Selection 10 min read

Best EHR for ENT Practices (2026 Buyer Guide)

ENT practices blend high-volume office visits with in-office procedures and surgical scheduling. The EHR must handle audiometry results, endoscopy documentation, and hearing aid dispensing without forcing providers to switch between disconnected systems. This guide covers the criteria that matter most.

What ENT Groups Need That General EHR Buyers Miss

  • Audiometry and tympanometry result integration with structured audiogram display inside the chart
  • In-office procedure documentation for nasal endoscopy, myringotomy, and similar workflows
  • Surgical scheduling coordination across office and hospital/ASC settings
  • Hearing aid evaluation, fitting, and follow-up tracking with dispensing records
  • Image and video attachment workflows for endoscopic findings and pre/post-operative photos

Procurement Criteria for ENT

1. Audiometry and diagnostic integration

The EHR should import audiometry data directly from diagnostic equipment and display audiograms in a structured, clinically useful format within the patient chart. Ask vendors to demonstrate a complete hearing evaluation workflow from test ordering through result review. Systems that store audiograms only as scanned PDF attachments make longitudinal hearing trend analysis nearly impossible.

2. Procedure documentation speed

ENT providers perform multiple in-office procedures daily. The system must support procedure-specific templates for common interventions like cerumen removal, nasal cautery, and flexible laryngoscopy. Time a demo of three back-to-back procedure encounters to confirm that documentation does not exceed the procedure time itself. Pay particular attention to how the system handles procedure photos and video attachments.

3. Surgical scheduling and pre-authorization

ENT practices schedule surgical cases across multiple facilities. The EHR should coordinate pre-operative requirements, insurance authorization tracking, and facility-specific documentation without requiring staff to maintain parallel scheduling systems. Evaluate whether the surgical scheduling module shares data with the clinical chart or operates as a disconnected workflow.

4. Hearing aid tracking and dispensing

Practices that dispense hearing aids need inventory management, fitting documentation, warranty tracking, and follow-up scheduling integrated into the clinical workflow. If the EHR treats hearing aid dispensing as a separate retail transaction, staff will maintain duplicate records and follow-up gaps will increase.

Red Flags in ENT EHR Selection

  • Audiometry results are stored as flat image files with no structured data for trending or comparison
  • In-office procedure templates are generic surgical notes without ENT-specific fields
  • No workflow for tracking hearing aid fittings, returns, or warranty claims
  • Vendor cannot demonstrate endoscopic image/video attachment within the encounter note

Implementation Guardrails

  • Validate audiometry device integration in a test environment before go-live, not during the first week of production
  • Build and pilot procedure templates for the ten most common in-office procedures with provider input before rollout
  • Track chart-close time by visit type from day one and compare against your pre-migration baseline
  • Run a 30-day post-go-live audit of procedure-related claim denials to catch CPT mapping errors early

Bottom Line

The best ENT EHR connects audiometric diagnostics, procedure documentation, and surgical scheduling into a single workflow that does not sacrifice speed for completeness. Demand structured diagnostic data, timed procedure demos, and reference clients with similar practice profiles before signing.

Next Steps