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Kareo Review

Max Freedman
Max Freedman
  • Kareo is a highly user-friendly medical software platform that's suitable for virtually any medical practice.
  • All Kareo customers get complete access to all of the company's electronic medical record and practice management tools.
  • Kareo's only true drawback is its lack of practice management consulting services.
  • This review is for healthcare providers who are considering Kareo for their medical software, especially those who want an easy-to-use solution.

The best medical software providers make it easy to find and use their tools for medical charting and notetaking; patient registration and demographics; billing; e-prescribing and lab ordering; telehealth; and performance reporting. Kareo does this better than any of its competitors, and when you use the company's electronic medical record (EMR) system, you also get practice management system (PMS) tools. The result is a seamless, hassle-free user experience that's earned Kareo our designation as the best medical software for ease of use.

Kareo

Kareo

The Verdict

Kareo's electronic medical record and practice management systems are the most intuitive medical software we reviewed. This platform is an excellent, reasonably priced choice for medical practices that are concerned about ease of use.

Kareo Editor's Score: 88/100

Customization 90
Pricing 100
Consultation 60
Revenue cycle management 90
Telehealth 100

Why Kareo Is Best for Ease of Use

Kareo's medical software dashboard resembles a social media feed, and given that most people are familiar with that format, this setup makes the program intuitive to navigate. Kareo couples this straightforward interface with features you can reach in one or two clicks from almost anywhere in the system. All Kareo integrations are similarly user-friendly. This way, whoever is using the software has easy access to the most important tools for their specific work needs. This intuitive navigation sets Kareo apart from other medical software on the market.

Key TakeawayKey takeaway: Because Kareo's interface resembles a social media feed, it's extremely easy to navigate. You can typically get from one feature to another in one or two clicks.

Pros

  • Kareo has unparalleled ease of use.
  • The vendor's packages automatically include both EMR and PMS tools for all users.

Cons

  • There is limited hands-on practice management consulting.
  • The vendor has a history of poor response to Better Business Bureau (BBB) customer complaints.

Usability

We found that Kareo offered the best user experience of all the medical software we reviewed. Kareo's interface looks like a social media feed – a design intended to make the software more intuitive for users, many of whom are used to spending time on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social networks. 

Moving between Kareo's features is effortless, and most tools are available from any part of the program in just one or two clicks. Kareo's integrations with lab software are just as simple and user-friendly.

Kareo’s user interface is customizable and can be set to each individual user’s preference and workflow. The dashboard takes you to both your EMR and PMS tools, so there's no need to toggle between multiple windows. 

The software is extremely easy to navigate, but if you do have questions, Kareo provides one-on-one training for advanced functions.

Kareo Features

Here are some key features of Kareo's medical software:

Appointment scheduling Kareo's fully customizable, color-coded calendar includes many filters and tools for easy classification and rescheduling.
Billing tools Kareo quickly captures charges, auto-generates patient statements and automates payment reminders to improve your medical billing process.
Charting and notetaking Kareo makes viewing and modifying patients' medical notes a seamless process.
Claims and insurance Kareo gives you tools for e-filing, rejected claims, denied claims and payment posting.
E-prescribing and labs Kareo's e-prescribing and e-lab ordering functions are certified, and you can favorite prescriptions and labs.
Flexible dashboard Kareo's dashboard is highly customizable and extremely user-friendly.
Interoperability Kareo maintains an interoperability requirements list and a CommonWell membership.
Patient portal Kareo's patient portal expedites secure communication with patients around the clock.
Reporting Kareo's customizable reports show data that point to missed opportunities, trends and inefficiencies.
Telehealth Kareo's telehealth platform integrates with the company's EMR and practice management services.

Charting and Notetaking

Charting and notetaking are essential features in medical software, and Kareo excels on this front. The interface makes it as easy as possible to view and add to patients' medical records.

To access and modify patient files in Kareo, just glance at your daily agenda in the program. From there, click any patient's card in your schedule, and their record will appear. You'll see the patient's medications, history, vitals and plenty of additional important information. 

When you're ready to add new information, just click the "+ Note" button in the top right to enter notetaking mode. Then, to take notes, click the field where you want to add information, and start typing.

Kareo patient card
This view shows a patient's card, with the orange arrow indicating how to add a note.

You can also customize your templates using hundreds of options. And with Kareo's "same as last time" (SALT) tool, you can add clinical notes right to the information on file from your patient's previous visit. This feature is extremely useful for quickly updating patient records, especially for patients who regularly have the same results.

TipTip: Use Kareo's SALT tool to quickly add information to your patients' most recent data.

Appointment Scheduling

On the practice management side, Kareo makes scheduling appointments a breeze. Just load the software's centralized calendar, and then filter by day, week or month. You can also filter by provider, exam room, location, medical equipment and more, and even run several filters at once.

You can customize and color-code the calendar, and the drag-and-drop tool makes rescheduling easy. Setting appointments is simple, too: Just double click on the date and time to add the patient's name, reason they're visiting, the office they're visiting and their provider. You can also set up recurring appointments for patients who need regular visits.

Once appointments are scheduled, front-office staff can run a batch insurance eligibility verification check confirming that all scheduled patients have up-to-date, active insurance policies before their visits.

Billing Tools

Kareo's comprehensive billing dashboard includes, among other features, tools for capturing charges the moment patient encounters end. The system can also auto-generate patient statements to facilitate payments.

After sending these statements, you can follow up via the Kareo Patient Collect tool's email, or through postal mail and text statements and payment reminders. You can also implement automatic sequences and workflows to reduce the chances you'll skip steps in the billing process. [Related article: Medical Billing and Collection Tips From the Pros]

Kareo SALT tool
Kareo's SALT tool makes it easy for providers to reenter information that remains valid since the last patient encounter.

Claims and Insurance

Understanding what medical claims are being generated and submitted to payers through your billing software is key to keeping up with your practice's financial performance. We like that with Kareo's insurance and medical claims tools, you can link your practice to more than 8,000 insurers. We also found that you can confirm your patients' insurance benefits and e-file claims with payers. In our experience, it took just one or two clicks and only a few seconds to get from one billing tool to another, resulting in a much better navigation experience than we had with most of the other medical software we reviewed.

We also liked the simplicity of Kareo's tools for addressing rejected and denied claims, through which users can learn the ins and outs of each disputed claim and pinpoint recurring reasons for denials. Additionally, through the payment posting tool, your billers can receive money from payers sooner. Kareo uses this tool for payment types such as automatic crossover, multiple adjustments and secondary remittance.

E-Prescribing and Labs

All good medical software programs offer highly important e-prescribing tools, and Kareo's features are both straightforward and certified. You can find the e-prescribing and labs suite right in your clinical notes.

It's simple to e-prescribe medications from Kareo's full library. Simply click the  Medications tab on the top right of the patient’s facesheet. In the window that appears, you can look for new medications, add patient instruct ions and send prescriptions to pharmacies. If you're prescribing medications that could lead to significant interactions, Kareo will let you know. 

In addition to these features, which are common among medical software programs, Kareo lets you save your favorite medications that you prescribe regularly. Not all medical software providers offer this helpful function.

Through the Kareo platform, you can order labs just as you would medications. Find the labs tool in your notes; then browse test options and order what your patient needs. As with prescriptions, you can favorite frequent orders.

Flexible Dashboard

Kareo's flexible dashboard is a big reason we chose this product as the best option for practices that are focused on ease of use. With Kareo, we could quickly and intuitively pull up patients' appointments and medical information.

The dashboard allows you to mark patients as scheduled, in-office or done with their appointments. However, you won't have to manually mark patients as in-office or finished; check-ins are automated, and patients are automatically checked out when a provider completes their chart.

This ease of use extends to Kareo's integrations and interfaces with Quest Diagnostics and Surescripts. Through Surescripts, you can easily access a patient's medication history. Similarly, through the lab programs, you can see results electronically.

Interoperability

Kareo keeps your practice interoperable through its interoperability requirements list. Along with this list comes access to Kareo's CommonWell membership. With these tools, your healthcare organization is equipped to communicate with other practices. 

Interoperability measures also keep you in line with the meaningful-use standards of the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program. Beyond governmental measures, interoperability also makes it far easier for doctors at other practices to access your patients' medical information (with proper authorization, of course). 

Did you know?Did you know?: Although the terms are often used interchangeably, electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) systems are technically different things. Modern medical software includes EHR systems, which can transmit and receive patient data.

Patient Portal

Like all good practice management platforms, Kareo has a robust patient portal. This portal facilitates secure communication with patients for all purposes. It's accessible around the clock, and both you and your patients should find it easy to navigate.

Reporting

Kareo's customizable reports can reflect all kinds of labels, benchmarks and goals, as well as data such as adjustments, encounters, refunds and charges. The diversity of data you can analyze in Kareo's reporting suite makes its tools especially excellent for multilocation practices. 

Telehealth

With Kareo, you can give patients the option of receiving fully HIPAA-compliant telehealth treatment. Kareo's telehealth platform completely integrates with Kareo's EMR and practice management software. 

When you book telehealth appointments, Kareo can send patients their intake and consent forms so they can fill out and submit these forms well before their appointments.

Kareo's Cost

Kareo offers free trials for certain customers; you can contact the vendor to see whether a free trial is available for your practice.

When we contacted Kareo for pricing, we were told that "cost is dependent on a number of factors, like specialty, the number of providers, provider tiers (MD, NP, Therapist, etc.), claim submission volume, and any promotions currently in effect." This means you need to provide details about your practice to get a precise quote.

In our previous research, Kareo gave us the following pricing information.

  • Physician-level providers: $500 per provider per month
  • Midlevel providers: $250 per provider per month
  • Therapists: $175 per provider per month

These fees cover both EMR and PMS tools, which is a great advantage. Many other medical software providers charge substantially more for access to both systems.

Did you know? Kareo is one of the only medical software providers that offers both EMR and PMS tools to all paying customers.

Practices with lower claims volumes can opt for lower pricing tiers with 50 included electronic claims. These tiers were priced as follows during our previous research.

  • Physician-level providers: $250 per provider per month
  • Midlevel providers: $125 per provider per month
  • Therapists: $87.50 per provider per month

No matter your pricing tier, each electronic claim after your first 50 costs an additional 99 cents. Alternatively, you can opt for encounter-based pricing. In this arrangement, which may benefit new practices, you pay $1.50 to $3 per patient encounter, and you still get access to all of Kareo's tools.

Kareo Setup

Each Kareo customer is paired with a dedicated customer success coach for easy onboarding. For a new customer's first 90 days using the platform, this coach will regularly provide hands-on training to your entire team. Given how intuitive the software is, your personnel will be able to get up to speed quickly without much of a learning curve. However, if you require data migration assistance, the implementation period could take a bit longer.

Training and continued customer support are part and parcel of the Kareo experience, so the company doesn't charge extra for these services. In addition, full setup assistance is available to every paying customer. This is a great perk considering rival provider AdvancedMD charges $5,000 for personalized setup help, as noted in our AdvancedMD review.

Kareo's Customer Service

Customer support comes at no added cost with Kareo. The vendor operates a customer service line that you can access from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on weekdays. The ongoing training and support is also a customer service feature we loved. Whether your team runs into a problem in Kareo or you’re just onboarding new employees, there will be an expert available to assist your team in all things Kareo. Many other healthcare IT vendors don’t offer this level of guidance, 

Kareo's Drawbacks

Kareo lacks substantial drawbacks, but there are two potential limitations.

  • No practice management consulting: Some practices may need hands-on consulting to maximize their profits, but Kareo lacks this capability. However, the software is so user-friendly, affordable and comprehensive that you might be able to maximize your profits without explicit consulting.
  • Few responses to negative BBB reviews: Kareo's BBB page has more customer complaints than we saw with its competitors. And unlike other medical software providers, Kareo has not publicly responded to many of these complaints. This lack of response may be a red flag for practice owners who are concerned about vendor accountability. If you're looking for a responsive and highly consultative medical software company, check out our review of athenahealth.

Methodology

We spent hours researching medical software to discover the best solutions. That research included software demonstrations, phone interviews and customer service calls, as well as an analysis of customer service reviews available online, including those listed on the BBB website.

When looking for the best option for ease of use, we compared the ease of navigation and general user-friendliness of the top medical software products. Ultimately, we found that Kareo went the extra mile to ensure usability. [Learn how to choose medical software.] 

Kareo FAQs

Is Kareo an EMR system?

Yes, Kareo is an EMR system. It also has a practice management system, and when you sign up for one, you get the other at no extra cost.

Does Kareo do billing?

Yes, Kareo is also one of our picks for the best medical billing services, also known as revenue cycle management. 

How much does Kareo's EMR system cost?

Kareo's pricing depends on your practice's size and specialty, but the EMR will likely cost you between $87.50 and $500 per provider per month. The low end of this range is highly competitive among the medical software we reviewed. Additionally, when you pay for Kareo's EMR system, you get its PMS for no extra charge. 

Overall Value

We recommend Kareo for ...

  • Small, new and growing practices.
  • Practices with multiple healthcare facilities or locations.
  • Practices that want intuitive, easy-to-use software.

We don't recommend Kareo for ...

  • Practices that need extensive practice management consultation.
  • Businesses that need anything less than perfect vendor accountability.

Image Credit: TippaPat/Shutterstock
Kareo

Kareo

The Verdict

Kareo's electronic medical record and practice management systems are the most intuitive medical software we reviewed. This platform is an excellent, reasonably priced choice for medical practices that are concerned about ease of use.

Max Freedman
Max Freedman
Business News Daily Contributing Writer
Max Freedman is a content writer who has written hundreds of articles about small business strategy and operations, with a focus on finance and HR topics. He's also published articles on payroll, small business funding, and content marketing. In addition to covering these business fundamentals, Max also writes about improving company culture, optimizing business social media pages, and choosing appropriate organizational structures for small businesses.