Embarking on starting a private practice in therapy or social work is an exciting move. It was a pivot from a decade of working in public health care to being primarily a stay-at-home parent to thinking about how to have more flexibility in my hours and spend most of my time working directly with clients (which is what I like most!).
Starting a private practice is a venture that allows you to foster deep connections with clients and empowers you to build a business that reflects your values and approach-that was central to me.
However, the path isn’t without its complexities (and costs!), and it can be hard to know where to start. One key aspect is finding the right tools to manage your practice efficiently. After trying a number of practice management platforms and cobbling different services together, I’ve found a reliable “core” partner for my business with Practice Better.
Ethical Disclosure: While I wholeheartedly endorse Practice Better, it’s important to note that this recommendation is based on my experience and satisfaction with the platform. It’s just a tool that can benefit those in our field and help you get started on the right foot. There’s no sponsorship, but I do get a small commission with each referral. Thanks for your support!
What is Practice Better?
Practice Better is one of many services in the practice management space. Learn more about Practice Better here. It’s an all-in-one platform that integrates everything from billing and appointments to telehealth and records management.
When I started exploring practice management systems, I sifted through the most popular ones, like Jane, Owl Practice, and Simple Practice. While each had strengths, Practice Better stood out for its user-friendly approach and cost-effectiveness, especially for a small startup/solo practice like mine.
Catering to a Wide Range of Healthcare Practitioners and Coaches
Originally designed for nutritionists, Practice Better boasts features like food diaries and supplement ordering. Explore how Practice Better can be customized for your practice. But as it’s grown, it’s become highly customizable for many healthcare professionals, including therapists, social workers, psychologists and coaches.
This adaptability allows me to tailor the system to my workflow as a therapist. The client portal customization has received great reviews for its usability. The app lets clients check appointment scheduling billing, message me, and access supplementary courses I’ve built. It’s about enhancing the client experience at every point in their journey in my practice.
Streamlining Administrative Tasks
Let’s face it – record keeping is the bane of our existence as healthcare workers and therapists. But it’s a necessary evil. Practice Better is leaps and bounds ahead in this area, especially as it starts implementing new AI-based technologies. The auto-transcription and summarizing services have been game-changers.
It’s not flawless, but it provides a significant headstart in capturing the main points from a session and the potential action items for me or my client. Plus, the ‘recap’ window summarizing the previous session is great for keeping me on track with a client’s goals. I see how this technology will hopefully (sooner than later) transform the administrative slog in public health care.
The Digital Shift
Post-COVID, having a robust online presence is non-negotiable. It’s how we get information and connect with potential clients. It isn’t just about having a website; it’s about having one that’s clear, easy to read and navigate, and reflective of what you do. The services you use in your private practice are an extension of your website and online presence.
Looking back, I’m glad I took the advice of a friend who is also in the field to create a logo and branding kit to maintain a consistent professional image. I use the logo in my personalized client/clinician platform.
For earlier versions of my logo, I used services like Fiverr but later opted for a local professional whose work I was familiar with and liked. Creating a logo on your own is easy with all the new AI tools, but I still think a professional can help you troubleshoot and give you feedback on your overall branding and presentation.
Deep Dive into Features
Expanding on the functionalities, Practice Better’s telehealth feature deserves special mention. The seamless integration of video calls into the practice management workflow simplifies the process of conducting virtual sessions. This is particularly beneficial for clients who prefer or require remote access.
On the backend, Practice Better is also HIPPA (US), GDPR (EU), and PIPEDA (Canada) compliant to ensure your practice follows privacy guidelines when handling sensitive personal information.
If you’re not sure what those are, definitely look into it and make sure all the tools and practices you use to respect the privacy and security laws in your country.
On the payment end, the billing features are great. Practice Better integrates with payment systems like Square, streamlining the payment process and reducing my administrative workload. They have their own payment processing system, but I have not used it. The Square integration has been a timesaver in my practice, ensuring smooth financial transactions and making it easier for tax time.
I just need to remember to send the invoices after my session and occasionally send a reminder to my clients (but you can set auto-reminders for this too).
Another great feature I’m starting to use more (but hopefully less over time) is the ability to send and receive faxes! If you’ve ever worked in a medical clinic or public healthcare, you know that fax machines still exist (and gripe about why, like me).
Healthcare systems tend to move slowly. Being able to send and receive faxes has been helpful for building a referral network with local medical clinics or liaising with some insurance companies.
Case Study: Implementing Practice Better
Let me share a brief case study. Discover how Practice Better can enhance client interactions. When I first onboarded a client using Practice Better, I noticed an immediate improvement in our interactions.
The client appreciated the ease with which they could schedule appointments, review the action items we discussed, and easily communicate with me through the platform.
This improved their experience and freed up my time to focus more on the therapeutic aspects (or a bit of self-care in between sessions) rather than administrative tasks.
My Personal Experience with Practice Better
Exploring Practice Better’s vast options took time, but its core features, such as appointment setting, billing, and telehealth, have been rock-solid.
I appreciate their ongoing community education and responsiveness to feature requests. They even added a Zoom blur background feature after a number of users requested it! There are occasional hiccups with the telehealth platform, but that’s technology for you. I’m hopeful for future enhancements like a virtual waiting room feature.
As a planner, I always have backups of everything, including PDF forms and services I use if something goes down. Whenever a client or I have issues with the Practice Better telehealth platform, I send them to Sessions from Psychology Today, which is included if you’re listed in their directory.
I’ll do an overview in the future and share the pros/cons of listing on Psychology Today. It’s an added cost, but if you’re clear on who you’re servicing, it can be a decent source of referrals.
Comparing with Other Systems
The practice management space is fiercely competitive, with new options emerging constantly. Jane, for instance, is a strong contender known for its ease of use. However, Practice Better offers a wider range of options for expanding into areas like course offerings, which is invaluable for a holistic practice approach which includes groups, courses, and assessments.
Cost-Effectiveness
Here’s where Practice Better truly shines. The free Sprout plan is perfect for starters, allowing you to manage up to three clients. Start with Practice Better’s free Sprout plan. It’s how I began – testing it with a dummy client, then my partner (an Android user), and finally, real clients.
The feedback has been instrumental in shaping my use of the system. As your client base grows, the pricing scales reasonably with the Starter and Professional tiers.
As of 2023, the Professional tier is priced at $59 a month CAD for up to 300 clients – a steal for the value it provides. Jane starts at $79 a month CAD for their base plan.
Conclusion
Starting a private practice is a rewarding, albeit challenging, endeavour. Tools like Practice Better make the journey smoother and enhance the quality of services you provide. It’s about building a practice that’s not only successful but also sustainable and enjoyable.
For those considering venturing into private practice or looking for an efficient practice management system, I wholeheartedly recommend Practice Better.
Click here to try Practice Better.
It’s a decision that has positively impacted my practice, and I believe it can do the same for yours.
Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions!