Show Notes

Kayla: Welcome Back to The Designer Practice Podcast, and I’m your host, Kayla Das. In today’s episode, we’re going to be diving into ways to automate your private practice using online software.

Whether you hear a software called an electronic health record, an electronic medical record, or a practice management system, they’re all referring to one simple thing and that is an all-in-one platform that stores your client files so that you as a therapist and coach can document securely.

But the most common question is which one is best for you and your practice?

Well, today I have Lindy Rock, Automation expert and owner of Rock Solid Administration, a virtual assistant agency, with us to share the features, benefits, drawbacks, and considerations of various platforms, so that you can choose a platform that best fits your needs.

Hi, Lindy. Welcome to the show. It’s great to have you here today.

Lindy: It’s super great to be here. I’m very excited.

Kayla: Since I’ve started my practice, I’ve always used an EHR. I’ve never done like the manual documentation. Specifically, I use Jane app and I know that’s one of the platforms that you’re going to be sharing today. And it’s really made both my private practice and business coaching practice more streamlined for case note documentation. It helps me send out client consent forms, business agreements, all of that virtually, accepting payments.

So, I’m super excited that we’re getting into like the differences between the different platforms for both Canadian and US listeners. So, this is amazing.

Lindy: Yeah, it’s a really good thing to think about when you have any type of business, how to automate more. And I just love these programs for those reasons and also the safety features of them, so.

Introduction

Kayla: Agree. So, before we get into it please introduce yourself, where you’re from. Tell us a little bit about what you do and who you work with.

Lindy: Sure. So, my name is Lindy Brock. As you mentioned, I own Rock Solid Administration. It’s a virtual assistant agency based here in Canada. So, I am currently based in Alberta, Canada. And I love it here. It’s finally sunny. I’m so excited. And we have been in business for over eight years and we do a lot of automation for small businesses and mainly coaches, therapists and entrepreneurs. And then we also do some virtual assistant work with them. So, we help them with running their actual practice or running their business, client management, email management, and also we do website updates and course creation and that kind of stuff.

Kayla: That’s fabulous. I always have clients ask do I know of any virtual assistants that work with therapists specifically? So, I am so glad to have met you and to have you here on the podcast so that other people can reach out to you as well if they need a virtual assistant.

Lindy: Yeah. Super excited.

How Technology Automate and Streamline Private Practices

Kayla: So, when we think of EHRs, how can technology help therapists and coaches automate and streamline their practices?

Lindy: There’s so many things. I mean, the biggest part about the backend of owning or being part of your own practice or your own coaching business is the administrative side, and that’s what sucks up the majority of the time. But in reality, it makes you money in quotation marks, but it doesn’t really, right? You’re making money when you’re out there talking to your clients. You’re out there helping them. You’re out there doing the things that actually bring in the money.

The admin side is really, really important. So as much of that as you can automate as possible just helps you bring back the time where you can focus more on the actual client side of it and being there for your clients and just being part of what you actually started your business to do. Because nobody starts their business to do admin work except me, apparently, but.

Kayla: Yeah. No, I agree. And, you know, administrative work often holds us back. And what I love about practice management systems overall is they help us easily obtain our payments, document our notes, get our client intakes. Even the booking aspect of a lot of these platforms are really helpful because that way people can just go to your website or go to a link and then they don’t have to worry about emailing back and forth. You know, what time works best for you, and that takes a lot of time in a day when you could be working with a client and making money doing that.

Lindy: I agree. I also love that it’s all in one spot. For me, that’s a big thing. I don’t like having to go to seven different places to try and find the information I’m looking for. So, I love that. In this case, you could just like literally click on the client’s name and have everything that you’ve done with them, right? You can have their agreement; you can have any notes you’ve uploaded to them. You can have any records that you’ve put in their account. You can have any invoices they have open or paid. Or you can literally give all that to the client in a really easy way. And I think it’s really important for you to be able to just know that everything’s organized and in one place.

Differences Between Software for Therapists and Coaches

Kayla: Agree. So, when we think of both therapists and coaches– for our listeners, typically therapists are regulated professionals, although coaches can be regulated professionals sometimes, they aren’t. So, are there differences between the software for both say therapists and coaches?

Lindy: Yes and no. I mean, a coach can use any software that they want, really, they could use the same ones as the therapy practice. That being said, the therapist is not in the same boat as a coach. The coaches can use pretty much any software. I mean, they could use a lot of the apps we’re talking about when we talk about the therapist apps. But that being said, the therapists can’t use the ones that we’re talking about when we talk about the coaches’ apps. And the reason being that therapists in Canada and the US have HIPAA and PIPEDA. And it’s really regulated by the government that they have to have certain things secure that they can’t guarantee with some of the stuff that we’re talking about with the coaches’ programs.

So, the therapist ones are specifically made for therapy practices and medical practices and those kinds of things because they do have the HIPAA and PIPEDA regulations through them. So, it’s important to make sure that you’re using a platform that has those considerations with them.

Electronic Health Record Software for Therapists

Kayla: That makes complete sense. So as there are different platforms, let’s discuss EHRs, so electronic health records, when it relates to therapists. First of all, what are the EHRs that are for therapists? And then what are the features, benefits, drawbacks, and considerations for each?

Lindy: Yeah, for sure. So, when it comes to Canada, we can use Jane App, which is a great all-in one EHR. And then the other one that is also PIPEDA compliant is Owl Practice. And some of the features of both of them is that they have scheduling, you can use the schedule in there. There’s client management, telehealth, they can do your billing for you. And they do have some reporting.

Some of the cons is cost, obviously, cause it’s generally a monthly or an annual cost. And there is always a learning curve, right? So going in and just thinking that you’re going to have it set up in a day, likely you’re not.

And then also Owl Practice versus Jane. There’s limited customization on Owl Practice, so it doesn’t have the ability to customize it to your own branding, whereas Jane does. And there’s a few other things that each of them do that the other one doesn’t. So, for instance, you can’t schedule tasks in Owl Practice, but you can in Jane. You can’t send a SMS or text message in Owl Practice, but you can in Jane. That being said, in Jane, you can’t have progress reports, but you can in Owl Practice. So, I think it’s really important for people to go and really look at what the benefits and features are of each one and see what they need in their own practice and decide between the two based on those things.

Kayla: So, when you say progress notes are you talking about case notes or is this something different?

Lindy: It is different. So, it’s a progress report. So, what it would do is you would fill out certain things based on criteria of where they start at, and then you can have a report at the end that would tell you where they are now. So, it would be kind of like, in 10 sessions they’ve gone from this to this. And Owl Practice does have that. But Jane app does not.

Kayla: Perfect. And so that’s obviously Canadian. But what about for US listeners? What practice management systems exist for those?

Lindy: For sure. So, therapy notes and simple practice, what I quite like about both of them is that they both have a lot of support. So, they both have phone, online knowledge base, and video tutorial support, which I absolutely love. I’m a big fan of support. I should have said that about the Jane stuff too. Both Jane and Owl Practice have a lot of support. Jane has chat support which Owl Practice doesn’t.

So, Therapy Notes and Simple Practice are two that are really good. And again, it comes down to what you’re looking for in a program what kind of stuff you need overall. And these ones are the similar to Owl Practice and Jane, where they do have the scheduling, they have the billing, they have the customizable forms, they have document management software.

The difference would be price point. And therapy Notes has higher-tiers for bigger offices. So, they have more ability to grow. Whereas Simple Practice is only for small businesses or freelancers. Not only for them, but it’s typically that they’re using those ones.

There is always the learning curve on all of these. And again, there’s always the cost. So, it’s really important to make sure that whatever your practice is looking for, if it is more document management, making sure that the document management is the kind you want. You can do free trials on most of them, so you have the ability to test it out for a week or so and decide if it is going to be easy or not for you to be able to work with. So that’s a big consideration.

Paper-and-Pen Notes vs. Using an EHR

Kayla: And I think too, some therapists may want to do the pen and paper notes. And I think the thing that you just identified was that there is a learning curve, but once you know it, it can help automate, right? Whereas if you keep the pen and paper, it might feel easier in the beginning, but as a result it may not necessarily automate and then it’ll take more time.

Lindy: Yeah, that’s exactly it. And I mean, the great thing about a lot of these platforms is you can still take paper and pen notes if that’s really how you’re comfortable doing it. Just take a picture of those and upload it into the client file, and it’s still in the same spot when you go to look for it. And I think that’s where a lot of people don’t think about these things, right? It’s like, okay, I can still do my paper and pen because that’s how my brain needs to get the information in it. But I can just take a picture of that and then I can upload it into the client file and then I can just shred that piece of paper and I don’t have to look at it again. It’s just always in the client file. Otherwise, you have a book full of paper notes and you’re trying to find where you left off, or you’re trying to find the one thing that they said. Whereas this way it’s all there in the one client file.

Kayla: Yeah. And it’s important for new therapists, when they are starting their own private practices, knowing that they might not stay in that office that they’re in. Or they might not even stay in the province that they’re in. I mean, I know I’m a mover. I move all the time. So, for me to have a paper copy would not work for my practice or wouldn’t work for me. Because there’d be too many liability issues with the transition of paper to one area to another. So that’s also important to know when you start choosing how you’re going to take notes is if you know that you’re going to be moving quite frequently. There’s potential risks with the transition of paper notes, place to place. Whereas if you’re using a secure platform, then obviously you can access that from anywhere.

Lindy: Even a big consideration now is if you have an online business, having paper notes in your office, in your home is also a big risk, right? There’s people that come in and out of your home, even your own kids or your own spouse. It’s not that they’re going to steal your notes but they might see something they’re not supposed to if you don’t put it away in the proper place. So just taking into consideration where you are even in your space, right? So I think it’s really important for everybody to look at how they’ve got their business set up.

Kayla: I also want to give a fun fact Jane app is both HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant, so it can be used in Canadian and US practices. So, I just wanted to put that out there.

One of the key considerations that therapists in Canada need to consider is if the data is being stored in Canada. And that’s why you need to ensure that a specific practice management system is covered under PIPEDA. Because when we think of certain US based practice management systems, they are not based in Canada. They do not have a server in Canada. And even though that they may advertise to Canadian practices, it’s really up to the Canadian therapist to determine if the data is being stored in a Canadian server. i.e. Is PIPEDA compliant. So, I think that’s really important for Canadian listeners to know. And that’s why even in this episode, we separated from Canadian versus US because of course what’s PIPEDA compliant may not be HIPAA compliant and vice versa.

Lindy: Very good point.

Software for Coaches

Kayla: So, when it comes to coaches, what are some software that can help them streamline their practices. And what are the features, benefits, drawbacks, and considerations of each of those?

Lindy: So again, as I said, they could use the same programs that we recommended for the therapists. That being said, there are some other programs out there that are really great too, that have a bit of a lower price point and/or are just easier to create workflows and they don’t necessarily have to be HIPAA or PIPEDA compliant. So, these ones are ones that aren’t.

So, one of them is Dubsado. It’s great for workflows and it does have your schedule. It has your contracts. It has also your billing and everything all-in-one. So, you can just basically set it up that your workflow would start with sending somebody a quote. As soon as they choose something from the quote, they’ll get a contract. And as soon as they sign the contract, they get a welcome email with next steps and the schedule to book a time with you. It’s very amazing to just see it all happen without having to do a lot of that. It also keeps track of your emails in there too, anybody in your client list, which is great. So, you, you have everything there. You can also upload documents and all of that. So, because it does have so many features, it can seem overwhelming. And then the finance tracking isn’t so great with Dubsado. So, if you are with somebody who tracks finances with like QuickBooks say I wouldn’t recommend switching to the Dubsado finance tracking. I would just keep it in QuickBooks.

HoneyBook is another one and it’s a little bit more expensive than Dubsado, but it has a lower learning curve. It’s a little bit easier to understand and people find it a little bit more user friendly than Dubsado. That being said, it does have less customization than Dubsado. So, you can’t make it quite as pretty.

And then the last one would be 17hats. Which again, has all of the same features as the other two, calendar integration, scheduling, contracts, invoices, questionnaires, branded emails, custom portals and templated emails. But it’s even less customizable than HoneyBook. But it does have a way better finance tracking than either of the other two.

So, a lot of drawbacks to each of them. A lot of pros to each of them. So again, it’s just really what you are looking for in your coaching business to decide which one is the best for you.

Kayla: Yeah, I’ve heard a lot of coaches using both HoneyBook and Dubsado.

Lindy: Yeah.

Considerations for Automating and Streamlining Private Practices

Kayla: Now that we’ve kind of talked about the specific platforms that exist, are there any additional tips, strategies or advice that you think therapists and coaches should or could consider when they’re looking to automate or streamline their private practices?

Lindy: Yeah, I would say, do one small thing at a time. If the first thing you want to do is get your scheduler updated and make sure that people can schedule easily, just do that first and take the time to figure out some of the other things. That being said, my biggest advice to anybody is if you find that it’s overwhelming, find someone who knows it and get them to do it for you, because there’s nothing worse than having a program sitting there that could be doing so much for you that isn’t because you just don’t have the time to learn it. And not everybody is a program wiz, which is totally fine. But it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have these things in your practice to make your life easier in the end, if it’s set up well. It’s going to work and you’re going to love it. And the initial cost might be a little bit more than you were hoping. But in the end, it’s going to save you hundreds of hours over the course of a year.

Kayla: Really good point. And actually, one advice I also have as well, is really looking at the different platforms and what fits your practice best. Use the demos. Use fee trials. Try things out and see what feels right for you in your practice. Because not every system is going to be the right fit for you, even though all of them will have some type of learning curve. What feels right, what feels more doable. And that’s even a part of doing your research.

And you know who has the customer service that you need. If you are someone who likes to call in, do they have an ability to call in? If you’re someone who likes to email, do they have accessible email? Do they have a chat box? I mean, it’s really looking at what you need or what you use more frequently as a therapist and really seeing which platform best fits you and how you do business.

Lindy: A hundred percent. It also has to go with your brand and how you want to be perceived by your clients too. So, taking that into consideration as well. Is it good with my brand? Does it feel good for me? Does it look good? Does it give the client a good experience? I would even go so far as to say if you really want to know the platform, don’t just use it from the user side, but actually sign yourself up as a client and see what the process is for them, that you can know what your client’s going to experience. Because if it’s a terrible experience, they’re not going to want to use it and you’re just going to get negative feedback about it. So, make sure that the client experience for that side of it is also really good.

Conclusion

Kayla: Agree. So, can you tell us a little bit about the freebie that you want to give to our listeners and how it can help them?

Lindy: So, this is the first three things that everybody asks us to automate is just can you automate my schedule? Can you help me clean up my email? And can you tell us about a workflow or something to make our process better for our clients? So those are the three things that are in our download. There’s a couple videos and a Google sheet that you can have for a workflow. And it just is our top three asks of any of our clients.

Kayla: Amazing. So, if you’re interested in signing up for Lindy’s Freebie, 3 Ways to Take Back your Time and Start Making Money, check out kayladas.com/lindyrockfreebie.

That’s kayladas.com/lindyrockfreebie or simply scroll down to the show notes and click on the link.

Lindy, thank you so much for joining us today and for breaking down the different software so that listeners can make an informed decision when signing up for the software that they can use for their private practice.

Lindy: Thank you so much for having me. It was great to be here.

Kayla: Thank you everyone for tuning into today’s episode, and I hope you join me again soon on The Designer Practice Podcast.

Until next time, bye for now.

Credits & Disclaimers

Music by ItsWatR from Pixabay

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