ai, an ambient AI scribe integrated with its EHR, at $149 per user a month as a limited-time rate, down from $199. It also offers healow Genie, an AI contact center for patient calls and messages, and healow apps for patient scheduling and check-in. Practice Fusion includes text, voice and email appointment reminders in English or Spanish and a free patient portal, with Updox available for premium messaging. It does not advertise a built-in AI scribe.
Scale and specialty coverage
eClinicalWorks reports more than 180,000 physicians and nurse practitioners and more than 110,000 facilities using its software, and it sells dental, vision, behavioral health, ambulatory surgery and urgent care solutions. Practice Fusion reports 30,000 practices and more than 112,000 healthcare professionals and is positioned for independent ambulatory practices. If you expect to add specialties or locations, eClinicalWorks has more room to grow. Training is included for practices with up to nine providers.
Which should you choose?
Choose on how much you want the EHR to do beyond charting. Practice Fusion keeps cost and complexity low. eClinicalWorks costs more but covers practice management, patient engagement and AI from one vendor.
Choose Practice Fusion if:
- You are a solo or small primary care practice watching software costs
- You mainly need charting, e-prescribing, labs, reminders and a portal
- You already have a biller or billing service you want to keep
Choose eClinicalWorks if:
- You want practice management built into the same system as the EHR
- You may outsource billing and want a published percentage rate
- You want an ambient AI scribe and AI phone tools from your EHR vendor
For a middle option with a primary care focus, look at Elation Health; for an all-in-one with a strong mobile app, see DrChrono.