Comprehensive Consulting for Mental Health and Wellness Professionals in Private Practice
Cloud Practice Management System - Reviews
Cloud Practice Management System - Reviews
This is the twelfth article in my series on Cloud Based Practice Management Systems. While this series is focused on Cloud-Based solutions, most of this information applies to traditional software solutions as well.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please share your general comments here while addressing your comments about specific applications on that application's review page.
Following are brief reviews of Cloud-Based Practice Management Solutions that I'm aware of that fit certain criteria. It's important to note that I focused on solutions that were both suitable for a mental health private practice as well as affordable (i.e. generally under $100/month/clinician). There are additional options at higher price points, however, I've found that they typically don't offer anything that justifies the additional expense. Many of them carry the extra cost because they were originally developed for large medical practices and have a significant set of features that would not apply in a mental health setting. Others have simply priced themselves out of the market. Many of those that cost extra are also targetted at practices wanting to take advantage of meaningful use incentives. Most mental health practices do not qualify for those incentives.
It was my goal to be as objective in these reviews as possible. Having worked in and consulted with providers in a variety of settings, I attempted to evaluate the solutions in light of the variety of environments where they might be implemented. Still, it's impossible to have removed all bias and it's important to note that each practice's needs are unique. I recommend you use these reviews as a guide to help you narrow the field for evaluation.
Even when you have narrowed the field, there are so many factors to consider, it can be very difficult to make a final choice. Very rarely will readers find that one of the solutions meets every single one of their needs. In most cases, you will need to prioritize the features most important to you and choose the one that fits most of them, perhaps with a leaning toward those most likely to add the missing features. Some of these solutions are farther along in the development cycle and thus less apt to add/modify features. Others are regularly adding new features and very open to suggestions for improvement.
The ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being “poor” and 5 being “excellent”. Where there is a “U” it stands for “Unknown”, likely because I didn't have enough experience/data with that piece to properly rate it. Brief reviews are found on this page along with a link to a more in-depth review in a separate blog article. Solutions within a particular category are listed in no particular order.
IMPORTANT NOTES: This listing and the reviews are subject to change. The landscape is continually changing as vendors add new features to their products. I encourage you to subscribe to this site to be informed of updates in the reviews and listings. You can also subscribe to comments in this thread.
None of the reviews below should be considered an endorsement of any particular product. The author has never accepted, and never will accept, any compensation or considerations of any kind in return for providing biased results in the following reviews. While the author has provided consultation for many different technology companies, he does not own, nor have any vested interest in any of the companies or products represented here.
TOP PICKS
Solutions in this category provide the most overall value. Each has a major issue or two that might rule it out depending on an individual practice's needs or comfort level.
Therapy Appointment
www.therapyappointment.com
Ratings: Features - 4.5 GUI/UX - 2 Work Flow - 3 Learning Curve - 3.5 Support - 5
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: $57.50/mo (Discounts for groups and part-time clinicians)
Pros: Full Featured, Solid Support, Well Established, Flexible Pricing, Solid BAA & TOS, Full Electronic Claim Integration.
Cons: Antiquated User Interface, Slow Development Cycle
Standout Features: Client Portal including reminders and scheduling, ERA integration, Customizable note templates
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Want a full-featured application now and don't mind a GUI/UX that's lacking.
Read and comment on the Full Review of Therapy Appointment
Counsol
www.counsol.com
Ratings: Features - 3.5 GUI/UX - 4.5 Work Flow - 4 Learning Curve - 4.5 Support - 4
Features: Groups - N Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - N Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: $29.95/mo ($49.95/mo with secure video/chat)
Pros: Price, Feature Rich, Responsive to Feedback, Encrypted Video/Chat Option (extra cost)
Cons: No Electronic Claim Filing, Only Basic Billing Features
Standout Features: Secure Video/Chat, Client Portal, Customizable Forms
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Are Individuals who: Only see private pay clients, Wish to file insurance claims separately, Place a high value on the secure video/chat
Read and comment on the Full Review of CounSol
Therapy Notes
www.therapynotes.com
Ratings: Features - 3.5 GUI/UX - 4.5 Work Flow – 4.5 Learning Curve - 4.5 Support - 5
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - N
Price: $59.95/mo ($30 for additional clinicians)
Pros: Attractive User-Friendly Interface, Solid Support, Great Work Flow, Fast Development Cycle, Responsive to Feedback
Cons: No Client Portal (planned for future), Price, Fee for Electronic Claim Submission, Restrictive BAA & TOS, No Data Export
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Place great importance on a well-designed, friendly interface, solid support and fast development cycle and don't mind waiting for features like a client portal and integrated ERAs.
Standout Features: Work Flow, Feature Integration, Support & Development
Read and comment on the Full Review of Therapy Notes
ON THE CUSP
Solutions in this category have consistently shown regular improvement since I first reviewed them. With a few more enhancements, they could find themselves in the "Top Picks" category.
Therabill
www.therabill.com
Ratings: Features – 4 GUI/UX - 3 Work Flow – 3 Learning Curve - 3 Support – 4.5
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: $59.95/mo (Discounts for Part-Time Clinicians; less than 7 clients) Client Portal involves additional costs (see below)
Pros: Solid Tech Support, Easy Data Export, Several Opportunities for Customization
Cons: Inconsistent Interface, Awkward Workflow, Calendar/Scheduling
Standout Features: Custom Databases, Customizable Notes, Easy/Accessible Backup
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: See the value in the custom databases feature and don't mind taking the time to customize features like notes to their liking.
Read and comment on the Full Review of Therabill
MHP Toolbox
www.mhpoffice.com
Ratings: Features - 3.5 GUI/UX – 4.5 Work Flow – 4.5 Learning Curve - 4 Support – 4.5
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - N
Price: $50/mo (discounts for interns and students)
Pros: Unique Workflow Interface, Friendly GUI/UX
Cons: Lacking a significant number of minor features
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Want to be able to customize their notes and don't immediately need some of the missing features
Standout Features: Checkout Wizard work flow, Custom Notes tool
Read and comment on the Full Review of MHPOffice
TheraSoft Online
Ratings: Features - 4.5 GUI/UX – 3.5 Work Flow – 3 Learning Curve - 3.5 Support – 4
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y* Billing – Y Client Portal - Y*
Price: $69/mo + $30/mo for Electronic Insurance Claims (plus add ons), $49 for part-time clinicians or interns.
Pros: Excellent Use of Calendar as Central Hub, Feature Rich, Full Clearinghouse Integration
Cons: Cost, Additional Charges, Lack of Refinement in Some Areas
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Want a full array of features and don't mind the added expense and/or lack of refinement in some areas.
Read and comment on the Full Review of TheraSoft
WORTH CONSIDERING
Solutions in this category might be similar to the ones above but with one or two additional flaws or major features missing. They might be a good fit for some practices, so they may be worth a look.
Carepaths / eRecord
Ratings: Features - 4 GUI/UX – 1.5 Work Flow – 3.5 Learning Curve - 3 Support – 3.5
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: $30/mo and up (Discounts for Groups)
Pros: Full Featured, Electronic Intake Forms & Assessments, Price
Cons: Limited User Interface, Interface not tablet friendly, No Data Export, Lacking Polish On Some Features
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Are budget conscious and willing to wait on a polished/refined GUI/UX.
Standout Features: Electronic Intakes, Comprehensive Data Collection, Array of Assessments
Read and comment on the Full Review of Carepaths / eRecord
Argonaut
www.argonautsoftware.com
Ratings: Features - 3 GUI/UX – 3 Work Flow – 2.5 Learning Curve - 3 Support – 4
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - N Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: $79.95/mo (discounts for groups and advanced payment
Pros: Limited Client Portal, Solid Support
Cons: No Electronic Claim Filing, Basic BAA
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Want free form notes for Treatment Plans and Progress Notes and don't mind the lack of integrated data or electronic claims filing.
Standout Features: Client Portal, Customizable Forms, Integrated Credit Card Processing, Feature Integration in Calendar
Read and comment on The Full Review of Argonaut
Office Ally
www.officeally.com
Ratings: Features – 4 GUI/UX – 2 Work Flow – 3 Learning Curve - 2 Support – U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: Free to $29.95 and up
Pros: Price, Feature Rich, Integrated Clearinghouse
Cons: Fragmented Interface, Limited Notes
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Have price as a primary concern and not concerned with the learning curve.
Standout Features: Integrated clearinghouse, Price
Read and comment on the Full Review of Office Ally
BestNotes
www.bestnotes.com
Ratings: Features - 3.5 GUI/UX - 4 Work Flow - 4 Learning Curve - 3.5 Support - 5
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - N Billing - N Client Portal - Y
Price: $40 / user for first 10 users $10 / user for users over 10
Pros: Attention to Detail, CRM Functionality, Contact/Documentation Tracking, Price,
Cons: Limited Billing Functionality, No Insurance Capabilities, Not Tablet/Mobile Friendly
Standout Features: CRM Functionality
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Don't need mobile accessibility and don't mind using a separate program for insurance filing and/or extended billing functionality.
Read and comment on the Full Review of BestNotes
KEEP AN EYE ON THESE
Solutions in this category show some promise. However, they are either missing enough functionality or are have some other major issue(s) that makes them less productive/competitive than solutions above. It might be worth keeping an eye on them as they have the potential to "catch up" to the others.
Therapy Charts
www.therapycharts.com
Ratings: Features - 3 GUI/UX – 4 Work Flow – 4 Learning Curve - 4 Support – U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - N Billing - Y* Client Portal - N
Price: $75/mo (discounts for part-time and students) *Billing component is extra
Pros: User Interface
Cons: Value, No Plans for Client Portal, No Electronic Claims Filing (planned for future)
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Aren't interested in a client portal, don't mind paying extra for billing and waiting on electronic insurance claim filing.
Standout Features: Group Therapy Notes, Treatment Plan Integration
A note about TheraScribe: I've received multiple communications from readers and clients, asking if I was going to review TheraScribe. TheraScribe does not offer a cloud based practice management system. They do, however, offer an add-on for Therapy Charts which incorporates their treatment planners into the TherapyCharts product. It appears they are also presenting this as a product with them as the reseller "TheraScribe® powered by TherapyCharts™". It is not, however, a separate product.
Read and comment on the Full Review of Therapy Charts
ICANotes
www.icanotes.com
Ratings: Features – 3.5 GUI/UX – 2.5 Work Flow – 3 Learning Curve - 2 Support – U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y* Billing - Y Client Portal - N
Price: $69/mo +$65/add'l clinician + $65 annual licensing fee/user *integrated electronic claim filing is extra
Pros: Well Established, Excellent Charting/Notes Features
Cons: Cost, Not Browser Based, Outdated Interface, Requires 3rd party program for mobile access, Questionable Tablet Friendliness
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Are agencies that stand to improve their bottom line signifcantly through use of the “auto-coding” feature (Medicare/Medicaid) and/or don't have plans to use mobile technology.
Standout Features: Button-Driven Notes, Integrated Credit Card Processing, “Auto-coding”
Read and comment on the Full Review of ICANotes
QuicDoc Office
http://www.quicdoc.com/
Ratings: Features - 4.5 GUI/UX - 3.5 Work Flow - 3 Learning Curve - 3 Support - U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - N
Price: $189/mo (1 year contract) $139/mo (2 year contract) (Lower per user costs each additional user)
Pros: Very Detailed Features, Unique Features, Well Established
Cons: Price, No Client Portal, Not Tablet Friendly
Standout Features: Attention to detail in existing features.
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Have a large number of clinicians and don't need a client portal or a user-friendly interface on tablet computers
Read and comment on the Full Review of QuicDoc Office
ClinicSource
www.clinicsource.com
Ratings: Features - 4 GUI/UX - 3.5 Work Flow - 3.5 Learning Curve - 3.5 Support - U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - $ Billing - Y Client Portal - N
Price: $89 / user $139/ 5 users $49 per NPI for insurance billing. Add'l charges for storage and telephone support
Pros: Great Integration of Treatment Plan and Notes, Detailed Control Over User Permissions, Good Supervision Integration
Cons: Challenging Pricing Structure, Some Time-Costing Details
Standout Features: Integration of Treatment Plans and Notes, along with Goals Library
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Are a multi-user, traditional group practice (filing under one NPI), that fit the pricing model well and don't need a Client Portal
Read and comment on the Full Review of Clinic Source
Practice Fusion
www.practicefusion.com
Ratings: Features - 2 GUI/UX – 3.5 Work Flow – 3 Learning Curve - 3 Support – U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - N Billing - N Client Portal - Y
Price: Free (Supported by Advertising) Billing available from an external vendor at additional cost
Pros: Price, Clean Interface
Cons: Limited Feature-Set, Medical-Centric, No Recurring Appointments, Rudimentary Note Templating with No Integration, Expensive to Integrate Billing, Not Tablet Friendly
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Just want a basic scheduling and note taking application.
Standout Features: Price
Read and comment on the Full Review of Practice Fusion
WriteUpp
www.writeupp.com
Ratings: Features - 1.5 GUI/UX - 4 Work Flow - 2.5 Learning Curve - 4 Support - U
Features: Groups - N Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - N Billing - N Client Portal - N
Price: £14.95/mo Note the pricing in pounds sterling. (Discounts for multiple clinicans)
Pros: Simple Clean Interface and a Committment to Keep it That Way
Cons: Very Limited Feature Set.
Standout Features: Custom correspondence documents
It's a Good Choice For Practices That: Solo or small group practices that want to keep things very simple and don't have to comply with HIPAA
Read and comment on the Full Review of WriteUpp
NOT LIKELY CONTENDERS
Whether because of price, lack of features or a combination, I don't believe the following solutions are competitive with the others in the market.
Empathic
www.empathic.com
Ratings: Features – 2.5 GUI/UX – 4 Work Flow – 4.5 Learning Curve - 4 Support – U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y Notes - Y E-Filing - Y Billing - Y Client Portal - Y
Price: $100 plus $3 per Electronic Claim (capped at $300/month)
Pros: Intuitive Note Taking, Fully Integrated Insurance Billing, Excellent GUI/UX
Cons: Lack of Features, Price
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Have a big budget and really want a nice interface in combination with integrated ERAs and don't mind the waiting on the missing features or are able to negotiate a new price.
Standout Features: Interface, Integrated Electronic Insurance Billing
Read and comment on the Full Review of Empathic
MyClientsPlus / Healthconnx
www.myclientsplus.com
Ratings: Features - 2 GUI/UX – 2 Work Flow – 2 Learning Curve - 4 Support – U
Features: Groups - Y Scheduling - Y* Notes - Y E-Filing - Y* Billing – Y Client Portal - Y*
Price: $19.95/mo. for My Clients Plus and Basic Healthconnx. $10/mo more for electronic claims filing. $7.95+/mo more for appointment reminders. $14.95/mo more for Client Portal
Pros: Price
Cons: Create Your Own Diagnosis List, Major Features only through second vendor, Rudimentary Interface, Limited Data Collected, Lack of Integrated Features.
Cons: Create Your Own Diagnosis List, Major Features only through second vendor, Rudimentary Interface, Limited Data Collected, Lack of Integrated Features.
It Might Be A Good Choice For Practices That: Just want a simplistic note taking and scheduling application.
Standout Features: Price, Excellent Documentation
Read and comment on the Full Review of MyClientsPlus / Healthconnx
Valant
www.valant.com
Pros: Excellent GUI/UX, Robust Reporting, Solid Support
Cons: Price, No Client Portal (planned for future), Non-Integrated Notes
Valant falls into a category of applications I've mostly ruled out. They were developed primarily with a focus practices who wanted to take advantage of meaningful use incentives. Whereas, in most cases such systems are primarily built for medical practices, Valant's product has a mental health focus. Still, I initially didn't consider it a viable product due to the pricing quotes I received which amounted to in excess of $160 per month per provider. After a demo and further discussion, they appeared interested in evaluating a potential change in their pricing structure for smaller mental health practices. As of this writing, however, I've not heard back regarding those potential changes. Once I have, if they are more competitive, I will provide a more complete review.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please share your general comments here while addressing your comments about specific applications on that application's review page.
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Phil Templeton
2 days 9 hours ago
Rob, thank you for your reviews of cloud-based practice management systems.
Rob Reinhardt
2 weeks 3 days ago
18 September, 2012
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01 August, 2012
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Comments
following this with great interest!
You've obviously done a whole lot of work on this and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I'm poised to take the plunge after years utilizing an antiquated paper system. Thank you so much for sharing this super helpful information!
Thank you, Mia! I'm glad you've found the information useful. I'd love for you to share what you end up doing and whether you're satisfied with the product you choose. One thing I can't offer is a variety of perspectives ane experience with all of these solutions, so I'd love for others to share their experiences. Best of luck with your plunge!
Thanks so much for the great reviews. They have helped me a lot as I am choosing a practice management system. I've narrowed it down to Therapyappointment or Argonaut b/c I want integrated credit card processing with a click to charge.
I really love the look and feel of Therapynotes and Counsol, and wish they had that credit card feature. They both say they will have it at some point, I just wish I knew when! Hard to pull the trigger and do all the work to get into a system and then want to change it later. So I'm kind of paralyzed right now. Any advice?
Hi Sara,
Great question. You're finding yourself in the same position as almost everyone I speak with. The only difference in the stories are the specific features in question. Essentially, none of these programs have every feature someone may want and so the difficult decision becomes which features are non-negotiable and which can be set aside for now.
There is certainly some significant time savings that can be gained in having fully integrated credit card acceptance. Unless you stay below $499 in charges with Argonaut, however, you're going to end up paying more for the service than you would through a service like Square however. One thing to consider is whether that additional cost is worth the minor time savings. In the end, it's not that difficult to enter what someone has paid in most of these other systems.
I'm curious what it is that makes the credit card integration the integral decision point for you?
Rob - I am a small solo practice and I don't work with insurance at all. All of my clients are private pay, and the majority use credit cards/debit cards/HSA. I guess just knowing that there are systems are out there where I could just click to get paid (and have the card info securely stored) makes me want that. I currently use Intuit for processing, and the fees are similar to Square (I key in at the end of the day - avoid dealing with cards in every session if I can help it - so no swiping).
I'm really tempted by Counsol and Therapynotes though and could be talked into keeping Intuit and just entering my payments in. It looks like Therapynotes is much newer though, so I'm hesitant to commit to that one...
Sara, it's definitely prudent to consider how long a company and product have been around. I don't know that I would rule out a brand new company (look at how new Square is, for example), but it's certainly a consideration, especially with something like this. If it makes any difference, however, I'm pretty sure CounSol and TherapyNotes are very similar in age, both started within the last couple of years.
Oh - thanks for the clarification - I've looked at so many systems, I must have been confused about Counsol's age.
I do also really want a client portal - not for scheduling, but for forms, etc. I realize this is one of the possible upcoming additions to Therapynotes. But Counsol has it already...? Wish I could see a better demo of Counsol. Do you have an opinion about the look and feel and ease of it compared to Therapynotes?
I think they both have a nice clean interface. Almost all of these apps, including CounSol I believe have either a free trial period or a 30-day money back trial period.
Two questions, (I actually had three but one escapes me just now.)
What is GUI/UX?
Have you heard of Confidant Software and if yes what have you heard/researched?
Love your page comments...I have been reasearching for months and I know my hair is grayer because of it!
Thank you
Denise J. Hockley, LMFT
Hi Denise,GUI/UX = Graphic User Interface / User Experience. You can read more about it in this blog article.
Many of the features mentioned and reviewed here are more fully explained in the previous articles of the series.
I've not heard of Confidant. It appears to be traditional software (i.e. installed on your computer) so it wouldn't be included in this series. I may do a future series on traditional software depending on if it continues to hold its own against these cloud-based solutions.
I completely understand what you mean about sifting through all of these solutions and the aging effects!
Just an extra note. After having read your research some more (with great interest), I have figured out which Practice mangagement System I will probably use. The fact that it was in the top three on your and my lists is heartening. You are a wealth of information and I am so appreciative.
Best Regards,
Denise
Denise,
Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to hear that you've found the information here helpful. I also hope you will come back and share your thoughts and experience with the application that you chose once you've used it a while. People can definitely benefit from hearing experiences of those who have spent more significant time with these products.
Thank you again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Rob
Denise - I am in the final push of figuring out which system I will go with. I would love to hear what your choice is and why you chose it.
I agree that Rob's reviews and advice are awesome and so helpful.
Sara
Dear Sara:
I am pretty sure I am going to be purchasing Therapy Appointment.com. I am a sole practitioner and will never have more than a part-time practice. So the cost is excellent. It's probably not the first thing I should consider but at this juncture it is.
I also like that it has everything. Also when you input one piece of information, it automatically takes care of billing and other duties. It is true that's it's user interface isn't as "pretty" as some of the others but that matters less to me.
Also while it may take a little more time for me to learn, that doesn't seem daunting. I also like it because of the Client Portal including reminders and scheduling, ERA integration, Customizable note templates, in other words the Standout features, Rob mentions.
I've also had contact by email with Therapy Appointment .com and so far they have been very helpful and quick to respond.
Hope that helps.
Denise
Denise - that is really helpful. Therapyappt is definitely at the top of my list at this point as well. Thanks for your great feedback!
Sara
Outstanding!
I have a paypal widgit on my website to accept payments and plan to use fullslate.com as my online scheduler until TherapyNotes offers that feature!
Hi Rachel,
The PayPal widgets work well. I use one on this site for the Feature Matching consultation and have used it on other sites as well.
One caution about cloud-based scheduling systems like FullSlate and Schedulicity: They are not HIPAA compliant. I'm guessing that clients have to use real names, phone numbers and perhaps even an address to schedule appointments. That's PHI being stored on servers. You'd need a BAA with the companies and, ideally encryption to ensure HIPAA compliance.
That said, I've not asked those companies if they will sign a BAA, but am doubtful. If you've found differently, I'd love to hear about it!
I need to clarify my statement. It's not the responsibility of the applications themselves to be HIPAA compliant. There are guidelines they can follow that will help their Covered Entity customers be HIPAA compliant. The keys to the CA being compliant is that the applications/vendors follow HIPAA guidelines and are willing to enter into a BAA.
As others have said, you've done a lot of work! I, too, am wondering which system to use, which features are negotiable, & which are non-negotiable (LOW PRICE!). I'm trying to picture your reaults on a comparison grid, with features listed by rows to make it easier to select those non-negotiable features I'm looking for.
Pam,
I've actually considered doing a feature comparison grid and may end up doing so one day. Right now, it would change so rapidly, it would be a challenge just to keep it updated. One of the things my Feature Matching Service provides is a form where you can report to me what your priorities are; which features are most important and what the priority of other factors are like cost and user-friendliness. I then provide a written report based on your information where I recommend a solution based on your particular needs and priorities.
Hello,
Excellent blog. I used Full Slate for scheduling and love it. My clients love it as well. I was under the understanding that Full Slate IS HIPAA compliant. This has me in a bit of a panic. What is a BAA?
Thank you!
Megan
Hi Megan,
A BAA or BAC is a "Business Associate Agreement" or "Business Associate Contract". As a Covered Entity, you must have one of these with any vendor you share PHI with in order to be fully HIPAA compliant. For more information, you can read this blog article I wrote as part of this series.
Rob, I want to concur with everyone else that you have done a lot of work and we all appreciate your doing that for us. Although I've already made my management system decision, I was excited to find this website to refer friends to.
I am a happy CounSol user, so I thought I would share my experience. Personally, I would rate their customer service as a 5, only because I could not give it more. I have never worked with any company that responds so fast...I have started appointments with clients who had problems with video feed on their end, and the live customer service was solving it for me right then. I think I only had to delay my appointment ten minutes, because they were there to fix it.
I didn't know that they might have plans to put in a credit card gateway, but if I don't use their PayPal gateway I use Square. I created a customized credit card form on my portal and have clients save their information for me to charge on the day of their appointment. It seems to work well.
On the full Counsol review, and elsewhere, you mention the BAA/BAC dilemma (thank you, that was helpful.) While counselors using this program may want to get a BAA/BAC for their own purposes, I believe that because it is de-identified health information (Counsol does not have access to names, just client numbers) it would not be a concern. Am I understanding that correctly?
Anyway, I usually don't write reviews unless I am either REALLY impressed or REALLY disappointed. Counsol has definitely been one of the former for me. :) They always help with customer service issues, and they have helped me build in custom features for my clients. They are new compared to some, but they've done a lot just since I've been a user - I think closing in on a year now. :)
Thank you for dropping by and sharing your comments on CounSol. While I was as thorough as I could be in my reviews, it absolutely helps everyone to hear from other users as well. It's especially good to hear from someone that uses their secure video feature since I didn't have the opportunity to test that.
I'm curious to hear where you got the information regarding them de-identifying health information. There's nothing mentioning this on their web site. In addition, when I was reviewing it and had an opportunity to have them troubleshoot an issue I was having, it was clear that they did indeed have access to the client information. Further evidence that they have access is the email appointment reminders that they send. While they don't send any PHI in the email, the email address itself is considered PHI.
Regardless, HIPAA is pretty clear that if you are transmitting PHI to or through a vendor, a BAA/BAC is required. I have read that there is a legal grey area if the PHI is always encrypted and the vendor never has access to the data. However, it is exactly that, a grey area, partly because there has been no case law to explore it.
There are additional reasons to have a BAA/BAC, connected to the requirements HIPAA lays out regarding having documentation of your risk assessment, data security, etc. Another grey area, current wisdom on this is that if you have a BAA/BAC with a vendor it puts the onus on them to have done those things, especially if you request such documentation.
CounSol has reported that they are open to signing a BAA/BAC, so it would seem the prudent move for every covered entity to be sure they have one.
I decided to give Counsol a try and have been testing it out for about a week. I agree with SAdamsLPC that the customer service is outstanding. My account manager has been working with me all week on a few things I needed tweaked. Very quick response and very open to feedback.
I did submit a BAA to them for signature. (My husband is an attorney and his firm recommended it and wrote it for me). Counsol reviewed it and signed it and sent it back. Very easy, but it did take a week.
SAdams, did you say that you heard that they might add credit card processing? I would love that - it's the only thing missing in my opinion. I currently use Intuit Gopayment and it's fine, but I'd love to have everything in one place.
I haven't actually used Counsol for real clients yet (I was waiting on the BAA which I just received back from them today) but I'm excited to get going.
Rob, I was told by their own customer service that they have no access to client names, and I have had to give client numbers on numerous occasions in order to get a particular technical issue looked out. Now, with the email address, you've got me there. I didn't consider that being PHI, but you're right. It seems like based on that, I might want a BAA to make sure I'm covering all my bases. As an experienced consultant on practice management systems, do you suggest that counselors spell out what information is shared with your management system in your informed consent? Thanks!
Sara, I could have sworn I read on this blog post that payment gateways were upcoming for Counsol, but now I can't find it and I'm wondering if I had end-of-day brain and made it up somehow! I will ask my account manager if that is the case so I can say for sure. (I may be remembering a conversation with him at some point.) As I said, now I don't worry about it much but it would definitely add value for me if it was all integrated, so I hope that is in the future!
S, (can we call you "S"?) :)
The informed consent question is something I encourage you to run by a lawyer to be sure. My understanding is that it typically suffices to have a general statement addressing the fact that you do share limited PHI with vendors for the purposes of fulfilling your duties (like for taking notes, filing claims, etc.). I doubt you need to spell out exactly what data points you share, but should be willing to explain them should a client ask.
On the credit card front, I completely understand your confusion. Each of these products is continually announcing up and coming features. With things moving at such a rapid pace, it can be hard to keep track of who has announced what.
Lol! You can call me Stephanie. :) Thanks for the advice, that is something I will want to follow up on. I will comment again once I've found out what's going on with credit card processing, since it seems to be something more than one person wants to know about.
Rob, My husband and I have been in full-time practice for 23 years and I have to say your reviews of the practice management systems is like nothing I have ever seen!!! Thank you so much for this information. We have used Therapist Helper for about 17 years but just for billing. Not that we are dissatisfied with it, but I started looking around for a system that has more functions. I found Therapy Appointment on goodtherapy.com and they also recommend it. Two questions:
1) What do you think of Therapist Helper?
2) Do you know if Therapy Appointment is going to get a facelift anytime? I agree that their user interface is unappealing. I was also concerned that the software seems almost too good to be true!
Thanks for your help!
Lori
Hi Lori,
Thank you for your positive feedback and your questions. There have been a lot of changes in the last 23 years so I imagine you've worked hard to keep a successful practice that long. Here are some answers to your questions:
1) I don't have a well formed opinion about Therapist Helper. I've never used it. I've heard mostly positive reviews of it from others. Since it is a "traditional" software product, I won't likely be looking into it any more closely any time soon. Unless, of course, they develop an online version.
2) In my conversations with staff at Therapy Appointment, they have acknowledged its need for a facelift. While they have said they hope to address it, they've offered no guarantees or timelines with regard to such an effort. That's definitely disappointing since they are at the forefront with regard to features.
This may not be news to you, but I'll offer a word of warning anyway. Be sure, when seeking recommendations and reviews that you consider the relationship the source has with the product. Goodtherapy.org, for example, has advertising partnerships with many other web sites and vendors. There's a potential conflict of interest there since it makes good business sense for them to offer recommendations for products they already have a business relationship with. That's not to say the recommendation is without value. Just something to be aware of.
Thank you again for your feedback!
Hi, Rob,
Your reviews here are fantastic. I am very grateful (as expressed also by others!).
Have you looked at PracticeSuite? They are in the running with affordability. I still don't know about their features, though.
I am looking at Therapy Appointment also. The user interface truly is ugly, unfortunately. I need to be able to see what is on the screen!
I have been using Therabill. Price is good (and they are several steps above My Clients Plus). But, the constant tinkering makes it hard to deal with. Deal breaker was when, yet again, there was a change d/t said tinkering that ended up in reminder emails not going out. (This has happened several times. The owner/customer service is usually helpful. This time he suggested i consider linking it with other scheduling software. (Scheduling is not easy. No drop and drag, though there is drop and click.)
Hi,
Therabill is always striving to introduce new features and improve on features we already have. I would actually beware of EMR software that is not doing this. The landscape in this field changes very quickly (with new regulations all the time being introduced). Make sure that whatever software you choose is not sitting on their hands with their product. It could become a boat anchor in the past.
The issue that Jane is referring to was briefly introduced when we added a feature to our e-mail reminders that would allow the client to 'confirm' that they would make the session from within the e-mail.
Here is my two cents on it. Yes. It is terrible when a bug is introduced into software. Unfortunately, it happens though with pretty much any software that you will choose. The thing you should look for is when a bug is introduced is how quickly it is dealt with. I am actually looking at the support ticket on this case. The bug in question was reported by Jane on 12/5/2012 at 11:23PM Central Time. The bug was fixed on 12/6/2012 at 7:50AM Central Time. That is, it was fixed immediately the next morning. The question to ask is, does your software have a response time comparable to that?
I would also like to point out that Therabill is web based software. Therefore, there wasn't anything that any member had to download and install to get the fix. They simply logged in the next morning and the problem was gone.
Hi Jane,
Thank you for your feedback! It's always valuable when people who have used these products over time offer their experiences. It helps give readers a more complete picture. It sounds like your experience with TheraBill matches my original review with regards to the updates. I'm curious, how do you feel about some of the latest improvements to documentation there? I just revisited it as part of a plan to update my reviews and saw that some positive changes had been made.
As for PracticeSuite, I ruled it out of my initial batch of reviews due to it seeming very "medical office centric" and it's confusing pricing. With four levels of pricing and multiple "add on" features, it can be difficult to gauge how well it competes with the other products. In addition, I don't believe they have a free trial period for use of their EHR (only the billing). They're on my list of products to check back in with, however. Thank you for pointing them out!
An update on Practice Suite. In taking a closer look, I found that you can discover their pricing by clicking on the "Sign Up" button. While their Billing Software (essentially insurance claim filing) is free, their EHR/Practice Management piece is a whopping $199/user/month. AND there are setup fees. That pretty much rules it out of getting a review since I'm currently focused on reviewing applications that are affordable for mental health practitioners.
I just had to comment on Therapy Appointment. I have been using it since the end of October and I love it. And I know I am not using all of the potentialities right now. I find something new on a button almost every time I use it. That doesn't make it difficult to use. But like everything new, it takes a while to understand all of the features. Is it perfect? No, but damn near. My husband isn't perfect either but I'm keeping him:) LOL
What's good. Easy to use, easy and quick to get help, affordable, interactive with Office Ally so essentially tells you when to do your billing which you can opt out of if you want to wait until the end of the month. They also have a integrated biography form, which I don't use because you can't tailor it to your particular needs. And an integrated credit card system which I also don't use because it's pricier than I want for my small practice. (I use Professional Charges whose fees are reasonable and they save all the info other than the charge card # in their data storage.) Scheduling appointments is super easy either weekly, or repeating. And clients can schedule either from the Therapy appointment website or if you link the icon to your own website.
Reminders are also regular and once you set them you never have to think about them again.
It is true that the user interface is not as large and easy to read as I would like. So I sit slightly closer to my computer and use my glasses. But I'm rarely fustrated and it meets my multiple needs. When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast last year, the president sent us all additional contact points if there were problems, which there weren't.
All in all, I love it! And yeah, you have thirty days to try it out.
Thanks Rob for all your continued insights. You are a trailblazer.
Sincerely,
Denise J. Hockely, LMFT, RAS
Denise,
Thank you for continuing to share your experiences with myself and the readers. It sounds like your impressions are very similar to my own and it's good to hear that you were able to find a good match!
*wielding my virtual machete*
Rob
I do want to add to expand on my last post to stress a point. Software updates, while may seem like a bad thing... We (Therabill) actually get a lot more positive feedback about our updates. We more commonly hear from our members comments such as "We love the new update you made where we can now...".
Again, I would like to point out again, that in this type of software (with the constantly evolving requirements), I would be wary of software that is not tinkering and making any updates.
Hi Rob!
We made our final decision on a new EMR system before this review was written. All the same, we wouldn't change our choice. We used CarePaths from April to August of 2012. Terrible experience. I can't even begin to explain how bad. As a clinician, my experience was good, not stunning, but good. For our admin office, the system was a nightmare.
We started using Valant in September. Our sales associate was willing to work with us to find a price point we could absorb, which was in line with what Therapy Appointment charges. Valant is not quite as full featured, but the user interface is pretty fantastic, support is responsive, the mobile interface works well on tablets, and I am confident they will continue to improve their product.
We are a three therapist, one admin practice planning on substantial growth over the next 18 months.
Kathy,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Valant. I had hoped to do a complete review of it, however, they would never commit to pricing that was competitive in the market I was reviewing. I definitely got the impression they were willing to negotiate individually. That you were able to do this, will be good information for many. Others would prefer to have that information up front and will likely rule them out on that basis.
Thank you for sharing!
I have to say Joe is correct in that he is extremely responsive to problems. I hope I did not give a different impression.
I am experiencing staffing changes at the moment and I need to be able to send out my insurance claims myself on the fly, which is intimidating.
I would agree that many of the changes end up being quite positive overall. The challenge is what it can be like in the meantime.
However, to be clear, Joe is generally very quick to respond. And he has been willing to add features that he believes a number of his clients would like (such as email and text reminders).
In addition, his pricing is very attractive and one of the most affordable, especially for a small group of providers.
It was both more affordable and more functional than My Clients Plus was at the time I used MCP, even though it doesn't suit my present needs as well (due to other practice changes).
Hey Jane,
Sending out your own insurance claims can actually be pretty easy. It is the follow ups that can be frustrating. If you have not sent out claims through Therabill yourself and are needing to find out how, you might want to attend our weekly webinar on Getting Started. You can register for our next one (which is tomorrow - Friday) by clicking the register link at the top of your dashboard in Therabill. We also do personal trainings over the phone using screen share software - just let us know if you would like to get that set up. It may be that you just are not aware of all that Therabill offers you.
I am a happy user of PracticeMate, a new product from the Office Ally people.
Pros: No cost. Feature rich. Integrated clearinghouse. Click click click
submits the claim. Free unlimited one-on-one training.
Cons: Training and time to get used to the user interface.
Looks like these guys created a fairly extensive notes platform with an add-on to Salesforce. I have looked at it a little. They seem to be brand new, but feature rich. Huge mess of stuff, but I can see someone becoming a power user of it and being very happy. It would be great if you would do your entire analysis of this one. Would it make it into you top picks?
Hi Rick,
PracticePro Therapy is on my radar. I've spent some time with it and also talked with some of the people there. It's definitely currently geared toward power users. One of the reasons I'm holding off on doing a full write-up is that they report that they are making some significant changes sometime in the near future. Significant enough that it would have a pretty big impact on my review.
As the system is now, I don't think it would make it into the top picks, however, depending on what happens in the next revision that could change. I'm not prepared to get into detail about my reasoning yet. However, I will say that two initial concerns I have are the price point and the fact that they require a one-year contract that automatically renews if they aren't given proper notice. The potential customization and other features may lead to those being non-issues depending on how the product develops. One thing to note is that it's brand new. They only launched 4th quarter of last year so they are likely adjusting to initial user and market feedback. The product shows a lot of promise and potential for one that is so new.
Rob, I am so glad to have found your blog! Your reviews are really helpful. I have been overwhelmed with reviewing so many systems, and your evaluations are very helpful. Have you reviewed either Delphi or Cinic Source? We are a practice of 8 psychologists, and Delphi looks like it may have most of the features we are looking for, but one deal breaker may be the cost of the cloud if they really charge $90. per person per month. I hope I am mistaken about that cost. The other thing that we are getting hung up on is that we may have to manually enter all of our data by hand of hundreds of patients the office is currently seeing, rather than have some way that we can transfer billing data all at once from our old computer billing system, SOS. Any thoughts? Thanks so much for your great blog!
Hi Mary Anne,
There is definitely an overwhelming selection of systems. Because of this I had to limit my initial reviews in some way. I stuck with systems that were cloud based and under $100 for a solo practitioner.
Delphi didn't qualify because of it's structure. While you can access it via the cloud, my understanding is that you must first purchase the software ($895 I believe) and then pay $75 per user every month to then access it via the Internet. That put it beyond the price point I was looking at. I may offer an article sometime this year that mentions some of the more expensive options, including products that are more robust and may be a good choice for larger groups or agencies.
ClinicSource is a solution I wasn't aware of, so I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. I'll put it in my queue of products to review.
As for data portability, there are some vendors that will help you transfer data to their system, but many will not. This is especially troublesome if you are using a system for a complete billing solution.
Since everyone's set up may be unique, especially in considering the system they are moving from and to, it's likely you'd benefit from a consult on how to best manage the transition.
Rob,
Thanks so much for your excellent reviews. I have a part-time practice and only see private pay clients. They often, however, want a statement or Superbill they can submit to insurance for possible reimbursement. Can you tell me which of your top (or almost top) picks provide acceptable Superbills for 3rd party insurance companies?
Thanks!
Hi Adam,
Thank you for the great question! Of the top three, I believe CounSol is the only one that didn't have a Superbill last I checked. One of the things I'm considering is publishing feature grid for all of these. There are some challenges associated with that, the primary one being keeping it up to date.
In the meantime, if you need help narrowing your choice down based on a set of features you are looking for, you might consider my feature match service
Hi Rob. I ended up signing up with Counsol in November, and they worked with me to make a superbill for clients. I had them add the service code and diagnosis code to their receipts - they auto-fill from the tx plan. Clients can even print them off as needed using the client portal. Works great. Counsol is awesome at responding to suggestions.
Sara
Sara,
Thank you again for sharing your experience. It sounds like all three of the top picks offer SuperBills along with many of the others in the list.
Rob
Sara,
That's great information! Did they design it just so you could use it, or is a Superbill now available to all members? And Rob, given that I only take private pay clients, is there any reason to prefer TherapyAppointment over Counsol, given that the latter's user interface is nicer? Should I be deterred by the need (with Counsol) to create my own BAA? I'm not a lawyer, and that sounds expensive!
Thanks to you both.
Adam - it's fixed for everyone. When I first started with Counsol I realized that the receipts and invoices didn't have cpt codes or diagnosis codes. It took a little while, but their development people changed it - and on your practice preferences you can select where you want the diagnosis code to feed from - I use the tx plan.
I am also private pay only, but I did get a BAA signed by them just to be on the safe side - my husband is an attorney so it was easy for me. I think there are templates online - Rob, is that right?
And to chime in about TherapyAppointment v. Counsol, the thing I liked better about TA is that it has integrated credit card processing. But I do like the interface of Counsol a lot.
Sara
Adam,
If you only accept private pay clients and not filing claims for them, you likely never engage in any HIPAA Covered Transactions. They mostly have to do with filing insurance claims, checking benefits/eligibility, etc. In that case, you would not be a Covered Entity under HIPAA, and therefore not need a BAA.
In any case, having a BAA isn't that expensive, especially in comparison to the potential HIPAA fine should a covered entity be caught without one.
Rob
Hello Rob,
Thank you for all of the wonderful information and insight! In my search (still ongoing and with more options thanks to you) I came across PIMSY and wondered what your impression is?
Thanks,
Deanne
Hi Deanne,
I took a brief tour of PIMSY at one point and talked with some reps there. I came away with a very positive impression. It didn't make this list, however, because it didn't fall within the pricing criteria I laid out. Depending on what features/options chosen, it was priced roughly about twice as high as any of the options currently reviewed.
I wasn't able to do a thorough investigation of the product since they don't do free trial periods. The product did look impressive in the demo however, and might be a good choice for a sizable agency or larger private practice that takes insurance, especially if they deal significantly with Medicaid.
I hope to one day do some brief reviews of some of these more expensive options. If I do, it will definitely include PIMSY.
Has anyone had any experience with Automated Medical Assistant? Their rates seem very reasonable, and they also use one of the less expensive companies for credit card processing. Unfortunately there is no demo to try, and I wonder whether this company is a one-man-show (I called the get more information and the voicemail sounds like you are calling a guy/doctor - not a company).
Hi Robyn,
I've not run into anyone that has used Automated Medical Assistant. You're hitting on some of the concerns that lead me to leave it out of my initial review cycle. There's further evidence of what you're talking about in that their Twitter link goes directly to the Doctor's Twitter and he hasn't posted in over a year.
This is on my radar to eventually review. However, the lack of a demo makes that problematic. Let us know if you hear anything back!
So the company texted me a demo login to try. It's a pretty antiquated, linear set up. Lots of drop down boxes, links for previous page, main menu. Not very esthetically pleasing at all. I spent two minutes logged in, so obviously I didn't fully get into the scope of the program - but two minutes was all I needed to know Automated Medical Assistant isn't for me.
Re evaluate this program it is Awesome! user friendly the updates are amazing , it has completely changed the way we do things and has made us a more organized and profitable company.
Hi Erika,
When I was provided a demo of Valant, I was impressed by many of its features and also identified some areas that needed improvement.
But that has little to do with why they don't have a full review here or are in the "Not Likely Contenders" category. This initial set of reviews focuses on solutions that are affordable for solo and small private practices. While the people at Valant initially indicated to me they were considering pricing that would make it more workable for such a market, they ultimately didn't follow through.
The truth is that many of these programs will help providers become more organized and profitable. At the time of these reviews, however, Valant did not offer a price point that was competitive with the rest of these solutions. Nor did it offer significant features that made it worth the increased price.
Thanks for the information. Have you ever heard about Lux Sci at luxsci.com? It's HIPAA compliant and I think it does e-mail and scheduling.
Hi Janella,
I have heard of LuxSci, however they do not offer an integrated practice management system. As you noted, they do have encrypted email and scheduling applications, but that isn't enough for them to fit in with the reviews here.
I may cover utility applications like that in the future however.
I recently came across a cloud practice management option called "Cliniko" that appears to be relatively new but developing quickly. www.cliniko.com Would be interested in hearing how you think it stands up against the competition as you appear to have done a lot of work researching these! Cheers, Nelson
Hi Nelson,
Thank you for bringing Cliniko to my attention. Cliniko looks intriguing for a new product. It looks like it is based in Australia so it's not likely to have some important features for some in the states (insurance filing and HIPAA compliance). But for those who aren't covered entities and those in other countries, it looks like a possibility. I'll definitely add it to my list of apps to look into. There are so many applications like this popping up right now, it's quite the challenge to keep up!
I am interested whether you or anyone have had experience with Quicdoc (http://www.quicdoc.com/)? I have a large group of 28 therapists in three different buildings and need a solution offering the ability to share notes, change provider fee's, schedule one client with multiple therapists in a single day, print a schedule of booked appointments. Thank you for your time and efforts in this area. Marcus
I just received an initial quote on pricing from QuicDoc. It's definitely not a viable option for a solo practitioner at $189 per month. They offered a significantly reduced per user quote for 28 clinicians, so it might be worth pursuing if you have a large group. I'm not sure I've seen anything in its feature set, however, that would make it worth the extra cost. It will remain on my "to be investigated further" list for now.
Hi Marcus,
QuicDoc didn't make the initial set of my reviews because of its pricing and other factors. Most of the products targeted at the meaningful use market tend to be much more expensive than the solutions already reviewed (with PracticeFusion and ICANotes being the notable exceptions).
Are you a Psychiatrist or other mental health provider?
A family psychologist, we have one psychiatrist as part of our practice. My front office reviewed Quicdoc and was not impressed with the scheduler. They also spoke to therasoft and went through a demo with them. They were impressed with the program. I noticed you did not rate it very high.
TheraSoft does have an impressive demo. At the time I did the original review it carried a $400 set up cost along with $79 per clinician and no price breaks for multiple clinicians. It was also an additional $30 per clinician for electronic insurance claims. They've since dropped the setup fee and cut $10 off the monthly fee, but if you need to file insurance claims, that still makes them significantly more expensive than the other contenders.
In addition, their banner seems to continually imply that the pricing is temporary. They seem to update it each month to say you have to sign up by the end of the current month to get this pricing. As of right now, it still says you have to sign up by 2/28/2013. I'm not sure why they wouldn't just stick with the pricing long-term instead of advertising it as a deal.
I'm hoping to get a closer look at the program soon in order to determine if the added expense brings with it added features/functionality. At that time, I will definitely update my review.
Therapy Partner just released an EHR component. They used to be just for credit card processing (which I use), but just this last week launched the ability to keep notes, etc. I haven't tried it yet, but thought you might want to check it out. I've signed up for a demo for next week and can write back after that. The one thing I don't like about TP is that they have some of the highest credit card processing rates around.
Hi Robyn,
I suspected Therapy Partner might expand at some point. Do you have any further information on this? Their web site doesn't say anything about offering an EHR, or any expansion on services they already offered. I agree with your assessment of their credit card processing rates. Definitely not a bargain.
Looks like they've launched it to current clients first, and open to the public on March 16.
Below is the list of features in the promo I was sent:
A Comprehensive Look at Therapy Partner 3.0 Features
Scheduling/Integrated Calendaring
Progress Notes & EMR Storage (Stored Securely/encrypted)
Quick Bill Feature – Bill your entire day or week with one easy click!
Comprehensive Billing Including Credit Card Storage (Stored Securely/encrypted)
Secure Encrypted Automated Statements
Complete Revenue Tracking/Management
Complete Client Record Keeping & Data Storage
Associate Management & Administrative Oversight
pricing says $54 per month + 3.9% cc transactions, or $74 per month +3.5% transaction rate
Thank you for sharing, Robyn. I will definitely take a look and review this. Looks like they are getting wise about their CC rates. Still a bit high, but more reasonable than the 4.9% it was the last I looked. The lack of e-filing of insurance claims is a glaring omission, but not a deal breaker for some. Should be interesting to see what they've done.
Rob,
I am leaning towards Therapy Appointments for our not-for-profit organization. We have 14 therapists and our concern is the reporting capability for a combination of thereapists under one entity. We also want all clients to be clients of our facility, not of each therapist. With Therapy Appointments is this feasible where the therapist cannot take the client information with them should they leave? Would your recommend Therapy Appointments for a facility of our size?
Hi Rita,
I can't really offer a general recommendation for which system it's best for your group without a lot more information. I will say that most of these systems do support a traditional group setup (i.e. all clinicians filing under one NPI) as well as control over who can export data. I can't really weigh in on other ways clinicians might get the data since that gets into legal and ethical issues that vary from state to state.
If you'd like a more detailed recommendation, you might want to investigate our Feature Match Report in the Services section of the website.
I work with a solo practice currently using My Clients Plus and Appointment Plus. We would like to have a system with more report capabilities such as list of clients and/or insurance companies that owe...and make that sortable by name, amount, aging, etc. Any suggestions?
Hi Marcia,
There are several products that fit your request. I don't make specific recommendations based on singular features, however, because it wouldn't take into account the many other features that might be important to you. You might want to check out the following if you want a specific product recommendation: Feature Match Report
Hi Rob, Well, I've decided to transfer from Therapynotes to CounSol. So far I like the portal, and like how my forms are looking there.
I wish the other therapists scheduling wasn't separate, but I like how the notes flow easily. I like access to Video, even though we currently aren't using it.
Since I have a billing service, that part works, but I'm being cautious as it's a pain to change again. I originally started with OfficeAlly, then transitioned to Therapynotes and do like them- especially the free email appointment reminders. Any suggestions or things that I'm missing?
As always, thanks for your sharing info!
Stacey
Hi Stacey,
Unfortunately, you're story is not unique. I often hear from people who have moved from solution to solution hoping to find the right fit for their practice. Because many of these products are so new, it's still difficult for many to find the right solution for them. It doesn't sound to me like you're missing anything. Just experiencing that while one application will really shine in one area, another will be much better in another.
It's this sort of time-consuming trial and error that has made my Feature Match Report valuable to so many. I'm often able, in the 15 minute consult that comes with it, to suggest ways that practices can "fill in the gaps" with their chosen application.
As the market matures, in the not too distant future, some of these apps will not only rise to the top, but have almost all the features that most practices need. In the meantime, most practices have to make some compromises in their selection.
any feedback review of psychadvantage compulinks recent addition of their cloud based service.?
Hi Mike,
I contacted CompuLink in September of last year during my initial review process. Their pricing at the time was $349 per user and that didn't include things like clearinghouse fees. That pretty quickly ruled them out as competitive in this market.
I do intend to soon list post an extensive list of these other products out there are are in a much more expensive tier for those who might be in a position to consider them.
I think compulink just restructured their pricing. I got a marketing email two days ago saying it's now $69 for a solo practitioner, plus and additional $30 per month for clearinghouse services/claims processing.
Interesting. If it's true, it makes me wonder how the people who have been paying $349 all this time feel. I'll definitely investigate it further.
i've talked to them in the last month (april 2013) and appears new product role out and pricing; what i've gotten is more in the 69$ a month range with a fee per invoice if you use the system to bill through their clearing house. seems like most robust i've come across but have not reviewed all the one's you have listed. Client portal is limited to registration information only and is an additional fee. I did not get that fee as part of my quote.
I've also confirmed the new pricing and will be meeting with them next week to get more details. Look for a complete review some time in the next month or so. In the meantime, I'd be curious to hear how you feel it compares to some of the apps I've rated highest. Also, have you actually used their product or just viewed a demo?
I just signed up with Valant today. My monthly charge is $100 per month and it includes a patient portal, integrated clearinghouse, integrated credit card processing, appointment reminders, and the interface looks pretty intuitive. The service has been great so far. They have different price ranges depending on your needs. One thing I didn't like was having to commit to a year. They assure me that I'll be happy with the system and they will do whatever is needed to accommodate any changes I may need. This seems to hold true with their speediness in getting alot of the "cons" addressed in your review.
I'm going solo with my practice and I'm scared about the learning curve. I'll keep you updated about my experience with Valant. Switching from Carepaths. It was just too confusing and cumbersome for me.
does the $100 also include the credit card processing? When I had looked at valant last year, the merchant processor they use was an extra $30 a month + transaction fees. Would be great if that was all inclusive now.
Hi Shannon,
Thank you for sharing. I was recently made aware of Valant's adjustment in their pricing and am in the middle of writing an updated review of their product. The pricing, though still high, is definitely more competitive than it was. The one year contract requirement is certainly a drawback. Always good to hear about good customer service.
We'd love to hear more from you after you've been using it a while.
Well I'm certainly plenty nervous, but the information and training has been impressive. I did cave in to the one year commitment as I don't really think I want to keep switching at this point anyway. They assured me that they will make sure I'm happy with the software so that I won't want to switch. Part of the reason I want to post a review is so that they're aware that they are being reviewed..lol. I will definitely share my thoughts in a couple of months.
Just wanted to say thanks for this post. I'm a solo practitioner, seeing only private pay clients (but in Texas, where we are still/newly considered HIPAA CEs despite the lack of electronic insurance billing) and I've been swamped trying to figure out how to email/schedule/store files and be HIPAA compliant. Counsol looks like a great solution for me. Really appreciate your information!
Hi Katie,
Thank you for the positive feedback. I'm glad that reviews have been of help to you and wish you all the best!
Rob thank you so much for your time and attention in researching and writing the reviews it is so very much appreciated!
Hi Nathilee,
Thank you for taking the time to post your appreciation. I'm always grateful to hear from people who have found them helpful!
any feedback on the A+Delphi emr?
Hi Mike,
If you search this page for "Delphi" (Ctrl+F on PC, Squiggily+F on Mac), you'll see a comment I made a couple of months ago. I'm working on parsing some of that out into a separate page.
What about Theraquick, Athena (Penelope), Therapist Helper???
Thanks!
Hi Sig,
These reviews are currently focused on cloud-based practice management systems. Neither Theraquick nor Therapist Helper currently offer a cloud-based solution (read more about the difference between cloud based and traditional software here)
As for Penelope, thank you for bringing that one to my attention as I wasn't aware of it. I've put in an email to them, but am initially skeptical as they have no pricing listed on their web site. Most solutions who don't clearly list their pricing on the web site tend to be much more expensive than the solutions listed here. I'll let you know what I find out!
I do not see a review of Kareo. I wonder if that is on your list of products to review or if you have left it off for a specific reason. Barbara
Barbara,
Great question! Yet another app that is in my "applications that aren't already reviewed list". There are multiple reasons Kareo isn't here. The short version is, unless you're only using it for the most basic of features, it's going to cost you $299 per clinician per month or more.
Like Practice Fusion (who they have a partnership with), they draw you in with the Free product. However, if you want features like Scheduling, Appointment Reminders, or Patient Statements, you're immediately bumped up to the $299 per clinician per month plan. Pretty steep jump, right?
You may want to also read this related article: http://www.tameyourpractice.com/blog/does-your-ehr-vendor-sell-your-pati...
I appreciate the work you have done for us. I will likely just take your word and opt for one of your top three, at least for trials. My
My question is what happens to records if you discontinue using a service? I used to use a non-cloud software program called psych report from MDansby. For the price it was remarkably thorough although much much more than I needed. After using that service for two years I decided to stop Paying for annual updates. Now my records for those two years are embedded in that software, and not easily transferred to any other arrangement.
You mentioned that therapy notes does not allow for exporting data. What do you do when you want to move on to a different service?
Hi Tom,
Bear in mind that my ratings assume a very general stance. The top rated programs are such as they offer a feature set that will appeal to the widest array of users/practices. They are not, however, the best choice for everyone. Many times, in completing my Feature Match Report for clients, I recommend something apart from those three. This usually happens for practices that have specific specialties, or a specific feature combination they definitely want.
As for records, I very briefly cover your questions in my Miscellaneous article on these systems, under Data Portability. I strongly encourage you to ask your question of any system you are considering using. The answer will vary from system to system. Some give you complete control over export of all of your data. Others make you jump through hoops to get it. As for TherapyNotes specifically, you can export your client data, but notes can only be exported in PDF format. So, while you can potentially import your client data directly into a new system, you would have to upload your notes as attachments (or store them another way).
A second question.
I need to keep notes that would suffice to record sessions and the like but separate from that I like to keep process notes. Do these programs allow for separable and safely stored process notes that would not be part of a medical record?
Tom, as discussed in my series article on Notes this is definitely a feature to look for. Most of these programs do provide this capability. They do so in different ways so it's definitely something to evaluate during any demo or trial period you engage in.
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