About SimplePractice and What Differentiates it From Other EMRs

SimplePractice is a popular EMR and patient management system designed for small solo and group practices. It was founded in 2012 and is often praised for its easy-to-use interface as well as the extras included with the software, like Wiley Treatment Planner. Unlike some EMRs, SimplePractice is not specifically designed for addiction treatment in general or drug and alcohol counseling in particular. Instead, SimplePractice is used by a diverse range of clinical practices, such as mental health professionals, speech language pathologists, chiropractors, social workers, acupuncturists, nutritionists, massage therapists, occupational therapists and lactation consultants. Many substance use counselors, addiction treatment professionals and peer mentors use the system as well, but it’s not designed especially for behavioral health workflows. 

SimplePractice can handle clinical notes, billing and scheduling as well as telehealth. Like all clinical EHRs, it’s HIPAA compliant. 

SimplePractice is a mid-priced EHR. It runs $39 a month for a single user and the most inexpensive group plan with the fewest possible users comes in at $59 a month. 

SimplePractice starts at a price of $39 per month for a single clinician. Group plans start at $59/month.

The Biggest Reasons Addiction Treatment Providers Choose SimplePractice

Addiction treatment professionals just starting out in group practice gravitate to SimplePractie because it has extras like a professional website builder and pre-fab treatment planning tools. It also has a mobile app that allows providers to access the EMR on their phone, as well as a patient portal feature that makes records, prescriptions and messaging accessible to patients and clients.

Others gravitate towards SimplePractice because the website advertises the software’s “scalability” and mentions that it is compatible with building a group practice. However, if you’re a growth-minded clinician, you should understand a little about the limitations of SimplePractice before you commit to this platform.

SimplePractice is Not a Logical Choice for Clinician Entrepreneurs in the Drug and Alcohol Counseling Space

SimplePractice is geared towards the beginning clinician who is just getting started and needs an affordable “safe space” to develop the basics of their practice. It is not, however, designed to support addiction treatment entrepreneurs who are looking to expand their group practice or pivot to an outpatient or IOP program. 

Here’s a few key limitations to SimplePractice for the entrepreneurial behavioral health clinician:

• No integrated ePrescribing ability 

• No facility claims or UB-04’s

• No group note capability

• Patient records not built for collaboration

SimplePractice Can’t Handle UB-04 Claim Forms

SimplePractice assumes that users are only interested in submitting CMS-1500 claim forms to insurance providers. This works great for people in solo practice. This works well for group practices, too. However, for those looking to expand their practice into an outpatient program or an IOP level of care, CMS-1500 becomes irrelevant and another form, UB-04, becomes central to the revenue cycle. SimplePractice can’t handle UB-04’s and there is no word on when or if they will add this functionality.

SimplePractice Can’t Handle Addiction Treatment Group Notes

Many addiction treatment clinicians are surprised to learn that SImplePractice can’t process notes for groups of 3 or more. There is simply no function to create group notes on SimplePractice. There are unofficial workarounds that users have found to generate group notes but help section comments call these methods “jerry rigged” and unnecessarily difficult. 

Most, if not all, outpatient and IOP programs rely heavily on group counseling sessions and family counseling sessions. This makes SimplePractice a poor choice for solo and group providers who envision expanding into outpatient in the not-so-distant future. 

SimplePractice Patient Records Aren’t Made for Collaboration

In solo practice, it makes sense to treat patient records as a silo, because there is only one clinician creating the narrative of care. This format, however, becomes problematic in an outpatient or IOP setting. Coordination of care is paramount in an outpatient program, where patients typically interact with a team of providers who oversee their progress and the execution of their treatment plan. 

Because SimplePractice is designed for solo and small group practices, patient records tend to be organized in a silo, with very little thought given to collaborative workflows. 

Behave Health is a Better Choice for Group Practice and Outpatient Addiction Treatment Programs

Behave Health is an all-in-one EMR built with the specific needs of behavioral health providers in mind. Behave Health handles everything from the clinical side of your business to billing and beyond - whether you’re a thriving group practice or a clinician entrepreneur looking to transition into outpatient or IOP.

Here’s why Behave Health is a great choice for growth-minded addiction treatment businesses:

• Full ePrescribing capabilities 

• Choose between CMS-1500 or UB-04

• Built to handle one-on-one and group note generation with ease

• Collaboration-ready records    

Curious About the Behave Health Universe? We’re Here to Help.

Behave Health is committed to making it easier - and more profitable - to operate evidence-based, results-focused addiction treatment centers.

Our all-in-one app puts clinical, administration, staff, admissions, alumni, residents, treatment plans, billing, insurance authorizations - and more - at your fingertips.

Get your free trial started today and see why more addiction treatment centers prefer Behave Health.

PS. Just getting started with behavioral health? Need help with certification, too? Behave Health can also help direct you to the right resources for help with Licensing or Accreditation by either The Joint Commission or CARF. Mention to your product specialist that you’re interested in this service after you start your free trial!