How to Run an EHR Demo: Scorecard Template and Vendor Evaluation Guide (2026)

Why EHR Demos Are the Most Important Step in Vendor Selection

You can read vendor brochures, compare feature matrices, and analyze pricing spreadsheets — but none of that tells you what it actually feels like to use the system eight hours a day. The EHR demo is where marketing claims meet clinical reality.

According to the KLAS 2026 Comprehensive Ambulatory Care report (surveying 260+ respondents from 159 outpatient practices), the EHR vendors with the highest satisfaction scores — Epic (8.5/9 for tangible outcomes) and athenahealth (7.7/9) — earned those ratings not through feature counts but through workflow alignment and usability. Conversely, vendors like Greenway Health (4.9/9 for needed functionalities) lost points because their systems looked adequate in demos but created friction in daily use.

The demo is your only chance to catch that friction before you sign a multi-year contract. A 2024 study in JAMA Network Open found that only 25% of family physicians were "very satisfied" with their EHR, while another 25% were "somewhat or very dissatisfied." The difference between those groups? The satisfied physicians overwhelmingly reported that their EHR matched the workflows they tested during evaluation. The dissatisfied group reported choosing based on price, peer recommendations, or vendor reputation alone.

This guide will show you how to structure your demo process so you see the real product, not the vendor's best-case scenario.

Building Your Demo Team

The biggest mistake practices make during EHR evaluation is limiting the demo audience to practice leadership. A demo attended only by the practice owner and office manager will produce a purchasing decision that the people who actually use the system had no voice in — and that is a recipe for resistance, workarounds, and eventual replacement.

Your demo team should include representatives from every role that will interact with the EHR daily:

Essential Demo Team Roles

• Clinical champion (physician or lead clinician) — The most important voice. This person evaluates clinical documentation speed, order entry workflows, and whether the system supports or disrupts their clinical reasoning process. Ideally, this is a physician who will serve as the primary advocate during implementation.
• Nursing / clinical staff representative — Evaluates intake workflows, medication administration, patient triage, and clinical messaging. Nurses interact with the EHR more frequently than any other role.
• Front desk / scheduling staff — Evaluates patient registration, appointment scheduling, insurance verification, and check-in/check-out workflows. These are the highest-volume transactions in most practices.
• Billing / revenue cycle manager — Evaluates charge capture, claims submission, denial management, eligibility checking, and financial reporting. A system that works beautifully for clinicians but creates billing headaches will cost you money every month.
• Practice administrator or office manager — Evaluates reporting, compliance features, user management, and overall system administration. This person often becomes the "super user" post-implementation.
• IT lead or technical contact — Evaluates infrastructure requirements, integration capabilities, data migration feasibility, and security posture. For practices without in-house IT, consider bringing your managed service provider (MSP).
• Executive sponsor — Typically the practice owner or medical director. Has final authority on budget and vendor selection. Should attend but not dominate the evaluation — their role is to listen to the team's feedback, not override it.

Pre-Demo Preparation

A productive demo requires as much preparation from your side as from the vendor's. Showing up without a plan means you will see whatever the vendor wants you to see — which is invariably their product's strongest features, presented under ideal conditions.

Before Scheduling Demos

1. Document your requirements — Before contacting any vendor, create a prioritized list of must-have vs. nice-to-have features. This should come from interviews with each role on your demo team. Common must-haves include e-prescribing (EPCS), lab integration, patient portal, telehealth, and FHIR-based interoperability.
2. Narrow to 3-5 finalists — Use our EHR selection process guide to screen vendors through RFI responses and reference checks before investing demo time. Demoing more than 5 vendors creates evaluation fatigue.
3. Send a Request for Demonstration (RFD) — Share your practice background, patient volume, specialty mix, current pain points, and specific scenarios you want covered. This gives the vendor time to prepare a relevant demo rather than a generic one.
4. Agree on evaluation criteria — Distribute the scorecard (see below) to all team members before the first demo so everyone knows what they are evaluating. Inconsistent evaluation standards are one of the most common mistakes in the selection process.
5. Schedule consistently — Book all vendor demos within a 2-3 week window if possible. Demos spread over months make comparison unreliable because team members forget earlier demos' details.

Questions to Send Vendors in Advance

The HealthIT.gov EHR Demonstration Scenario toolkit recommends sending vendors these categories of questions before the demo:

• Company questions — Years in business, number of active clients in your specialty, financial stability, ownership structure
• Product questions — ONC certification status, hosting model (cloud/on-premise), mobile access, offline capability
• Pricing questions — Per-provider monthly cost, setup fees, data migration fees, interface fees, training costs, contract length and termination terms
• Technical questions — Uptime SLA, backup frequency, disaster recovery RTO/RPO, API availability, HL7/FHIR support
• Support questions — Support hours, average response time, dedicated account manager, user community/forums

Getting these answered before the demo frees your in-person time for what matters most: watching the system work with your clinical scenarios.

Creating Clinical Scenarios for Demos

The HealthIT.gov Playbook recommends using pre-populated patient scenarios with the same information for each vendor, enabling apples-to-apples comparison. Your scenarios should mirror your actual daily workflows — not hypothetical edge cases.

Scenario Design Principles

• Use real (de-identified) patient cases — Take 3-5 representative patient encounters from the past week and strip all PHI. These scenarios reflect your actual workflow complexity, not the vendor's sanitized demo data.
• Cover your top 5 visit types — If 60% of your visits are follow-ups for chronic conditions, make sure at least 3 scenarios involve chronic disease management, medication reconciliation, and care plan updates.
• Include at least one complex case — A patient with multiple comorbidities, several active medications, and a pending referral. This stress-tests the system's ability to handle clinical complexity without excessive clicks or screen changes.
• Test the full encounter lifecycle — From scheduling to check-in, through documentation and orders, to billing and claims submission. Many demos only show the clinical note — but your staff needs to see the entire patient flow.

Sample Scenario Template

Time each vendor completing this scenario. If one vendor takes 12 clicks and 4 minutes while another takes 28 clicks and 9 minutes, that difference multiplied across 25 patients per day equals over an hour of extra documentation time daily.

Scripted vs. Unscripted Demo Approaches

The most effective EHR demos combine both approaches. You need the vendor's scripted presentation to understand their product vision, and you need unscripted testing to see how the system handles your reality.

Scripted Demo (Vendor-Led)

• When: First 60-90 minutes of the demo
• Purpose: Let the vendor showcase core features, navigation philosophy, and differentiators
• What to watch for: Does the presenter use the actual product, or are they clicking through screenshots? Is the system populated with realistic data, or does it look empty? Do they skip over certain workflows quickly?
• Limitation: Vendors rehearse this presentation extensively. Every click is optimized. You are seeing the system's best possible performance under ideal conditions.

Unscripted Demo (Practice-Led)

• When: Remaining 60-120 minutes
• Purpose: Walk through your pre-prepared clinical scenarios. Ask the presenter to deviate from their planned flow. Request to see specific edge cases.
• What to watch for: How smoothly does the presenter handle unexpected requests? Do they say "that feature is coming in our next release" frequently? Can they complete your scenarios without workarounds?
• Best approach: Have your clinical champion or a staff member sit at the keyboard and attempt to complete tasks themselves. This "hands-on" component is the most revealing part of any demo.

Remote vs. In-Person Demos

Remote demos via Zoom or Teams are now standard and work well for initial evaluations. However, for your top 2-3 finalists, request either an in-person demo or sandbox access where your team can use the system independently. Remote demos make it harder to gauge response time (the vendor's internet speed may mask latency), impossible to test mobile/tablet workflows naturally, and easy for the vendor to selectively share their screen.

EHR Demo Scorecard Template

The HealthIT.gov Vendor Evaluation Matrix recommends scoring each vendor on a 1-5 scale across prioritized criteria. We've adapted their framework into a weighted scorecard that accounts for the relative importance of each category. Assign weights based on your organization's priorities — the weights below represent our recommended starting point for ambulatory practices.

How to Score

Each evaluator independently rates the vendor on a 1-5 scale for each category immediately after the demo:

• 5 — Excellent: Exceeds requirements. Demonstrably better than competitors in this area.
• 4 — Good: Meets all requirements with no significant gaps.
• 3 — Adequate: Meets most requirements. Minor gaps that could be worked around.
• 2 — Below expectations: Significant gaps. Would require workarounds or customization.
• 1 — Poor: Does not meet requirements. Major missing functionality.

Multiply each category score by its weight, sum the results, and you have a weighted total. For example, a vendor scoring 4 in Clinical Workflow (4 x 0.30 = 1.20), 5 in Usability (5 x 0.20 = 1.00), 3 in Interoperability (3 x 0.15 = 0.45), 4 in Cost (4 x 0.15 = 0.60), 4 in Vendor Viability (4 x 0.10 = 0.40), and 3 in Implementation (3 x 0.10 = 0.30) receives a weighted total of 3.95 out of 5.00.

Evaluating AI Features During Demos

In 2026, nearly every EHR vendor claims AI capabilities. The challenge is separating genuine clinical value from marketing buzzwords. During the demo, push beyond "we have AI" to understand exactly what the AI does, how it was trained, and what clinical evidence supports it.

Ambient Clinical Documentation

AI-powered ambient documentation — systems that listen to the patient-provider conversation and generate clinical notes automatically — is the most impactful AI feature currently available. During the demo, ask to see:

• A live demonstration (not a recorded clip) of the ambient documentation capturing a simulated encounter
• The generated note before and after provider review — how much editing is typically required?
• Whether the AI correctly distinguishes between provider statements and patient statements
• How the system handles specialty-specific terminology relevant to your practice
• Data privacy: Where is the audio processed? Is it stored? Who has access?

Clinical Decision Support (CDS)

AI-enhanced CDS goes beyond basic drug interaction alerts. During the demo, evaluate:

• Alert fatigue management — Does the system prioritize alerts by severity? Can you suppress low-risk alerts? Alert fatigue is a documented patient safety concern, and overly aggressive alerting is worse than no alerting.
• Predictive analytics — Can the system identify patients at risk for hospital readmission, deterioration, or non-adherence? What data does the model use?
• Evidence integration — Does the CDS surface current clinical guidelines at the point of care? Are the guidelines automatically updated?

Questions to Ask About Any AI Feature

1. What training data was the model built on? Is it healthcare-specific?
2. Has the feature been validated in a peer-reviewed study or clinical trial?
3. Is this a vendor-built model or a third-party integration (e.g., using GPT-4, Med-PaLM)?
4. What happens when the AI is wrong? What is the provider's review and override workflow?
5. Is the AI feature included in the base subscription, or is it an add-on cost?
6. What are the data privacy and HIPAA compliance implications?

Red Flags During Vendor Demos

After evaluating dozens of EHR vendor demos, certain patterns reliably predict post-implementation problems. Watch for these warning signs:

Demo Execution Red Flags

• Slide deck instead of live software — If the vendor presents PowerPoint screenshots instead of a live system, they are hiding something. Insist on seeing the actual product running in real time.
• Refuses hands-on access — A vendor that will not let your team touch the keyboard during or after the demo is signaling that the UI is not as intuitive as they claim.
• "That's on our roadmap" — Every vendor has a roadmap. If more than 2-3 features critical to your evaluation are "coming soon" rather than available today, treat the product as lacking those features. Never buy based on promised future functionality.
• Cannot complete your scenarios — If the presenter cannot demonstrate your clinical workflows without workarounds, shortcuts, or skipping steps, the system does not support those workflows.
• Demo environment looks different from production — Ask whether the demo environment matches what you will see in production. Some vendors use specially configured demo instances with faster performance, cleaner data, and features not yet generally available.

Sales Process Red Flags

• High-pressure timeline — "This pricing is only available if you sign by end of quarter." Legitimate vendors do not pressure you into rushing a multi-year healthcare technology decision.
• Won't provide references in your specialty — If a vendor cannot connect you with 3-5 current clients in your practice size and specialty, they either do not have them or their existing clients are unhappy.
• Vague pricing — If you cannot get a clear, itemized quote within a week of the demo, expect surprises after signing. See our EHR cost guide for what a transparent pricing breakdown should include.
• Non-negotiable contract terms — As HealthIT.gov's "EHR Contracts Untangled" guide states, most vendor contracts favor the vendor. A vendor that refuses to negotiate data ownership, termination terms, or SLAs is telling you how the relationship will go.
• Sales rep cannot answer clinical questions — The demo should be led by someone who understands healthcare workflows, not just a software sales person. If every clinical question is deferred to "our implementation team," the vendor may not prioritize clinical usability.

Technical Red Flags

• No FHIR API support — In 2026, FHIR R4 API support is a regulatory requirement under the 21st Century Cures Act. A vendor without production-ready FHIR APIs is behind the industry standard.
• No uptime SLA or vague SLA language — You should see a specific SLA (99.9% or better) with defined remedies for downtime. "Best effort uptime" is not acceptable for a clinical system.
• No clear data export provision — Under the Cures Act, information blocking is prohibited. Yet some vendors make data export technically difficult or prohibitively expensive. Ask specifically: "If we leave, in what format do we get our data, how long does it take, and what does it cost?"

Post-Demo Evaluation Process

The work does not end when the vendor closes their laptop. The post-demo process is where you convert subjective impressions into an objective, defensible decision.

Immediately After Each Demo

1. Individual scoring (15 minutes) — Each team member completes their scorecard independently before any group discussion. This prevents anchoring bias — where one vocal team member's opinion sways everyone else.
2. Team debrief (30 minutes) — Hold a structured discussion covering: What did the vendor do well? What concerned you? Were there any deal-breakers? What questions remain unanswered?
3. Document open questions — Send any unanswered questions to the vendor within 24 hours while context is fresh. Set a deadline for responses (5 business days is reasonable).

After All Demos Are Complete

1. Compile weighted scores — Average each evaluator's scores by category, apply weights, and rank vendors. Create a simple comparison matrix showing each vendor's total weighted score.
2. Check references — For your top 2 vendors, contact 3-5 references provided by the vendor. Also seek out references the vendor did not provide — check KLAS ratings, online reviews, and professional networks. Ask references specifically: "What do you wish you had known before selecting this vendor?"
3. Request a second demo or sandbox access — For your top 2 finalists, request either a targeted follow-up demo addressing your remaining questions or (ideally) sandbox access for 1-2 weeks so your team can test independently.
4. Conduct a site visit — If possible, visit a practice of similar size and specialty that uses the vendor's system. Seeing the EHR in a live clinical environment is fundamentally different from a controlled demo.
5. Hold a final consensus meeting — Present the compiled scores, reference feedback, and any supplementary findings. Make the decision as a committee. The vendor selection process typically takes 8-12 weeks from first demo to decision for small and mid-size practices.

Contract Negotiation Tips

Once you have selected your preferred vendor, the negotiation phase begins. This is where many practices leave money on the table or sign terms they will regret. According to the HealthIT.gov "EHR Contracts Untangled" guide, most EHR vendors offer standardized "boilerplate" contracts that heavily favor the vendor — but nearly every term is negotiable.

Non-Negotiable Contract Provisions

These should be in every EHR contract. If a vendor resists including them, escalate or walk away:

• Data ownership clause — The contract must explicitly state that you own your patient data. Under HIPAA, the vendor is a Business Associate and must return or destroy PHI upon termination. Make sure the contract reflects this.
• Data portability provision — Require the vendor to export your data in an industry-standard, non-proprietary format (C-CDA, CSV, or FHIR) at contract termination, at no additional cost or at a pre-defined cost cap.
• Uptime SLA with remedies — A specific uptime commitment (99.9% minimum) with service credits or fee reductions if the vendor fails to meet it.
• Termination without cause clause — The right to terminate the contract with reasonable notice (90-180 days) without paying the full remaining contract value as a penalty.
• Price escalation cap — Annual subscription increases should be capped at a specific percentage (3-5% is standard). Without a cap, vendors can effectively force you out by making the system unaffordable.

Negotiation Leverage

• Enter negotiations with at least 2 vendors — This is the single most important leverage point. If the vendor knows they are your only option, you have no bargaining power. Keep your second-choice vendor warm until the contract is signed.
• Negotiate at the right time — End of quarter and end of fiscal year are when sales teams are most motivated to close deals. You can often secure 10-20% discounts on setup fees or first-year pricing.
• Bundle services — If you are purchasing EHR, practice management, billing, and patient engagement tools from the same vendor, negotiate a bundled price rather than accepting line-item pricing.
• Request implementation guarantees — Tie a portion of the implementation fee to successful go-live milestones. If the vendor misses their own timeline, you should receive fee reductions, not excuses.

For a deeper analysis of contract terms, switching costs, and total cost of ownership, see our EHR cost guide. Hidden expenses add roughly 25% to total cost of ownership, and switching vendors later costs 50-75% of the initial implementation investment.

Frequently Asked Questions