TherapyNotes is a patient management system (PMS) that is designed for use by behavioral health practitioners. TherapyNotes is a one-stop-shop for managing a behavioral health practice that offers robust patient management features, documentation resources, a billing system, and a telehealth platform. TherapyNotes PMS costs start at $49 monthly and a 30-day free trial is offered.
Rating of TherapyNotes’ EHR
I have dedicated a great deal of time and attention to each EHR platform that I review. My goal is to help you make decisions that will guide your practice into helping as many people as possible while avoiding as many administrative hiccups as possible. I’ve spent countless hours using some of the best EHRs available, and also some of the worst. Throughout my time in private practice and community mental healthcare, I’ve learned what differentiates a great EHR from all the rest. After carefully reviewing and extensively testing the TherapyNotes platform over a 2 week period, I found that it is a very well-made piece of software that would be suitable for many practices. TherapyNotes excels in providing practices with a very simplified and intuitive interface for client management. As such, it performed well in client management, as well as insurance billing. TherapyNotes is a rather stripped-down application with few customization options, with other platforms offering the same functionality at a lower price, so it scored low in the category of relative cost.
Pros & Cons of TherapyNotes
TherapyNotes is a well-thought-out PMS that is suited to those that would like to establish a new practice quickly. The software can be learned swiftly and implemented without much support. However, due to being so user-friendly, it is lacking in some areas in terms of customization and reporting.
Some drawbacks to TherapyNotes are its lack of a dedicated desktop or mobile app, as well as the inability to quickly enter large batches of client information at once. Transitioning an existing caseload from a different PMS would be a slow and entirely manual process.
TherapyNotes earned a spot on our list of the best mental health EHRs. It earned an award for the best EHR for group mental health practices.
How to Sign Up for TherapyNotes
Signing up for TherapyNotes is a quick and easy process. Simply navigate to the TherapyNotes sign-up page and enter all relevant information. TherapyNotes does not require a credit card to access the free trial, and there is no pressure to commit to a subscription at sign-up. During the trial, there is no cap placed on client caseload or number of clinicians, however adding clinicians will update the price for when the trial ends. A practice can also opt-in to a free month trial of e-prescriptions. The only feature the trial lacks is credit card processing, as this is handled by a third-party.
Upon signing up, the user will be able to access the PMS immediately and begin experimenting with the software. New users will be greeted with a to-do list to get their accounts set up and functional. This to-do list is a great place to start branching out into the features that TherapyNotes has on offer, and will continue to be useful, as it updates tasks based on activity in the PMS.
Transferring Client Records to TherapyNotes
A big problem area for TherapyNotes is its lack of support for importing large amounts of client data at once. As of the time of this writing, adding clients to TherapyNotes must be done one at a time. This would be a lengthy process for practices that are transitioning an existing client system into TherapyNotes.
What is TherapyNotes?
TherapyNotes bills itself as a patient management system (PMS), however, it also offers a full suite of behavioral health practice management solutions. The system allows solo or group practices to schedule client sessions, manage client health records, conduct telehealth sessions, and bill for services all in one cloud-based web app.
The TherapyNotes system is designed specifically for practitioners in the mental and behavioral health space; it offers documentation for psychotherapy, as well as options for couples and family therapy. Additionally, TherapyNotes supports functionality for e-prescriptions, making it a solid PMS choice for psychiatrists, as well.
In terms of cost, TherapyNotes operates on a monthly pricing system based on the number of providers in the account. TherapyNotes costs $49 monthly for solo practices, $59 monthly for a group practice, plus $30 per additional practitioner, and $20 per intern. For instance, a group practice of 2 independent practitioners, and 1 intern would be $109 per month. Additional costs to consider include insurance claims processing, appointment SMS and phone reminders, credit card processing, and e-prescription functionality.
TherapyNotes is one of our favorite EHRs. In our review of the best mental health EHRs, we gave it the award for best EHR for group mental health practices.
TherapyNotes Key Features
For the price, TherapyNotes offers quite a bit of functionality in a very accessible and user-friendly package. One of the key perks of TherapyNotes is its ease of use, and rapid setup. I believe that a solo practitioner starting a new practice could do so quickly and with little input from customer service by using TherapyNotes.
Clients are able to be managed intuitively, administrative tasks are thoughtfully designed, and billing is straightforward. However, TherapyNotes does limit a bit of functionality with customizing treatment plans, notes, and pre-generated documentation.
Client Management
The cornerstone of any practice management system is the way it organizes and stores client data. TherapyNotes is HIPAA-compliant and allows for a fairly intuitive and fluid client management process.
Entering individual clients is straightforward and can be accessed either directly from the client list, or when scheduling appointments. Multiple user flows are helpful, as it allows a scheduler to input new client demographics quickly without interrupting the scheduling process. The system allows for a variety of demographic information to be added and preferences can be set for calling/texting permissions per client.
Searching for clients allows for multiple routes including DOB, account number, phone, and name. In the client census view, the entire lot can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet, which is a much-welcome feature.
Archiving clients is handled automatically, as TherapyNotes detects if a client should be archived based on recent activity – however, a client can be manually archived by entering a termination note. TherapyNotes allows for customizing staff viewing permissions, with the practice owner having superuser access to all clients.
Overall, TherapyNotes does an admirable job of managing client data and has a robust toolkit for searching and parsing through large amounts of data, with smart integrations and automations that make documentation an easy process. In my time with the system, the process of managing client data was easy and intuitive. TherapyNotes has earned 4 out of 5 stars for the “Client Management” category of our scoring criteria.
Client Forms & Intake
Missing client documentation should be a rare occurrence if a practice uses TherapyNotes. From the time a client chart is created, the practitioner is presented with a to-do list both on their home dashboard, as well as a tailored to-do list in every client chart. These are filled with helpful reminders about entering client notes, treatment plans, and other important pieces of documentation.
Client intakes are processed via a psychotherapy intake note that is, overall, cleverly designed to allow a balance of drop-down menus and free-typing. In addition, any historical data on a client can easily be brought over to new notes; a practitioner is able to decide which individual pieces of data are pulled from a client’s history to allow for a great degree of customization.
A powerful tool that TherapyNotes adds to a clinician’s arsenal is the robust client portal feature that is included for free. Practitioners can assign paperwork and documents for clients to complete in their client portal.
Pre-made forms include client history, demographics, various consents, and legal documents, as well as the GAD-7 and PHQ-9. The client portal allows clients to complete and electronically sign any documents needed. As of now, there are no specialized forms for situations like working with minors, couples, families, and so on.
Practitioners with administrative access can also upload custom forms as PDFs, or create forms with boxes for clients to type in responses. This process is highly customizable and would make the intake process very streamlined, as all relevant information could be attained prior to any client sessions. As such, TherapyNotes has earned 5 out of 5 stars in the “Client Forms & Intake” category of our scoring criteria.
Scheduling
TherapyNotes handles scheduling with a typical calendar view that has different customizable views. These include filtering out appointments by location, which would be very helpful for practices with multiple offices, as well as filtering by telehealth and by different days of the week.
Adding blackout periods to a practitioner’s schedule is fluid and easy. Any vacation time or other out-of-office time on a practitioner’s schedule is automatically blocked from adding appointments, however, appointments can be manually forced into those sections of a calendar if desired. This often-overlooked feature is nice, so you don’t have to change your calendar blocks entirely just to accommodate a one-off session.
Overall, the calendar system supports daily operations well, as the scheduling flows are quite intuitive. When scheduling a client session, the user can choose whether it is a one-time appointment or recurring, whether it is in-person or telehealth, set billing codes, as well as send appointment reminders directly from the calendar view.
The scheduling system also allows for scheduling group sessions in addition to individual sessions. All session attendees are pulled directly from the client list, or new clients can be added directly from the calendar view.
Conveniently, TherapyNotes’ telehealth platform supports group sessions, up to 16 participants. It’s also worth noting that appointments can be added to the calendar from the client’s demographics page, allowing for a few user flows for adding to the calendar.
TherapyNotes allows users to sync the TherapyNotes calendar with external calendar systems; the system will automatically change client names to initials to protect client privacy. The system also syncs all sessions to a client’s portal to allow them to view the dates and times for upcoming sessions.
Overall, the TherapyNotes calendar system handles its job admirably. The only complaint I have – and it’s a small one – is that appointments cannot be moved around the calendar via drag-and-drop. After having that feature in other systems, going to a system without it is rather difficult. Because of this, we have given TherapyNotes 4 out of 5 stars in the “Calendar & Scheduling” category of our scoring criteria.
Add-On Service: Appointment Reminders
In addition to calendar functionality, TherapyNotes offers a couple of routes for automated appointment reminders. Email reminders can be automatically sent at no cost. If SMS or phone reminders are preferred, these can be arranged for a fee of $0.14 each.
Treatment Planning & Notes
Treatment planning and notation are built into the fabric of the TherapyNotes’ PMS. The system does an excellent job of guiding the practitioner through the process and ensuring that nothing is missed.
For instance, when creating an initial treatment plan, the system will automatically remind the user to input an intake note first, if one has not been entered. This is a handy reminder but can be overridden, so it does not ultimately force the practitioner into anything.
TherapyNotes has a very fluid process for entering notes and documentation and can be entered from multiple points. I’d wager the most common route is through the client session on the calendar, but it’s nice to have a variety of options depending on a user’s current location within the PMS.
Treatment plans consist of a rather open-ended form that allows the clinician to free-type and use drop-downs to describe the client’s diagnostic impression and any goals set. The system allows a clinician to search for diagnosis codes either by their code or, importantly, by partial and full keywords. If a clinician doesn’t know a code by heart, simply typing in a known keyword pulls up a list of all codes containing it.
The notetaking process is similarly intuitive and quite detailed. The note allows the clinician to tailor the content specifically to the client while minimizing the amount of free-typing necessary. This is accomplished through a mix of checkboxes, drop-down menus, and a handful of free-typing for those inclined.
As you’d expect, the note includes a built-in risk assessment. A premade safety plan is not included, but could easily be created or simply added as a miscellaneous note. One feature that I’m quite fond of within the note is the ability to customize the list of interventions that can be selected for any given session. This allows practices to customize the note template to fit their therapeutic approach.
Notes and treatment plans allow for pulling historical information from a client’s chart, and every treatment plan or note includes options to select which information is brought in from previous documentation. Having this level of control is very nice, and limits the amount of direct editing that must manually be done by the clinician.
All-in-all, TherapyNotes allows for a fairly straightforward notetaking process right out of the box. However, more specialized practices, or those looking for more customizable solutions, may very well be hindered by the lack of customization features. Due to this, we have awarded TherapyNotes with 4 out of 5 stars in the “Treatment Planning & Notetaking” category of our scoring criteria.
Add-On Service: Electronic Prescriptions:
For a cost of an additional $65 monthly, TherapyNotes allows for electronic prescribing functionality. In addition to the robust documentation capability, this makes TherapyNotes a solid choice for psychiatric practices.
Telehealth
Telehealth is included at no cost with TherapyNotes. Rather than outsourcing the job to a third party, TherapyNotes uses a proprietary, HIPAA-compliant telehealth video platform. This is accessible to any client, provided they sign up for client portal access prior. While the platform is a bit simplistic, it gets the job done fine and reliably. In fact, the lack of fluff helps to streamline the user experience; every button is clear and easy to understand.
The one premium feature included in the platform, and, really, the only needed one, is the ability to screen share with clients. Additionally, the telehealth platform can be accessed by multiple users per session; up to 16, including practitioners.
Client access to telehealth is very simple. Once a client has registered for client portal access, they simply navigate to the portal and click the button leading them to join the session. Appointments sync to the client portal immediately, with no noticeable lag. If a client gets locked out of their portal, the practice can easily send a password reset link directly to the client’s email. Since the platform is functional but offers no premium features, we have given it 3 out of 5 stars in the “Telehealth” category of our scoring criteria.
Insurance Billing
Whether using insurance billing or self-pay, the suite of billing tools that are offered by TherapyNotes is adequately equipped to make sure your practice is paid for services rendered. The process of adding payer information, as well as actually submitting claims, generating invoices, and even keeping track of your books is simple and accessible.
A practice can set up which insurance payers it works with regularly, whether in-network or out-of-network. Both paper and electronic claims are supported, with an electronic per-claim cost of $0.14, with paper claims being $0.49. Once a payer is set up, clients’ plan information can be entered, and the practice can start running eligibility checks and processing claims immediately.
Meanwhile, direct payments can also be made from clients. TherapyNotes is capable of processing debit, credit, and HSA cards with a fee of 2.7% plus 10 cents per transaction.
Service code payment rates can be set up individually in the event that a custom arrangement is agreed upon by the client and practitioner. At no cost, TherapyNotes can also generate and send requests for unpaid services directly to clients from the app. Invoices can be customized with practice information and logos.
Client payment methods can be entered either through swiping cards, entering information manually, or even through externally processed information. All billing and financial information can be exported in various formats to help keep track of a practice’s bookkeeping. TherapyNotes’ insurance billing features have earned 4.5 out of 5 stars in the “Insurance Billing” category of our scoring criteria.
Client Payment Methods, Collection, & Processing
There are multiple ways to collect payment from clients in TherapyNotes. Aside from sending electronic insurance claims, a practice can also utilize TherapyNotes’ integrated credit card processing system.
Once a practice has enrolled in credit card processing, a client’s debit, credit, or HSA card can be entered and stored either by swiping the card on a USB card reader or entering the data manually. Each transaction will incur a fee of 2.7% plus $0.10 per transaction. After entering a client’s payment information, the data will be saved as a payment method for convenient future use.
In addition to card processing, TherapyNotes also allows users to enter cash, check, and externally processed transactions for record-keeping purposes.
TherapyNotes has been awarded a score of 3 out of 5 stars in the “Client Payment Methods, Collection, & Processing” category of our scoring criteria.
Practice Management & Reports
General practice management is another strong point in TherapyNotes’ platform, however, reporting is a bit lacking. Only a handful of reports can be run according to our experience in the system, as well as through the company’s FAQs. These include real-time insurance eligibility checks and prior authorization results. There are no options for other reporting on staff or other aspects of the practice.
In terms of managing multiple staff members, TherapyNotes PMSis capable of assigning various levels of access across staff members. Custom access can be set for schedulers, billers, administrators, and so on; similarly, there is support for supervision, allowing for restricted access for interns and setting up co-signing on notes.
TherapyNotes would also be accessible for solo practitioners, as it allows a single user to easily handle all aspects of the practice from a single account.
Due to their limited scope, the practice management and reports sections have earned 3 out of 5 stars in the “Practice Management & Reports” category of our scoring criteria.
Customer Service & Training
Throughout our time with TherapyNotes, all aspects of the app were easily understood and implemented without any specialized input from customer service. TherapyNotes operates a well-stocked customer help center, as well as a YouTube channel with great videos walking users through the functionality of the app, as well as general advice on running a practice.
If assistance is needed, TherapyNotes offers unlimited email and phone support. After signing up for the trial, I received multiple onboarding emails with relevant links and invitations to join free webinars to familiarize me with the system.
The customer service and training available to TherapyNotes users have earned the system 4.5 out of 5 stars in the “Customer Service & Training” category of our scoring criteria.
How Much Does TherapyNotes Cost?
The base price starts at $49 monthly for solo practitioners and will net you basic access to the PMS features such as client management, notetaking, and the telehealth platform.
TherapyNotes offers a free 30-day trial. This trial is completely free and doesn’t require a credit card to get started – most importantly, this trial is comprehensive and allows access to all of the base features that TherapyNotes has on offer. A month is plenty of time to get acquainted with the software and ensure that it is right for your practice.
TherapyNotes Base Price
TherapyNotes base price of $49 monthly includes the following features for solo providers:
- Telehealth platform
- Client portal
- Unlimited active and archived clients
- Note and treatment plan features
- All pre-generated forms
For group practices, the base price changes slightly. Group pricing starts at $59 monthly for the first provider, and every additional practitioner is an additional $30 monthly, with interns being $20 monthly. Additional staff such as billers and schedulers can be added at no cost.
TherapyNotes Add-Ons & Other Fees
For additional fees, TherapyNotes offers these premium features:
- Credit card processing – 2.7% plus $0.10 per transaction
- Insurance claims – $0.14 per electronic claim, $0.49 per paper claim
- Real-time eligibility checks – $0.14 each
- SMS and Phone appointment reminders – $0.14 each
- Electronic prescriptions – First month free, then $65/month
Who is TherapyNotes Right For?
TherapyNotes is a great choice for those who run small or solo practices or even those who are new to running a practice at all. The user accessibility that is offered by TherapyNotes is very appealing, and the subscription-included telehealth is nothing to scoff at either. All of this earned it a spot on our list of the best mental health EHRs.
Solo Practices
With the high degree of user accessibility TherapyNotes offers, solo practitioners should have an easy go of running everything from intake to billing. With the smart billing features offered, a small solo operation could easily handle insurance claims and payments without hiring a billing specialist.
Those New to Running A Practice
Possibly the biggest draw of TherapyNotes is its user-friendly accessibility and set-up. Even those completely fresh to running a practice should be able to get up and running quickly with minimal support. If you do run into trouble, TherapyNotes’ support team is able to efficiently handle any needs.
Telehealth Practices
Another hugely important aspect of TherapyNotes is that access to telehealth is included in the base subscription cost. With the streamlined user interface and intuitive client portal features, operating a remote or telehealth practice would be well supported by TherapyNotes.
Practices That Run Group Therapy or Support Groups
The telehealth platform that is included with TherapyNotes allows up to 16 people to join a telehealth call. This would be very important for remote or online practices that would like to offer group therapy or even support groups.
Practices That Offer Medication Management
For an additional fee, TherapyNotes offers e-prescription functionality. This feature is a must-have for practices that offer medication management services and is one that is not offered in all EHR systems.
Who May Want an Alternative to TherapyNotes?
While TherapyNotes is great for small or solo practices, those that require more customization or specialization may be a bit disappointed. Practices that have a large existing client base will have a very lengthy and monotonous transition of client data and records, and TherapyNotes does not offer a wide variety of practice management reports.
Practices That Need a Lot of Customization
Large practices or those that need a more customizable PMS may be disappointed by TherapyNotes. I greatly appreciate that TherapyNotes is so approachable and easy to use out of the box, but if you have very specialized needs, then TherapyNotes might not be able to handle them due to a lack of options for customizing note templates and other documentation. A good alternative to TherapyNotes is TheraNest, which offers a bit more customization, especially for note templates. For more info, take a look at our TheraNest EHR review.
Existing Practices With a Large Amount of Clients
Practices that already have a large pool of clients will find the transition to TherapyNotes rather tedious. While it definitely can be done, it will take some time and a great deal of manual effort, as TherapyNotes doesn’t have a feature for importing large batches of client data.
Practices With a Lot of Reporting Needs
While TherapyNotes does offer a number of practice management tools, the reports that can be generated are lackluster at best. Due to this limitation, if your practice has a need for robust data analytics, that functionality will not be found with TherapyNotes.
What Users Are Saying About TherapyNotes
Not all user review sites are reliable. That’s why we use a variety of user review sites from all corners of the web when we are considering user feedback on the apps we review. When looking at TherapyNotes, most review outlets peg TherapyNotes at a star rating above 4.5 out of 5. Here’s the long and short of what those reviews have to say
The Good:
Great Customer Service and Support
Many users pointed out that TherapyNotes offers a very strong customer support team, and any issues they ran into were usually resolved quickly.
User-friendly
Users seem to agree that TherapyNotes is incredibly easy to use and accessible.
Regular Feature Updates
Another theme amongst verified reviewers is praise for frequent updates and additions by the TherapyNotes team.
The Bad:
Very limited forms library
Many users complained that the pre-generated forms available are very limited and difficult to customize. While new forms can be added, the process is admittedly a bit clunky.
The telehealth platform can be unstable
Several users pointed out that the telehealth platform that is included with TherapyNotes can have some audio and video instability.
TherapyNotes VS TheraNest
TherapyNotes and TheraNest offer similar PMS features that are geared toward a similar audience. Both are well-suited to small to midsize practices. A few differences include the pricing model, customization ability, and telehealth offering. TheraNest pricing changes depending on the number of active clients, while TherapyNotes pricing is based on the number of clinicians.
Customization is stronger in TheraNest in certain areas, as it allows more customization of note and treatment plan templates, although other documentation is on-par with TherapyNotes. As well, a telehealth platform is not included in TheraNest, whereas it is in TherapyNotes.
A few key differences to consider when comparing TherapyNotes and TheraNest:
- Customization with TheraNest is a bit more extensive in certain areas.
- TherapyNotes offers a more streamlined and intuitive user interface than TheraNest.
- TherapyNotes offers more control over user access to client information.
For more information on TheraNest, take a look at our TheraNest EHR review.
TherapyNotes VS SimplePractice
SimplePractice is a larger and more well-known service than TherapyNotes, generally speaking. Overall, pricing is a bit different between the two products, with SimplePractice offering a different sort of pricing system; however, depending on the features needed, it is possible to secure more functionality for a lower price with SimplePractice.
A few key differences to be noted between TherapyNotes and SimplePractice:
- SimplePractice offers a few more premium features such as Wiley Treatment Planner, and a mobile app.
- TherapyNotes offers more practice management functionality at lower pricing tiers; robust practice management is only in SimplePractice’s premium tier.
- SimplePractice is more intuitive overall, and also allows for importing bulk quantities of client data.
History of TherapyNotes
According to the TherapyNotes’s about page, TherapyNotes was launched in 2010 by Dr. Debra Pliner and her husband Brad. With Dr. Pliner’s experience in psychological services and Brad’s expertise in information technology, the duo created a suite of products designed to help behavioral health practitioners run a practice easily and efficiently 1. Since then, the company has expanded to over 100 employees. While frequently updating the functionality of TherapyNotes, the company also runs a blog dedicated to helping clinicians start their own businesses.
TherapyNotes Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Cancel My TherapyNotes Subscription?
Canceling your TherapyNotes subscription is easy and straightforward. Simply navigate to the setting page in your account, select “TherapyNotes Subscription”, and click cancel. TherapyNotes’ customer service team can be emailed directly if you run into problems.
Is TherapyNotes Cloud-Based?
Yes, TherapyNotes is cloud-based. It offers a web app that is accessible by users from wherever they are without being tied down to a physical office.
How Do You Bill With TherapyNotes?
Billing can be done either via insurance claim or direct payment by the client. All of this can be handled in the app, and is relatively approachable and easy to use, even for those new to the process.
Does TherapyNotes Have A Client Portal?
Yes. Practitioners can prompt any client to sign up for client portal access, which allows them to participate in telehealth sessions, as well as view their documents, and upcoming sessions.
TherapyNotes Final Verdict
During my time with TherapyNotes, I was impressed by its accessibility and ease of use. Because of this, it has earned a score of 4 out of 5 stars in our independent review. The software is extremely accessible and easy to use. Its user interface may seem a bit bare-bones at first, but this adds to its usability overall. While it may lack some of the customization options, it’s hard to beat all that it can do straight out of the box – especially for the basic plan cost.
You should consider signing up for TherapyNotes’ free trial if you:
- Are new to using a PMS or new to running your own practice
- Want a straightforward and easy-to-set-up system
- Want an all-in-one practice management solution
- Utilize telehealth services
You should consider looking for an alternative to TherapyNotes if you:
- Need a great deal of customization – especially in reports and forms like progress notes
- Are transitioning a large volume of client data from another PMS
- Don’t like the idea of having to upload custom forms as PDFs that cannot be e-completed
For Further Reading
If you’d like to learn more about other EHR systems currently available, check out some of our other reviews:
