As a private practitioner, you have a lot on your plate. You have to keep track of client appointments, send email reminders, handle billing, the list goes on. When you have so many responsibilities, it can be hard to make time for the one thing that matters most: seeing clients.
Using a modern EHR like PracticePicnic will help you manage all the day-to-day tasks while letting you spend more time caring for your clients. Here are some core benefits of using an EHR to run your private practice.
1. You become more efficient
Most EHRs come with features to make you more efficient as a clinician. These include scheduled invoicing, automated email/text reminders for clients, auto-complete while note-taking, and much more. By leveraging these features of your EHR, you can save yourself hours of repetitive, error-prone work and keep your energy for your clients.
Modern EHRs often also let you access your client records, notes, and calendars on mobile phones, either via an app or the phone's web browser. When juggling so many different things and trying to have a life simultaneously, you don't always have time to open up your computer. EHRs with mobile support let you quickly update client notes, sign a document, or send an intake form without disrupting other parts of your life.
Lastly, some EHRs like PracticePicnic have advanced features designed to make you hyper-efficient as a practitioner. For example, PracticePicnic offers Smart Phrases and Macros, two features that will help you cut your documentation time in half while giving you better notes.
2. Paperless intake and notes
If you're not using an EHR to handle your client info, you probably stick with old-school pen-and-paper charts stashed away somewhere in the office. While that's how things were done for ages and might be okay for some, going digital with client notes in practice management software has its perks.
A big plus with an EHR is that it takes up way less space. You can free up your office for other stuff, or maybe you won't even need an office at all. Plus, going digital means you'll save on paper, ink, and other office supplies. No more paying for labor or spending your own time dealing with a mountain of physical charts – everything's way smoother.
3. Reduced costs
While there is a cost associated with an EHR software, your other costs, like the ones mentioned above associated with a physical office and paper records, may go down. Another benefit of an EHR is it gives you the option to run a virtual practice, eliminating the need for office related expenses like rent, utilities, and the like entirely.
An EHR system can also help you save on labor costs. Though some private practitioners still may choose to hire a biller or other administrative support, an EHR benefit is it gives you the tools to be able to manage those parts of your business without additional support.
4. Increased security
Another key benefit of an EHR is the enhanced security it offers to your practice and your clients’ data. Paper records can be more vulnerable to stray eyes or other security risks, and any top-rated EHR system will be HIPAA-compliant.
This gives you peace of mind knowing that you’ve done everything you can to protect your clients and your practice from potential data violations—and gives your clients that same peace of mind as well.
5. All-in-one solution
Rather than using an EHR or practice management software, you might be using a collection of different tools to help you manage your practice. For example, you might be using one tool to handle client forms/paperwork, another to write your progress notes and treatment plans, and yet another to organize your appointments and send reminders.
A modern EHR will do all of those things for you, and more, all in one place. You won't have to transfer client data from one app to another. Everything is fully integrated into one tool and one price.
6. Most importantly, increased quality of care
As a byproduct of practices running more efficiently, the quality of care clients receive increases as well. Mental health EHRs help clinicians keep more accurate and up-to-date information about their clients, which can help eliminate inaccuracies in records.
One key benefit of an EHR is how easy it is for clinicians to update records and adapt treatment plans as needed in real time—and also share those records with other specialists, if that’s what the client needs.
EHR software makes it easy for clinicians to send appointment reminders, reschedule appointments, and in some cases write and send prescriptions—all ensuring seamless continuity of care for their clients, making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Perhaps the largest EHR benefit is it helps prevent clinician burnout, which in turn has a direct impact on the quality of time they spend with their clients and the treatment they get.
Try PracticePicnic - The Modern Mental Health EHR
From scheduling to documentation to billing, PracticePicnic has you covered. With our all-in-one EHR, running your mental health practice will be a picnic!
PracticePicnic is the modern EHR for mental health professionals. It gives you all the tools you need to run your practice. Take a look at our features, or our unique business philosophy, The Picnic Way.