AdvancedMD has launched a native electronic medication administration record (eMAR) solution built directly into its cloud-based EHR platform, targeting independent practices in behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, long-term care, and specialty clinical settings. The new offering consolidates medication scheduling, administration, documentation, and inventory management within a single unified system, eliminating the need for standalone or third-party eMAR tools.
HotSpot Take
AdvancedMD’s native eMAR launch signals a strategic shift from third-party integrations to a fully unified platform for the behavioral health and SUD market.
A Unified Platform for Complex Medication Environments
Integrated medication management tools are designed to reduce manual handoffs and compliance gaps in behavioral health settings.
AdvancedMD, a South Jordan, Utah-based provider of cloud-based practice management software serving more than 13,000 independent practices, designed the eMAR to work in tandem with its existing ePrescribing and electronic prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS) tools. Prescriptions written within those modules flow automatically into the eMAR, where they are scheduled and surfaced in a centralized dashboard showing which medications are due, overdue, completed, or unresolved.
“We’ve created a solution within our EHR platform that supports existing workflows. It is a modern-day solution that delivers flexibility without unnecessary complexity or high administrative costs.” — Amanda Sharp, CEO, AdvancedMD
According to AdvancedMD CEO Amanda Sharp, “Our eMAR solution unlocks a whole new level of efficiency for providers caring for those most in need. We’ve created a solution within our EHR platform that supports existing workflows. It is a modern-day solution that delivers flexibility without unnecessary complexity or high administrative costs.”
The launch builds on a foundation AdvancedMD had been developing with external partners. In September 2025, the company collaborated with EirSystems to demonstrate a third-party eMAR integration for mental health and SUD providers at Psych Congress. The new native eMAR internalizes that capability, giving AdvancedMD’s customer base a first-party solution without requiring a separate vendor relationship.
Purpose-Built for Substance Use Disorder and Methadone Programs
The eMAR includes functionality specifically designed for methadone and substance use disorder (SUD) workflows, reflecting the regulatory and clinical complexity of those environments. The module supports direct integration with methadone-dispensing machines, bottle-level inventory tracking, take-home dose management with DEA-compliant labeling, and central registry-aligned reporting. According to the company, the solution meets federal, state, and program-level compliance requirements for SUD programs.
That focus aligns with a substantial patient need. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an estimated 48.7 million Americans aged 12 and older had a substance use disorder in 2022. Independent practices and community-based treatment centers that serve this population have historically operated with fragmented technology stacks, often cobbling together EHR, billing, and medication management tools from multiple vendors. AdvancedMD’s integrated approach targets that gap directly.
Inpatient Capabilities and Controlled Substance Accountability
Beyond SUD-specific workflows, the eMAR adds inpatient-oriented features that extend AdvancedMD’s reach into residential and long-term care settings. Bed management and census control tools track room and bed assignments alongside admission, transfer, and discharge activities. Medication inventory management provides real-time tracking at both the facility and patient level, with automated recording of dispensing, transfers, returns, losses, and reconciliation events to support controlled substance accountability and shift-change verification.
The system also includes patient observation, vitals, and nutrition tracking capabilities, along with intelligent messaging and alerts that notify providers, administrators, or patients when medications, appointments, or follow-ups are missed. Notifications can be configured via email or text based on role-based rules and permissions.
Competitive Context and Market Positioning
The behavioral health EHR market is served by a range of specialty-focused platforms, including Kipu Health, Valant, and Netsmart Technologies, several of which have long offered eMAR functionality for residential and SUD treatment settings. For AdvancedMD, which built its reputation serving ambulatory independent practices, the native eMAR represents a deliberate expansion into the more clinically complex and compliance-heavy world of inpatient and residential care.
The company’s decision to build the capability natively, rather than rely on integration partners, reduces friction for existing customers and positions AdvancedMD as a more complete platform for practices operating across outpatient and residential levels of care. Whether the solution’s depth matches that of dedicated behavioral health EHR platforms in high-acuity residential settings remains to be seen as providers evaluate it in practice.
Practical Impact for Independent Practices
For the independent behavioral health and SUD practices that make up AdvancedMD’s primary market, the eMAR addresses a longstanding operational challenge: medication administration workflows that do not connect cleanly with clinical documentation, billing, and prescribing tools. Medication errors, documentation gaps, and regulatory audit exposure are persistent concerns in controlled substance environments, and integrated solutions reduce the manual handoffs that create those risks.
The eMAR is available now. Practices interested in the solution can access a product demo and downloadable product sheet through the AdvancedMD website.
— This original article was created with AI support.
