Summary

Pros: Easy Data Export, Several Opportunities for Customization

Cons: Learning Curve, Awkward Workflow, Calendar/Scheduling, Questions Surrounding Future

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 progress notes to their liking.

UPDATE In recent years, WebPT acquired TheraBill. It’s important to note that TheraBill started out as an OT/ST/PT software that then extended it’s market to mental health professionals.  WebPT has historically been focused on OT/ST/PT profressionals.  So, there’s some question as to how they see their product in relation to mental health professionals going forward. One piece of evidence that draws significant concern for me is that the price of TheraBill went from $80 per user before the acquisition to $149 per user after.  This change alone makes TheraBill much less competitive than other behavioral health-centric programs.  My attempts to contact TheraBill representatives went unanswered after this transition.  I leave my review here for posterity, however, I’m doubtful as to TheraBill as a viable, competitive choice for mental health professionals going forward unless they have a multi-disciplinary practice that involves OT/PT/ST.

Review

Therabill has continued to grow and refine its features since my original review. It’s array of features is impressive and it offers some innovativations that provide flexibility where many of their competitors do not. One of these instances is the custom database feature, where providers can create databases to track things not already built into the system. Such databases can be attached to providers, clients or sessions. Database is a bit of a misnomer here since each “database” is simply one field, but this is still a potentially handy tool. Working much like a “tagging” system it can allow you to track, categorize, and report on a wide variety of factors. If that isn’t enough, users can also create many custom fields for Clients and include these in reporting.  TheraBill also has the much desired, but for some reason missing in many applications, ability to track referral sources. Therabill also offers the most friendly data export option of any product I’ve reviewed. A provider can simply navigate to the Backup page and immediately download .csv files of clients, sessions, and schedule. It’s unfortunate that Notes aren’t included. Therabill also has solid documentation and helpful tool tips throughout the program.

One of the most significant improvements since my original review is TheraBill’s launch of a custom documentation feature.  When combined with the database feature above, it allows users to structure their notes any way they’d like, as well as pull in preset information.  For example, goals from a client’s treatment plan can be pulled into the goals for their individual sessions.  There’s a learning curve and it may take a significant amount of time initially to set up, the trade off being that you will have notes formatted the way you like and be more efficient down the road. Additionally, TheraBill has introduced a store where their users can purchase and sell the documentation templates they have created.  For mostly reasonable fees, you might save yourself some work by finding a template someone else has already created that fits your needs. Prefer your notes to be basic, free form, text boxes?  No problem, the original TheraBill documentation format is still available.

TheraBill has also continued to develop it’s client portal which now allows providers to post any number of documents for the client to access.  Clients can see their schedule, send secure messages to their provider, and view documents the client has posted for them to see.  Client initiated scheduling and appointment confirmation has also been implemented and the portal can also be integrated into a therapist’s web site.  This may require some help from your web developer, but can be adjusted through CSS to blend in nicely with your site. The client portal costs $10 per month per account (not per user).

TheraBill has continued to make minor refinements to their interface, greatly improving the workflow.  For example, they have added a dock of buttons to the client screen allowing users to easily create appointments, and access other functionality) while viewing client information. They’ve also added major functionality, like the ability to search calendar/scheduling availability based on multiple factors.  There’s even the ability to expand the calendar view to full screen in case you’re searching through the availability of multiple clinicians.

One additional interesting point about Therabill is that unlike most other software platforms, they make a habit of rolling out beta and “lab” features, allowing providers to tinker and learn them as they are still being developed. The benefits of this approach are that users can take their time learning new features and offer the developers feedback as features are refined. The potential drawback is the lost time tinkering. Some users may also find frustration in having the carrot dangled.  This tends to be an approach that people “love” or “hate” so considering factoring this into your decision as well.