Therapists are often the administrator, scheduler, office manager, marketer, accountant, and banker of their own practices. If this sounds familiar to you, you’re likely spending more time than you anticipated on tasks that are not focused on your career goals: helping people. You want more time to focus on bringing value to your clients, but the tasks keep piling up, and you may not be in a position to hire staff.
In an increasingly technological age, many mental health professionals integrate online software and applications into their processes to help them operate more effectively. Not only does it help you re-focus on what you do best, but it is also becoming expected by your clients. 68% of consumers will choose a medical provider who offers the capability to book, change, or cancel appointments online.
Instead of using multiple software platforms to perform different tasks, choose an all-in-one practice management software that allows you to manage everything from a single interface. Investing in comprehensive project management software for your mental health practice will ultimately help you run a more profitable business.
In this article, we break down the top 8 practice management software for therapists, and we explain what features to look for and how to choose the right one for you.
Want to try this all-in-one practice management software that also connects you with clients worldwide? Try Nuna—it’s free to get started!
What is practice management software?
Practice management software is a tool that streamlines the operational processes of social workers, clinicians, and health professionals in general. So instead of you using your notepad, Google Calendar, Zoom and 5 different online schedulers—you have everything in one secure place.
The purpose of a practice management solution is to help therapists with the tasks that pull them away from working with clients. Instead of using separate platforms for client records, appointment calendars, notes, billing, etc., you can do it all with practice management software.
It acts as a centralized hub and patient portal, alleviating tedious administrative work, scheduling, and billing using automation to save you time, energy, and money.
Although therapists running small volume practices might be fine using manual systems to manage their operations currently, they are still missing an opportunity to make their life much easier. Practice management software is perfect for therapists running practices of any size and allows them to continue to scale effectively and serve more patients.
The top 8 practice management software available
Now that you know what practice management software can do and what features to look for, let’s break down the best available options for therapists.
1. Nuna
Nuna is a user-friendly practice management software for therapists looking to boost their efficiency and client satisfaction. It has advanced appointment and scheduling features, allowing therapists to receive, schedule, and reschedule appointments in real-time. It automatically sends reminders to both the patients and therapists, so you’ll reduce your no-shows.
Nuna has its own video system built-in the chat, enabling therapists to chat with their patients privately and securely. The chat has screen sharing capabilities, so both therapists and patients can share their screens. This unique feature is hard to find in practice management software but is extremely valuable for therapists offering telehealth appointments.
You can take notes directly in the platform to populate the client’s medical records during the session or after the session, edit them, store them, and send them as needed. There are a variety of different ready-to-use templates, making it straightforward to create and send professional documents. Best of all, the software is free to use!
Nuna isn’t only a practice management software—it also provides visibility and connects clients to therapists. It’s an all-in-one software designed to make every aspect of therapy practice easier, so that you can focus on what’s most important: your clients.
Want to try this all-in-one practice management software that also connects you with clients worldwide? Try Nuna—it’s free to get started!
2. Google Calendar
Many people choose to use Google Calendar to manage their appointments. While it isn’t necessarily a practice management software, it is a simple and accessible tool that everyone can access. You can schedule appointment slots directly in the calendar and share them on your website, allowing your clients to see your availability without contacting you.
Google calendar has a mobile app so that you can check your calendar from everywhere, plus you can integrate it with your Gmail so you can easily respond to requests as needed. While Google Calendar doesn’t have the depth of features that other practice management software does, it is free and still worth mentioning.
3. TherapyNotes
TherapyNotes is a cloud-based, HIPAA-certified management system for behavioral health practitioners. It helps to streamline administrative tasks such as taking notes, appointment scheduling, billing, and more. The software includes a client portal and electronic health records with a variety of note templates. The platform allows therapists to create customized treatment plans directly in the software, add notes following evaluations, and update patient progress.
There is also a billing section where you can create billing reports and electronic statements for patients. Its credit card processing capabilities allow clients to pay through the system and save their details to pay for future sessions. The platform is fully encrypted, so you know that all data and patient information is safe and secure. The pricing for TherapyNotes is between €40-€50 per month, depending on your needs.
4. Doctoralia
Doctoralia is an online agenda and practice management tool that helps various clinicians manage their patients more efficiently. It was created by health specialists, for health specialists, with unique functionality aimed directly at those in the healthcare industry.
From the interface, you can manage your whole appointment schedule and synchronize it with your Google Calendar so that you can see it from all your devices. It sends automated reminders via SMS and email to both specialists and patients so that no one misses an appointment.
Doctoralia can store all your patient data on the platform, including recent visits, medical history, treatment plans, etc. It uses the Microsoft Azure cloud security system, ensuring that all sensitive data is protected. Doctoralia will cost you around €66 per month with an annual subscription.
5. Docplanner.es
Docplanner.es is an end-to-end solution helping Spanish-language healthcare professionals boost the online presence and operate more efficiently. Patients can find therapists on the platform and book appointments with them. They can also write reviews about their experience with the therapist post-visit. Practitioners can manage their own profiles and calendars through the interface, blocking time off as needed.
Once a patient books, Docplanner.es will send out automated reminders to reduce no-shows and keep their schedule full. The cost to use Docplanner is between €50-€100 per month.
6. ClinicSource
ClinicSource is a cloud-based management software to help therapists with documentation and scheduling. The platform has an electronic medical record where you can find patient invoices, insurance claims, medical history, and up-to-date notes. The patient can also access the ClinicSource portal to see their medical history.
ClinicSource can automatically generate and send invoices based on services booked through the scheduler. Patients can book, edit, and modify their appointments using the intuitive drag-and-drop features, plus they will receive automated appointment reminders. Payment for ClinicSource is on a per-user basis, with packages starting from around €50 per month.
7. Theranest
Theranest is practice management software built for healthcare businesses of all sizes, focusing on serving large mental health practices and teaching centers. Theranest has a mobile app that is compatible with iOS and Android, allowing patients and therapists to access their bookings and records easily. All information you enter into the client portals will automatically sync to client accounts, meaning they can see their treatment plans and progress in real-time.
The Theranest platform also has a financial section, where you can set up billing, batch invoices, file insurance claims, and process credit card payments. For larger health practices that have multiple staff, Theranest has payroll, and staff billing features too. Theranest has many different payment plans available based on your practice’s size, starting from about €33 per month.
8. TherapyZen
TherapyZen has been helping therapists to become more efficient since 2016. It’s tailored to those who have little software experience, assisting therapists in platform set up with a user-friendly wizard. Once set up, therapists can take advantage of various useful features such as credit card integration, appointment scheduling, and paperless intake. It is an excellent software for therapists offering telehealth services internationally as they support different timezones, currencies, date formats, and address formats. There is currently no electronic insurance filing feature available on TherapyZen, but it could be something they offer in the future. Pricing for TherapyZen starts from €35 per month for one clinician.
The benefits of using practice management software
The business side of running your practice is essential, but it shouldn’t be taking up more of your time than working with clients. Practice management software can benefit therapists in many ways, allowing them to focus on doing the work they are passionate about.
1. Improved efficiency
Regardless of the type of business that you run, administrative work is time-consuming. This especially true for therapists who have to:
- Schedule appointments
- Send appointment reminders
- Input data from intake forms
- Take progress notes
- File insurance claims
- And more
These are just a few of the tasks that practice management software can help therapists with. The more time you can save, the more time you have to see clients and grow your business and brand.
2. Organization
With therapists juggling so many business tasks and staying present in their client sessions, it can be hard to keep organized. Each patient booking comes with a string of other tasks such as scheduling, proper documentation, patient tracking, invoicing, and more. Practice management software enables therapists to stay on track and organized, ensuring they don’t forget any part of the process.
3. Security
Dealing with patient health information needs to be done securely. You will collect a lot of sensitive data as a therapist and need to be confident that you are storing it safely. A reputable practice management software will keep your client information secure on a protected server.
You won’t have to worry about running constant backups all the time to protect the information in case of a data breach or data loss. There are also liability issues that might come up if you are storing hard copies of patient data, credit card information, or are communicating with your patients through a platform that isn’t secure.
4. Communication
It can be hard to keep in touch with all your patients when you’re so busy. When patients call or email, it can take some time to get back to them, which can be frustrating for both parties. If someone needs to cancel or reschedule an appointment, you may not see their message until it’s too late to fill their spot. You may also forget to send out reminders, which could lead to missed appointments.
5. Reduce no-shows
Using practice management software allows patients to see all the appointment options available to them to choose the best fit. When patients are offered time slots via telephone or email, they may accept it, but it might not be practical for them, and they end up canceling at the last minute. Automated patient reminders will reduce the risk of no-shows, and automatic payment reminders encourage patients to pay on time. Most practice management software have multiple secure messaging options, including SMS or messaging via their client portal.
What features to look for in practice management and billing software for therapists
There are many practice management software available for therapists, but the best way to pick the right one is to identify what key features you need. Here are some of the most important ones to look out for:
1. Appointment scheduling
The most important feature that you should look for in practice management software is appointment scheduling capabilities. For customers, it’s increasingly important that they can book appointments when and how they want. People won’t sit on hold for 30 minutes, waiting to book an appointment anymore. They want to jump on a website or mobile app, click a button, and be done with it.
Look for software that enables you to set your availability and allows clients to book/cancel/reschedule appointments themselves. With software with automated appointment scheduling features, you’ll never have to schedule an appointment manually again. Some advanced features that will help you get the most out of your appointment scheduling include:
- Ability to book in multiple locations (i.e., online and in-clinic)
- Both individual and group appointment options
- Waitlist
- Ability to block off holidays and time-off
- Multiple calendar view options
- Rescheduling and cancellation options
2. Secure medical record storage and note-taking
As a therapist, you need to maintain thorough and secure client medical records. Having a place where you can quickly access previous records and upload new ones will make it much easier to locate them when you need them. A patient EHR (electronic health record) will contain all their health information, treatment plans, progress notes, full medical history, allergies, lab test results, etc.
Look for software that not only has note-taking capabilities but also keeps those notes and all records secure.
3. Secure chat/video chat capabilities
Telehealth is on the rise. According to Fortune Business Insights, the telemedicine market is exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 23.5%. If you haven’t started offering telehealth sessions, then there’s no time like the present to start. Therapists may have concerns that offering sessions via video could make it harder for patients to feel comfortable and open up. Studies show that 85% of telepsychiatry patients are entirely comfortable with their ability to share with mental health professionals in a virtual environment.
Telehealth therapy sessions allow therapists to scale since they can see more patients than they could in an in-clinic session. Many practice management software offers secure video conferencing capabilities that allow you to run your sessions directly from the interface. For the most functionality, look for features like:
- No downloads required to enter the session
- Screen sharing capabilities
- Session recording
- Secure file sending
4. Billing/financial analysis
Keeping track of billing and finances is not the most fun part of being a therapist. But it is necessary. Luckily, many practice management software can help you with invoicing and submitting electronic claims. They can also automate payment reminders and respond to claim rejections too. By streamlining your billing and payment processes, you will receive your payment faster and without as much manual effort.
Practice management software will also allow you to easily access all your financial records and effectively use them for analysis. Some software will even do the financial analysis for you, giving you a thorough breakdown of your revenue streams and how you are performing.
Practice management software for therapists: wrapped
For therapists, using practice management software will drastically optimize the way you operate your business. You will save tons of time and energy on tedious tasks that pull you away from doing what you do best: helping your clients. Practice management software doesn’t have to require a considerable investment. With platforms like Nuna that are available for free, there’s no reason not to give the software a try today!
Want to try this all-in-one practice management software that also connects you with clients worldwide? Try Nuna—it’s free to get started!