Unlike conventional primary care, functional and integrative providers rely on a more nuanced, investigative, and personalized approach.
The wrong Electronic Health Records system (EHR) doesn’t just slow you down. It can limit how deeply you work with patients, how efficiently you run your operations, and how competitive you are in a crowded market.
"I can't stress enough how important it is to choose the right system from day one,” said Paula Tomczyk, Clinic Manager of Cara Direct Care. “This is a long-term investment, and the system you pick will directly impact your practice's efficiency.”
In this guide, we’ll explore what truly matters in an EHR for functional and integrative medicine, compare top options, and break down the criteria that help practices of all sizes make the right choice. Throughout, we’ll highlight where each system shines and where it falls short.
And we will also end each section with a must-ask question you need to pose to your next would-be provider.
Functional and integrative medicine requires a level of personalization, pattern-recognition, and data richness that most generalist EHRs simply aren’t designed to support. When your care model incorporates advanced diagnostics, lifestyle interventions, supplements, and root-cause analysis, your technology needs to do more than hold a chart. It needs to actively enhance your ability to deliver exceptional care.
And this goes beyond backend operations. Your EHR is also your digital front door. With rising patient expectations for telehealth, messaging, access to records, and a smooth online experience, your technology has a direct impact on patient retention and your competitive standing.
A powerful, flexible EHR becomes a competitive advantage. But a poor system? That can lead to inefficiency, bottlenecks, frustrated patients, and missed revenue.
No two practices are the same. However, most functional and integrative medical practices. Will need the following things from their EHR.
1. Unique Workflow Requirements
Functional and integrative medicine workflows are nonlinear and often more complex than standard primary care. You’re tracking long timelines, interrelated symptoms, lifestyle data, supplement and medication regimens, and multiple lab sources, as well as detailed treatment plans that evolve over time.
Your EHR must allow these workflows instead of forcing you into rigid templates or click-heavy processes. Systems tailored for general medicine often struggle here because they simply weren’t built for the depth of clinical thinking functional providers need.
2. Custom Templates and Protocol Libraries
Your care model is unique, and your EHR should reflect that. The ability to create:
There are essential for fast documentation and consistent care. Systems with limited customization force providers into time-consuming workarounds, ultimately reducing efficiency.
3. Integrated Lab Ordering and Tracking
Functional and integrative providers rely heavily on specialty testing. The ability to order, receive, and track labs from multiple sources is non-negotiable.
Disconnected systems mean:
4. Patient-Centered Features
Patients in integrative and functional medicine are often highly engaged. They expect:
Your EHR should enhance, not hinder, your patient experience.
This is where many EHRs fall short. Integrations with top specialty labs are essential for practices working with complex cases.
Cerbo stands out as one of the few EHRs that integrates with Genova, Vibrant, Diagnostic Solutions, Precision Analytical (including DUTCH), Doctors Data, Mosaic Diagnostics, and other leading specialty labs. This makes it far easier to streamline ordering, receive structured results, and build them into your clinical workflow without friction.
Here’s a high-level summary of each system to give you a quick sense of each’s strengths and gaps.
Cerbo
Designed specifically for integrative and functional medicine, Cerbo offers unmatched customization, deep specialty features, automated workflows, supplement and lab integrations, and robust patient engagement tools. It balances clinical sophistication with ease of use, making it one of the most comprehensive platforms for practices seeking specialty-driven functionality.
JaneApp
JaneApp is widely used in wellness, chiropractic, and physical therapy clinics for scheduling, charting, and payments. It’s not a medical-grade EHR, so it lacks essential features like advanced labs or clinical tools required for functional and integrative medicine.
Athena
Athena offers a robust enterprise-level platform with powerful billing and practice management tools. While excellent for large conventional clinics, it is often too expensive, too rigid, and too generalized for functional and integrative providers.
Practice Better
Practice Better is a popular choice for health coaches, nutritionists, and hybrid wellness providers. It’s user-friendly, affordable, and includes solid client engagement tools. While strong for coaching-style workflows, it may feel limiting for clinically complex integrative or functional medicine practices needing deeper EHR-level capabilities.
Healthie
Another wellness-focused system, Healthie excels at telehealth, scheduling, billing, and basic charting. Its flexibility works well for dietitians and wellness practices. However, it lacks many functional-medicine-specific tools and has fewer clinical and laboratory integrations than medical-grade EHRs.
OptiMantra
OptiMantra supports integrative practices and offers charting, supplements integration, and some lab features. It’s user-friendly and well-liked among naturopathic clinics.
Power2Practice
Built for integrative and anti-aging practices, Power2Practice includes supplement tools, labs, and some specialty templates. Many find it helpful, but others report that the interface feels outdated and less intuitive, with limitations in customization and workflow automation.
ChARM
ChARM is a versatile cloud-based EHR widely used across specialties. It offers good telehealth, basic integrative tools, and broad clinical functionality. However, because it’s a generalist platform, it may lack the detailed specialty workflows that functional medicine providers expect.
Most EHRs offer some template creation, but only a few allow deep customization aligned with functional medicine’s investigative, root-cause-focused workflows.
“I was using PowerToPractice when I initially opened my practice, but quickly found that it had limitations and did not have integrated billing features,” said Dr. Kristann Heinz, MD, RD, Red Hill Medical + Wellness.
“I could not easily navigate through the EHR during an office visit and had to put in place a separate billing function, which was adding additional administrative burdens and time.”
Cerbo is one of the only platforms that allows full customization of templates, protocols, questionnaires, supplement plans, and functional timelines, ensuring your technology fits your care model. Not the other way around.
If you were to write a list of must-haves and non-negotiables to create a scorecard for your next EHR solution, you should consider the following.
1. Customization and Specialty Tools
This includes:
Cerbo excels here, offering the deepest customization within the category.
2. Lab Integration
Ask whether the system allows:
Many systems support major conventional labs, but very few support integrative specialty labs used daily by functional medicine providers. This is another area where Cerbo excels.
3. Telehealth and Mobility
A strong functional medicine EHR should offer:
Nearly all systems claim to offer telehealth, but the patient experience varies widely.
4. Billing and Practice Management
Functional and integrative practices may need:
Cerbo is particularly strong here thanks to flexible support for insurance, cash-pay, DPC-style memberships, and hybrid models.
5. Support and Onboarding
Because functional medicine practices often have more complex needs, onboarding and support must be excellent. Cerbo is known for highly responsive support and collaborative onboarding tailored to integrative workflows.
For functional and integrative providers, supplements are a core part of the care model.
Cerbo leads the field in this area, offering built-in integrations with Fullscript, Emerson, Wellevate, and in-office dispensary management, allowing practices to manage supplement recommendations seamlessly and efficiently.
Your EHR is your digital front door. And in functional and integrative medicine, experience matters immensely.
Studies show that:
A poor patient experience leads to frustration, increased support needs, and ultimately, patients seeking care elsewhere.
“I have worked with a wide variety of EHRs and have always been frustrated by the lack of functionality and the customer support quality,” said Sunflower DPC’s Dr. Shauna Guthrie, MD, MPH, FAAFP.
“I knew I needed an EHR to run my practice and spent a lot of time researching the different options. It was important to me to have a patient portal since I am serving my patients remotely.”
Cerbo's patient portal has been praised by users for being intuitive, organized, and designed for the specific needs of integrative practices. This provides clarity around treatment plans, supplements, communications, and follow-up steps.
Many EHRs offer “something,” but not all deliver a polished, patient-centered experience. Cerbo is consistently rated as one of the most intuitive and patient-friendly systems in the integrative medicine space.
Which EHR solution is the best fit for the size of your practice and the stage of business you’re at? And will it grow with you as you scale?
1. Solo Providers
Solo practitioners need affordability, customization, and ease of use. Many wellness tools meet the first two requirements, but often lack depth. Solo providers practicing true functional medicine often outgrow simpler tools quickly.
Cerbo remains an excellent choice because it scales up or down beautifully while still offering advanced functionality.
2. Small to Medium Practices
Growing teams need:
Systems like Practice Better or Healthie may feel stretched here. Cerbo and OptiMantra tend to better support multi-provider, clinically complex practices.
3. Large Clinics and Multi-Provider Practices
Larger practices require:
Athena may appear attractive due to its enterprise features, but it can be rigid for specialty workflows.
Cerbo offers specialty-focused functionality combined with scalable practice management tools, making it a top choice for larger integrative clinics.
Cerbo offers highly flexible billing and membership models, making it an ideal fit for DPC or hybrid integrative practices that combine insurance, cash pay, programs, or memberships.
While many EHRs offer pieces of the puzzle, Cerbo is one of the few platforms that brings all these elements together in a single, cohesive, specialty-focused system.
If you’re looking for an EHR designed specifically for functional and integrative medicine, Cerbo stands alone as the clear choice. We offer deep customization, advanced clinical tools, and an exceptional patient experience.
Let us show you what we can do for your practice.
