Struggling to find balance in your life as a therapist running your own practice?
Between therapy sessions, administrative tasks and running an entire business, it can be difficult to find some semblance of work-life balance.
This is part of the reason why therapists are increasingly shifting to practice management or therapy scheduling software.
As you’ll see, it automates and streamlines so many different aspects of your practice, from appointments to intake forms, therapy notes, billing and more while simultaneously growing your practice.
The result?
More time back for you.
Why Practices Are Moving Toward Therapy Scheduling Software
1. Automated Appointment Scheduling
Scheduling software automates all aspects of scheduling for you.
This results in a significant decrease of up to ten or so admin hours per week, depending upon your current caseload.
Here are some examples:
- Online Booking. Therapy scheduling software allows clients to book appointments online, therein reducing the time that you (or your staff) spend on the telephone or communicating via email. With Yocale, clients can also make appointment “requests” (instead of actual appointments), which you can approve or not approve depending upon your preference.
- Appointment Reminders. Instead of calling clients to remind them of their upcoming appointments, you can simply automate the process. You’ll also reduce no-shows by as much as 86% if you’re not already sending some form of appointment reminder.
- Rebooking Reminders. Rebooking reminders encourage clients to return again and can be set to be sent out after a certain period of time. Again, you can automate this entire process.
2. Saves Time By Streamlining Admin and Billing
Therapy scheduling software takes care of much more than scheduling and appointments; it streamlines nearly every aspect of your practice.
Here are just a few examples:
- Billing. An integrated invoicing system makes it possible to bill clients online and even store credit card information in the system. Bonus: Tax season becomes a lot easier because all of your financial information is easily stored in one place. Plus, with Yocale, you’ll get access to the lowest payment processing rates for thousands of dollars of savings every year.
- Session (Therapy) Notes. By using a stylus and a tablet, you can eliminate the need to turn handwritten notes into a digital format and then back them up. Instead, your notes will be digital from the beginning and will even be automatically saved and tagged in the cloud. They’ll be more organized, legible, secure, and you’ll be able to access them whenever you want. With forms functionality, you can even write your session notes from templates for an even more streamlined process (or build custom forms if you prefer). Learn why more therapists are moving to electronic therapy notes and a paperless practice in general here.
- Intake Forms and Other Documentation. With a form-builder, you can turn all of your paper-based forms into a digital version. As soon as a client books online, any type of form can be automatically presented to them (you can also send clients forms at any time, such as homework), eliminating the need to do any of this manually. In short, clients can complete forms online, and even add their signature, and all documentation gets automatically saved in their digital file.
3. Reduces No-Shows
No-shows are a problem for mental health professionals, both from quality of care and cost standpoints.
For instance, psychiatric patients were twice as likely to be readmitted if they failed to attend follow-up appointments.
Additionally, no-shows also cost businesses a lot of money each year as well. For instance, missed appointments cost the U.S. health system $150 billion every year.
Therapy scheduling software reduces no-shows with automated appointment reminders via email or SMS reminders.
4. Reduces Paper Clutter (+ Boosts Security)
Do you have a stack of legal pads at your office?
Indeed, paper clutter is a big headache – particularly for those who haven’t navigated to electronic records.
The problem is that solo or smaller practices don’t typically have a lot of space. This problem can escalate as your practice grows.
More clients and more paperwork but no more space.
Practice management or therapy scheduling software turns paper-based documents into digital ones and stores them securely in the cloud.
The result?
No more filing and no more cabinet space necessary!
Here’s the other thing about paper-based records: they’re not safe when compared to storing them in the cloud.
Think: break-ins, faded ink or fires. Documents can even get misplaced by cleaners.
Instead, practice management software keeps all records securely stored in the cloud. Yocale, for instance, stores all data securely in what is regarded to be one of the most secure servers in the world – the Microsoft Azure server.
5. Makes Practices Competitive with Online Booking and Virtual Offerings
The reality is that customers today want the convenience of booking online. Recent research has found that 56.4% of customers are frustrated with the inconvenience of scheduling appointments by phone.
Giving clients the ability to book online instantly elevates your level of customer service. Furthermore, it minimizes the possibility that clients will go elsewhere because the scheduling process was inconvenient.
Of course, online scheduling makes you competitive in other ways as well, with virtual therapy or telemedicine being one such example.
Not only has online therapy been a necessity for therapists amidst the Covid 19 pandemic, but research shows that clients love virtual therapy.
Research published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, for instance, found that patients reported a high level of satisfaction with virtual therapy or telehealth.
At the end of the day, it’s about giving clients options.
This is what elevates the client experience.
With the rise of sites like Better Help, practice owners need to think about how they can remain competitive in an increasingly digital landscape.
6. Offers Remote Accessibility (And Greater Flexibility)
Therapy scheduling software effectively keeps your entire practice in the cloud.
This includes your schedule, session notes, forms, records, invoices and just about anything else you can think of.
Not only does this offer more convenience on a day-to-day basis but it also affords greater flexibility overall.
7. Builds Caseloads and Grows Your Practice
Therapy scheduling software also builds your practice. It does this in several different ways:
- Keeps Your Practice Open 24/7
Imagine having a virtual receptionist that not only takes care of appointment scheduling but is also available at all hours of the night?
One way that therapy scheduling software generates more clients is by essentially keeping your practice open 24/7, allowing clients to book appointments at whatever hour they choose.
This is important considering that 40% of bookings happen after business hours.
- Online Therapy (Telemedicine)
According to the American Psychological Association’s 2021 Trend Report, online therapy is here to stay.
Not only does virtual therapy elevate the client experience but it also allows you to reach a larger audience.
Research has also shown that telemedicine can be just as effective as in-person therapy.
- The Marketplace
A scheduling software like Yocale also connects you with its marketplace, therein connecting you to hundreds of people who are searching for a therapist.
Wrapping It Up
Therapy scheduling software is critical for practices today. By automating and streamlining many different administrative processes, practice owners get more time back.
It also reduces paper clutter, affords more security and even builds your caseload.
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