TherapyNotes Review 2024: Pros & Cons, Cost, & Who It’s Right For

TherapyNotes Review – Key Takeaways

• TherapyNotes is a high-quality comprehensive EHR platform for mental health practices that offers features for client documentation, scheduling, billing, and practice management.
• TherapyNotes emphasizes accessibility and usability in its design, and while somewhat limited in customization options, it is very easy to implement.
• TherapyNotes is somewhat lacking in pre-generated content like treatment plan templates, note templates, and clinical outcome tools.
• TherapyNotes is one of the only EHR platforms that provides options for electronic prescriptions.

How to Sign Up for TherapyNotes

To sign up for TherapyNotes, simply navigate to the TherapyNotes sign-up page and enter a few details. TherapyNotes does not require a credit card to access the free trial. 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.

What is TherapyNotes?

TherapyNotes is a full-service electronic health records (EHR) system designed for therapists and mental health practitioners. TherapyNotes includes features formany aspects of practice management including documentation, scheduling, and billing. TherapyNotes costs start at $49 monthly and may increase, depending on how many practitioners are in your practice and the features you need.

Key features of TherapyNotes include:

Client Management

The cornerstone of any practice management system is how 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 directly from the client list or when scheduling appointments. Multiple user flows are helpful, allowing 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 by DOB, account number, phone, and/or name. In the client census view, the entire lot can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet, 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 using the system, the process of managing client data was easy and intuitive. When I previously reviewed the EHR in early 2023, TherapyNotes did not support batch uploads of client data. However, TherapyNotes recently implemented a system in which current client data can be uploaded by TherapyNotes staff at no cost.

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 via their client portal.

Pre-made forms include client history, demographics, various consents, and legal documents, as well as the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 assessments. 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, or other specialty populations.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’ EHR. The system does an excellent job of guiding the practitioner through the process and ensuring that nothing is missed.

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 EHR.

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, there are not as many pre-generated templates or other content to make the notetaking process simpler. After using the best-in-class documentation system we used in our review of My Best Practice, it’s difficult to go back to something so simplistic.

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 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. While this set of features is adequate, it would be interesting to see TherapyNotes include additional functionality to the telehealth platform similar to what we saw in our review of TheraPlatform.

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.

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, 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.

Client payment methods can be entered either through swiping cards or entering information manually. All billing and financial information can be exported in various formats to help keep track of a practice’s bookkeeping.

Practice Management & Reports

General practice management is another strong point in TherapyNotes’ platform, however, data 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 EHR is 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.

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.

How Much Does TherapyNotes Cost?

TherapyNotes base costs start at $49 monthly for a solo provider. For groups, the price goes up to $59 monthly for the first clinician with an additional $30 monthly for every additional practitioner. TherapyNotes offers a comprehensive free 30-day trial.

These features are included in TherapyNotes’ Base Price:

• Telehealth platform
• Client portal
• Unlimited active and archived clients
• Note and treatment plan features
• All pre-generated forms

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 – 2.9% 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
• Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Reporting – $359 annually, per practitioner
• Full-Service Medical Billing – Rates vary

Who is TherapyNotes Right For?

TherapyNotes is a great choice for those who run solo practices, those new to running a practice, or practices that are offering psychiatric services.

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 setup. 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.

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, specialization, or advanced data reporting may be a bit disappointed.

Practices That Need a Lot of Customization

Large practices or those that need a more customizable EHR 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 ICANotes which offers a fully customizable and unique documentation system. Read more in our review of ICANotes.

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.

As an alternative, TheraNest has a great practitioner dashboard for viewing important data. Learn more in our review of TheraNest.

What Users Are Saying About TherapyNotes

Not all user review sites are reliable. That’s why we consider a variety of user review sites when researching 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 EHR 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.

To learn more, visit our review of TheraNest and our in-depth comparison of TherapyNotes and TheraNest.

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, a professional website builder, 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.

To learn more about how these two platforms differ take a look at our review of SimplePractice and our comparison of TherapyNotes vs. SimplePractice.

TherapyNotes Final Verdict

During my time using and reviewing TherapyNotes, I was impressed by its accessibility and ease of use. At first glance, the user interface may appear simplistic, however this ultimately aids accessibility and usability. While it may lack some of the customization options, TherapyNotes’ cost is hard to beat considering the features available straight out of the box.

You should consider signing up for TherapyNotes’ free trial if you:

• Are new to using an EHR or new to running your own practice
• Want a straightforward and easy-to-set-up system
• 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
• Need more pre-generated content and templates for documentation and outcomes measuring

History of TherapyNotes

According to 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.

What do Clients See in SimplePractice?

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.