Compare the Best Mental Health Practice Management Software
Once you've decided that its time for your mental health practice to explore a new practice management system, you'll want to compare some of the top options on the market. We've highlighted some of the most popular practice management systems for small to medium sized mental health practices, and created a table to summarize some of the important differences between the different systems. Fortunately, the systems below that are built for private practices are more modern and user-friendly than the bulky old software used in large health systems. Top practice management software companies include:
All of the companies above are reputable, and are widely used by mental health practices. Before we take a look at the individual options, let's start with an overview of the features you should expect from practice management systems for mental health.
What is mental health practice management software?
Mental health practice management software is technology that supports the day-to-day operations of mental health practitioners. It is the most broad and foundational technology used inside of mental health practices. Practice management systems enable front-office and back-office processes. Example features include client intake, scheduling, EMR, and billing. A full list of common features found in practice management systems is documented below. Practice management systems are often discussed synonymously with electronic medical records (EMRs). However, EMR technology is used more specifically for clinical matters.
How much does mental health practice management software cost?
Leading practice management software systems are priced at around $50/month for single clinicians and $30/month for each additional clinician. Systems typically charge around $10/month extra for telehealth and credit card processing. Some systems have extra charges for insurance-related functionality. For example, TherapyNotes charges 14 cents each for eligibility requests, electronic claims, and ERAs. Finally, some solutions charge a few cents for each appointment reminder.
What are the key features for practice management systems?
- Client Intake: Top systems offer fully paperless systems that allow clients to complete forms through a client portal.
- Appointments & Scheduling: You should look for systems that make it easy for your team or your clients to create or reschedule appointments, aggregate these appointments on a clean calendar view, and offer free appointment reminders.
- Online Client Portal: The best systems have very robust client portals that allow you to share documents, send HIPAA-compliant messages, capture demographic & billing information, and manage appointments.
- Plans & Notes: The systems below have different strengths when it comes to notes. Some offer large, pre-built libraries with time-saving auto-fill functionality. Others make it very easy for you to create your own forms. Finally, two systems below offer Wiley Planners.
- Billing & Invoicing: Top systems allow you to capture process credit & debit cards, and bill insurance companies. Some systems offer real-time eligibility reports, claims resubmission, and reduce paperwork with ERAs.
- Telehealth: Two of the systems below natively support telehealth for a small additional monthly fee. If telehealth is important to you, focus on these providers, or explore adding telehealth with a third-party tool like Doxy.me.
- E-Prescribing: Of the systems below, only Luminello natively supports e-prescribing. If you're a psychiatrist, we recommend starting your evaluation with Luminello.
- Reporting: The systems below have varying reporting and analytics packages. Since every practice has a unique approach to KPIs, we recommend evaluating the reporting functionality in these systems as a part of a live demo with the company.
- Mobile applications: Some of the companies below have a mobile app and some do not. While evaluating their differences, keep an eye on solutions with client-facing applications (SimplePractice has one for telehealth specfically), vs. those with applications for you and your team.
- Customer Support: All of the companies below offer solid customer support. However, they tend to have different hours and some only provide support through chat and email.
- Business Associate Agreement: All of the systems below offer a BAA for HIPAA compliance.
Side-by-Side Comparisons of Practice Management Systems
Overview of the Best Mental Health Practice Management Systems
SimplePractice
SimplePractice Pricing: $49/month + $29/month for each additional clinician; $10/month for telehealth.
Unique Features:
- Well-designed client intake workflow that makes it easy for clients to complete documents.
- Offers Wiley Planners, customizable templates, and ability to create forms from scratch.
- Convenient telehealth functionality located directly inside each appointment.
- Robust client portal that allows clients to complete intake forms, request appointments, send HIPAA-compliant messages, download documents, and pay bills.
- Powerful mobile application with a 4.7 rating on 6,000 reviews, and additional client mobile application for telehealth.
TheraNest
TheraNest Pricing: $38 per month for up to 30 active clients; telehealth for $10 per therapist per month; client portal for $6 per therapist per month
Unique Features:
- Wiley Practice Planner subscription includes both Wiley Treatment Planners and Wiley Progress Note Planners with access to over 1,000 pre-written treatments, goals and objectives.
- Full-screen telehealth functionality integrated directly into the system.
- The client portal allows patients to fill out intake forms, adding billing information and schedule appointments.
- Mobile
- Mobile application to help you manage your practice on the go.
TherapyNotes
TherapyNotes Pricing: $49/month + $29/month for each additional clinician; eligibility requests, electronic claims, ERAs and appointment reminders all $0.14 each
Unique Features:
- Powerful forms with time-saving functionality.
- TherapyNotes' system includes auto-suggest for DSM-5 and ICD-10 diagnoses.
- Robust billing package that offers real-time client insurance eligibility reports for over 900 payers.
TherapyAppointment
TherapyAppointment Pricing: $10/month for 10 appointments for individuals; $59/month + $39/month for each additional clinician for groups
Unique Features:
- The company recently released a brand new 2.0 version of the software with an improved user-interface.
- Does not charge for appointment reminders.
- Cheapest entry package for part-time practices: Prices start at $10 per month for up to 10 monthly appointments.
Luminello
Luminello Pricing: $59/month for up to 30 notes per month; $99/month for unlimited notes
Unique Features:
- Only solution that supports e-prescribing for controlled substances in all 50 states.
- Partnership with The Carlat Report to view relevant TCR articles and TCR medication fact sheets
- Free public profile to display business hours, insurance policies, conditions treated with built in pre-screen form.
IntakeQ
IntakeQ Pricing: $59/month + $20/month for each additional clinician
Unique Features:
- Large selection of form templates with very easy-to-use editor.
- IntakeQ offers services to build your digital forms from scratch for $9 each.
- Ability to share forms via link, email or an in-office iPad.
- Appointment reminders at no extra charge.
Comparison Overview: Mental Health Practice Management Software
| SimplePractice | TheraNest | TherapyNotes | TherapyAppointment | Luminello | IntakeQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Monthly Price | $49 | $38 | $59 | $10 | $59 | $59 |
| Long-Term Contract | NO | NO | NO | ? | NO | NO |
| Paperless Client Intake | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Appointments & Scheduling | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Online Client Portal | Full-featured | Full-featured | Lacks some advanced features | Full-featured | Full-featured | Full-featured |
| Plans & Notes | Templates, Wiley Planners, Custom | Wiley Planners, Custom | Pre-built Templates | Custom | Pre-built Templates, Custom | Custom |
| Telehealth | YES | YES | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| E-Prescribing | NO | NO | NO | NO | YES | NO |
| Mobile App | YES | YES | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| Customer support | Monday to Friday 7am-6pm PST. For emergencies, 9am-5pm PST Saturday & Sunday. | Monday to Friday, 7am-7pm CST | Monday to Friday, 8AM–9PM ET & Saturday 8AM–4PM ET | Prefer online ticket or email | Email only. Monday-Friday 7am-6pm PT | ? |