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                                    EXHIBIT 5

                      OPINION OF RANDOLPH L. M. HUTTO, ESQ.
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[MEDAPHIS
LETTERHEAD]


                                February 18,1998

Medaphis Corporation
2700 Cumberland Parkway
Suite 300
Atlanta, Georgia 30339

         Re: Medaphis Corporation -- Form S-8 Registration Statement

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         I am the General Counsel of Medaphis Corporation, a Delaware
corporation ( the "Company"). In connection with the proposed filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the
"Registration Statement") relating to 700,000 shares of the Company's voting
common stock, par value $.01 per share ("Common Stock"), to be offered pursuant
to the Medaphis Corporation Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended (the
"Plan"), I have examined and relied upon such records, documents, certificates
and other instruments as in my judgment are necessary or appropriate to form the
basis for the opinion set forth below. In all such examinations, I have assumed
the genuineness of signatures on original documents and the conformity to such
original documents of all copies submitted to me as certified, conformed or
photographic copies, and as to any certificates of public officials, I have
assumed the same to have been properly given and to be accurate.

         This opinion is limited in all respects to the federal laws of the
United States of America and the laws of the State of Delaware, and no opinion
is expressed with respect to the laws of any other jurisdiction or any effect
which such laws may have on the opinion expressed below.

         Based upon the foregoing and subject to the limitations, qualifications
and assumptions set forth herein, I am of the opinion that the shares of Common
Stock to be issued upon the exercise of options (the "Options") granted to
participants under the Plan are duly authorized and, assuming that (i) the
shares of Common Stock so issuable continue to be duly authorized on the dates
of exercise of the Options; (ii) prior to the dates of exercise of the Options,
the stockholders of the Company have approved an increase in the number of
shares of Common Stock available for sale under the Plan, as provided in the
Third Amendment to the Plan; (iii) on such dates of exercise the Options will
constitute the legal, valid, and binding obligations of the Company and will
(subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, and other laws affecting the
enforceability of creditors' rights generally) be enforceable as to the Company
in accordance with the terms of the Plan; and (iv) no change occurs in the
applicable law or the pertinent facts, then, when the Options are duly and
effectively exercised in accordance with the terms of the Plan, the shares of
Common Stock so issuable will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         I consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement.

                                    Very truly yours,


                                    /s/ Randolph L. M. Hutto
                                    Randolph L. M. Hutto
                                    General Counsel