The DPC EMR Demo Checklist: Questions to Ask Before You Sign

The best EMR demo is one you run, not one the vendor runs. Bring a real visit script, your target panel size and the labs and pharmacies you actually use, then work through six groups of questions covering charting, memberships, ePrescribing and labs, the portal and messaging, data export and contract terms, and the price at the panel size you're building toward. The checklist table near the bottom of this page is built to print and take into the call.

Every price mentioned here is a vendor's own published number, checked on each vendor's site in November 2026. Anything a vendor doesn't publish is something to ask about on the demo and get in writing.

Set up the demo so you learn something

A standard sales demo uses a tidy sample patient that makes every chart look easy. That's fine for a first look, but it won't tell you how your Tuesday will feel.

Before the call, write down one ordinary visit from your own clinic. Something like a 52-year-old member on two blood pressure medications who messages about a cough, comes in the same day, gets a strep test, needs a refill and an outside lipid panel, and asks about adding her teenage son to her family plan. That one visit touches charting, in-house labs, refills, outside lab orders, the portal and membership billing, which is most of what you're buying.

Send the vendor three numbers ahead of time so the pricing conversation is real. Tell them how many clinicians you have (and whether anyone is part time), the panel size you expect in 12 to 24 months, and whether you dispense medications in house. If you can, ask for a trial account after the demo so you can repeat the visit without the rep's hands on the mouse.

Charting questions

You'll open the chart dozens of times a day, so small frictions add up to real time. Ask the rep to chart your sample visit live and watch how many clicks it takes to get from the schedule to a signed note.

• Can I build my own templates and visit types, and can I edit them myself later without calling support?
• How does a quick refill or a same-day sick visit look compared with a full annual exam?
• Is there an ambient scribe or a tool that drafts the visit note, and is it included or a paid add-on?
• How do outside records, faxes and scanned forms get into the chart, and who files them?
• Can a nurse or medical assistant prep the chart and queue tasks for me before the visit?

Pricing on note-drafting tools varies a lot, which is why it belongs on this list. Cerbo lists its scribe at $29 a month per provider for up to 60 notes, Charm lists $125 a month per provider for unlimited encounters, and Hint includes its documentation tool on Pro and Scale but charges $100 a month for it on Launch. Others bundle note help into the plan, so ask exactly what's included.

Membership and billing questions

In a DPC (direct primary care) practice, the membership is your revenue, so this part of the demo deserves as much time as the chart. Ask to see the unglamorous screens, especially what happens when something goes wrong.

• Does membership billing live on the same patient record as the chart, or does it sync from a separate tool like Hint?
• Show me a failed card. Who gets notified, does the member get a link to update it, and does the chart show the member is past due?
• How do family plans, age-based pricing and a mid-month plan change work?
• Can you bill employers for a group of members on one invoice?
• What are the card and ACH processing rates, and are there chargeback or failed-payment fees?

Processing is where small percentages turn into real money. Hint's published card rate is 3.00% plus $0.30 on Launch and 2.75% plus $0.30 on Pro, Atlas.md lists 2.1% plus 30 cents, and Elation's Membership Management takes 2.99% of card payments through Stripe. On a $90 membership those differences come to several dollars a member a year, multiplied by every member you have. If billing is your main question, Elation vs Hint compares the two most common setups.

ePrescribing and lab questions

ePrescribing and lab interfaces are the features most likely to carry separate fees, so ask for each fee by name.

• Is ePrescribing included, and is controlled-substance prescribing (EPCS) included or extra?
• Is there a setup fee per prescriber, and an annual renewal?
• Is there a PDMP (prescription drug monitoring program) connection, and what does it cost?
• Do you have a live, two-way interface with my lab (Quest, Labcorp or my regional lab), so orders go out and results come back into the chart?
• If I dispense in house, show me receiving inventory, dispensing a medication and charging the member for it.

Elation includes controlled and non-controlled ePrescribing on its DPC plan, Akute lists EPCS as an extra $15 a month, Charm lists ePrescribing at $15 a month per provider, and Atlas.md lists $475 to set up a prescriber, $400 a year to renew and $525 per clinic for PDMP setup. Our ePrescribing cost guide lays them side by side.

Portal and messaging questions

Access is what members pay for, and most of that access happens through messages. Ask the rep to log in as the patient, not just show you the clinic side.

• What does the member see when they message us, request a refill or book a visit?
• Do messages arrive in the chart, in a shared team inbox, or somewhere else?
• Can members text us, or only use the portal app?
• Is the portal included, or is it priced separately? (Cerbo, for example, lists its portal at $79 a month.)
• Can I route messages to a nurse first and escalate to myself?

Also ask which phone and texting tools it connects to. Many DPC clinics run calls and texts through a separate app, and a message that never reaches the chart can slip through. That gap isn't anyone's fault, since these tools were never built to talk to each other, but it's better to know before you sign.

Data export and contract terms

Ask how you'd leave the system while the vendor is still eager to win your business.

• If I cancel, what do I get back? Ask for a full export of notes, medications, allergies, problems, labs, documents and messages, not just a summary.
• What formats does the export come in, and is there a fee? (Hint lists a Data Exporter add-on at $500 a month on Pro and Scale, not available on Launch.)
• Can I run a test export of a few patients now, during the trial?
• How long is the contract, does it renew automatically, and what's the notice period to cancel?
• Is there a setup or onboarding fee? (Cerbo lists $1,195 one time, and Hint's Scale plan requires $500 paid onboarding.)
• Will my price change at renewal, and is that in writing?

If you're already on another system, the export answer matters twice. Our guide to switching DPC EMRs covers how to check that what you're promised is what you actually get.

Price at your target panel, not your opening one

Most vendors quote the price for the practice you are today. The number that matters is the price for the practice you're building, because some EMRs charge per provider and others charge by patient or member count.

Here's how the published subscription prices look for one full-time clinician with 300 members, before processing and add-ons.

The ranking changes as you add a second clinician or grow past 300, which is why you should ask every rep to quote your 12-month and 24-month numbers. DPC EMR pricing compared runs the same math at 100, 300 and 600 members.

The printable demo checklist

Print this, bring it to every demo, and write the answers in the right column so you can compare vendors side by side afterward.

When the demos are done, the right answer is usually the system that made your sample visit feel shortest and left the fewest unanswered rows. If you want a head start on which vendors to invite, our best DPC EMR guide explains who each one fits.

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask on an EMR demo for a direct primary care practice?

Ask the vendor to run one of your real visits from start to finish, then ask how memberships and failed cards are handled, what ePrescribing and lab connections cost, how members message you, how you get a full data export, and what the total monthly bill is at your target panel size.

How many EMR demos should a DPC doctor do?

Two or three is usually enough. Narrow the list first by what matters most to you (the chart, memberships, dispensing or price), then demo the finalists with the same visit script so the comparison is fair.

What should I get in writing before signing an EMR contract?

Get the full monthly price at your expected panel size, every add-on fee (ePrescribing, controlled substances, telehealth, portal, processing), the contract length and cancellation terms, and what a complete data export includes and costs if you ever leave.

How long does an EMR demo take?

Vendors often run a short overview first. For a real decision, ask for a longer working session where you drive, or a trial account, so you can chart a visit and send a refill yourself.

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