Simple Practice vs Therapy Notes vs iTherapy: The Differences

Your practice deserves the right care and attention and Electronic Health Records are a game-changer in private practice.

Compared to other types of practices, mental and/or behavioral health practices, in general, are special. Your everyday needs are special too. Therefore, to build a successful, thriving therapy practice, you’ll benefit greatly from the use of software that helps you manage the necessary tasks for growth and proper maintenance.

In addition to the basics, you’ll need to consider the type of guidance, support, and ongoing updates required to use your software optimally. Your specialized needs as a mental healthcare professional will likely cover anything from patient scheduling to insurance billing.

Accounting & Billing

• Code and collect payments efficiently. Features like patient statement creators, coding assistance, eligibility reporting are helpful.

Patient scheduling

• This software helps automate scheduling and patient interaction with electronic reminders, follow-up info, and questionnaires.

Patient portal

• Patients can communicate with you via this software. They may send paperwork and pay fees, view lab work results, and submit their own messages privately and securely.

Telemedicine

• Post-pandemic life has increased the availability of this software. This feature allows you and your clients to connect remotely. Video calls afford you face-to-face sessions as long as the required hardware and connectivity are available.

Overall Management

• Many software platforms simply bundle practice management offerings into a whole suite. These suites include the aforementioned EHRs, billing, scheduling, accounting, practice analytics, reporting, with additional applications that allow your practice seamless navigation.

Essentially, it comes down to this: you want software systems for improved efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness of patient care. Simultaneously, you also want to support the effectiveness of administrative jobs, especially account management and insurance billing.

So…where do you start to find the best options for billing software?

You definitely aren’t alone if finding the best platforms for coding and billing seems like a big ask, especially when you’ve already got so much going on.

It’s true too, that there are lots of options on the market. But they aren’t all equal when it comes to features and ease of use. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a clear comparison of the best programs?

Look no further. Below you’ll find a features breakdown of three major software platforms:

Mental Health Billing: Comparing the Features of Three Major Software Platforms (EHR’s) 

 

Simple Practice

When it comes to ease of use, popularity among therapists, and customer support. Simple Practice is well regarded and highly rated. 

Features

• AutoPay: you can save time spent tracking down payments or having discussions about unpaid appointments.
• Portal Pay: paying you is simplified. Payment from clients, guardians, or third-party billing contact is made through their online portal.
• Security: credit card processing is integrated, allowing for faster payments. “Bank-level security” makes keeping cards on file possible and secure.
• Accounting: creating and send digital invoices, statements, bills, and 1500 forms is streamlined for easy clickthrough and input. You can quickly automate your insurance accounting for more accurate bookkeeping.
•  One-stop billing: you can create, submit, track, and reconcile primary, secondary, and batch claims. in one location.
• Document e-signatures
• Wiley Treatment Planner – Editable
• Forms: the software provides Wiley Planners, customizable templates, and the capacity to create original forms.
• A highly rated and efficient mobile app and client app for telehealth is available too.

Grab your free trial with $50 off here

Therapy Notes

This platform is intuitive and user-friendly with features that allow you to get up and running quickly.

Features

• Eligibility Reports:  you can determine clients’ insurance coverage immediately. This reduces time spent contacting insurance companies prior to sessions.
• Limited data entry: a single click submits claims electronically. Information is automatically pulled from records to create your claims. Still, if you prefer, you can easily create CMS‑1500 forms.
• Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA): enroll to receive advice within the platform for free. You can also post insurance payments quickly and directly to your account as information is pulled from ERAs.
• Insurance Claim Tracking: check the status of electronic claims, view claim rejections, and resubmit claims with ease. Alerts are provided when claims are ready for submission or rejections need to be reviewed. You always know exactly what’s going on with your claims.
• Client Payment Tracking: electronically record client charges and payments. All billing transactions are recorded for each client for an accurate log of balances. You can also charge client credit cards directly.
• Statements and Billing Reports: create client statements, superbills, CMS‑1500 forms, billing reports, etc easily. You can search billing transactions and export them to spreadsheets as well.
• Quick and Easy Superbills: billing for out-of-network services is simplified. You can quickly submit the claims electronically, and generate detailed superbills easily.
•  Outstanding payments with insurance: Track and inform clients of open balances clearly. Confidently present records of billing activity with client statements.
• Easy-to-Use Reporting: track earned income from insurance and client payments, monitor insurance adjustments, and determine write-offs or any pre-authorization renewals quickly and productively.

iTherapy

This platform permits you to put together all the tools you need, with the option to add services as needed.

Features

• Practice Management: this software is the location for record management, invoicing, credit card processing, and insurance billing.
  • Prepared templates: Informed Consent, Privacy Practices, and Intake Questionnaire templates are ready within the iTherapy Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform.
  • DSM-IV & DSM 5 notes: diagnostic codes are available to view and select as needed.
  • Complete data migration: switching over legacy data is an available service.
• Patient Flow Management: The client portal covers everything from scheduling to wait time tracking in one place.
  • Custom templates: a custom builder assists the creation of note templates & intake forms.
• Separate phone & fax line: phone service via a smartphone app that rings a private business line. This allows you to contact clients and insurance companies efficiently.
• Direct Support: when you buy the software, a customer service team member will contact you thoroughly, offerings include:
  • Live, personalized training sessions
  • Access to training videos
  • Access to weekly  Q&A webinars
• Concierge Service:  Customer service team members can help you locate services the iTherapy doesn’t offer with their partners. Add-on services include:
  • Credentialing
  • Virtual Assistant & Billing Support
  • EHR Setup & former patient data migration
  • Internet Marketing

Code:  Kym 

Use the code above when enrolling and you will receive 50% off the first two months!

Need Some More Help?

Now, just because these platforms offer so many features, support, and options doesn’t mean you know what to do when and how to tackle billing tasks optimally right out of the gate! Still, it’s good to know that you won’t be poring over a calculator, the DSM, and a pile of undecipherable forms, pulling your hair out.

With good information, a therapist with the know-how to help you along, and electronic tools you can ease the way. Soon bolstering your practice’s income will seem entirely possible. I’m here to help. Let’s get together and get billing firmly added to your skill set. Hop on my schedule here.