Office Ally - Review

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

This is a review in progress more than most of the others. Many of the features one might want in a Practice Management System are present in the free version of the OfficeAlly product (Practice Mate). The pieces that aren't there can be found in Patient Ally (Client Portal) and EHR 24/7 (More refined EHR features). 

Practice Mate is very focused on the billing/clearinghouse side of the practice. It does allow you to collect client demographic data as well as track sessions and complete rudimentary session notes (a single text field). The interface could use some refinement, but is pretty good for something that is free, especially since it includes unlimited electronic claims filing.
The Client Portal is problematic. Because Patient Ally is a separate product, there is a multi-step process to activate a new client's account. I believe that many clients would find the process tedious and even difficult to understand. Once they are set up, there is some nice functionality, however the interface is not particularly friendly.

Update 6/7/2013  It's been some time since I had hoped to provide a more thorough update on the EHR 24/7 piece of Office Ally.  I've taken several opportunities over the last several weeks to log in and take another look.  Unfortunately, the quick conclusion I always come to is "convoluted and medical centric".  I suppose at this price point, it will be attractive to some.  Unfortunately, until Office Ally comes up with a way to integrate their applications and improve the interface, there is just too much time and cost savings to be had by using a different application.

Full List of Reviews

Rob Reinhardt, LPC, PA

Rob is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice and
owner of Tame Your Practice, which provides comprehensive
consulting to mental health and wellness professionals.

©2012 Rob Reinhardt, LPC, PA