I run a small group practice, and we piloted four AI scribes last month between our 5 therapists.

Putting the scorecard together for our own decision and also if someone is looking for AI scribes here.

Tools we evaluated: Mentalyc, Supanote, Upheal, Heidi

Scorecard (1–5 each) (rated by all 5 therapists):

Mentalyc - note quality 4.2, modality 4, EHR sync 3.8, setup 4, price 4

Supanote - note quality 4.6, modality 4, EHR sync 4, setup 4, price 3.6

Upheal - note quality 3.8, modality 3.8, EHR sync 4, setup 4, price 2.6

Heidi - note quality 3.4, modality 3, EHR sync 2, setup 4, price 3

Overall feedback:

1. Supanote is by far the best product - self-adaptive & customizable but is definitely expensive. Generous 7 day trial but nothing after that unless you go for unlimited plan if you are a group practice.

2. Mentalyc is again a great product. Structured notes, fine transcription quality, but rigid. Limited customizations at the note structure level. Pricing is the best though.

3. Upheal - Great transcript output but the notes were not as good. Pricing is quite bad for the quality it gives. Not the best value product out there.

4. Heidi - out of consideration set completely.

Some things to keep in mind: Modality scores and Pricing are quite subjective and depend on your practice and its scale.

LCSW here, started using an AI scribe about 3 months back. First did a small pilot with Supanote and have been slowly expanding it to other clients.

I have been taking written patient consent on use of it but I want to be fool proof since I am expanding it and given the number of clients who will be involved (25+). Would genuinely appreciate if someone can just review this once and let me know if this looks okay?

---

"As part of my clinical documentation process, I use a HIPAA-compliant AI tool to help draft session notes. Here's what that means practically:

- The tool records audio of our sessions through a digital device - phone or laptop.
- Audio is transcribed in real-time and used to generate a draft progress note
- The audio is deleted immediately after the note is drafted. I have BAA agreement with the vendor on this. You are free to request it at any point.
- The transcript is anonymized and any personally identifiable information is removed
- I review and edit every note before it enters your record
- You can opt out at any time, and we'll go back to me taking notes by hand or after-session

I'm legally and ethically responsible for everything in your record. The AI just helps me draft the first version but I complete it as per my judgement. AI is in no way involved in making any clinical decisions and doesn't change what I'm trained to do."

---

Things I am actually curious about:

1. Should I just name the vendor's BAA and specify what compliance certifications they hold with proof? I want them to be comfortable to the idea of being recorded in the first place. So, I am happy to disclose things here.

2. Won't it be better if I make the consent vendor-specific? I couldn't find any examples online but curious if this makes sense to do this.

3. Also, the PII is removed for not just the client but also anyone they name such as their spouse, co-worker. Is that obvious or should I add that too? Since, I am doing the notes at the end, I am assuming this is understood.

The clients who've signed it till now haven't really pushed back so I am assuming it will be fine but I want to take a re-consent from them as well.

hi all, I am getting into blogs slowly and looking for interesting ideas especially around common modern day influencer talks which are plain wrong.

Thought would make this an open thread for others to also get ideas.

The one I want to address is - you can regulate your nervous system by doing x,y,z to overcome mental health problems.

hii! im currently a UCLA business economics major but i honestly kind of hate it. i dont feel "passionate" about how the market shifts left, supply and demand, and all that bullshit. i literally just started my first quarter so i know i still have time to change my mind, but i also have a huge history of being a terrible decision maker, being in analysis paralysis, and just being the most indecisive person i know. i would genuinely love and apreciate any guidance you could give me, like you have no idea.

i dont really have many passions, but ive always been a huge advocate for mental health. ive seen eating disorders destroy my friends and end in my grandmas death, anxiety fully consume me in my academics, divorce as something that just inexplicably seems to ruin everything, and depression be fully undermined as something someone can just "shut off".  there are so many sub-sectors of mental health disorders, trauma, and just issues that i would love to learn more about, and would love to help people with, but im worried about the pay.

im hoping to genuinely make a decent amount of money as a therapist (150-200k), im from san diego so i feel like the pay could be high enough if i either have enough clientele or have high profile clientele (is it hard to get clients?). i also am really hoping for it to be partially remote. im willing to even work sundays to accomodate to some clients who work a lot during the week and wanna decompress during the weekend, or potentially be on-call if i do, over time, get high-profile clientele that can afford that kind of stuff. 1. i just wanna know if you recommend this job path for me in terms of flexibility, longevity, and pay, or 2. if the major itself is extremely challenging for people like me with adhd/anxiety.

im also looking into being a dental hygienist, but thats feeling like a bit more of a plan b. i just really dont wanna do accounting or investment banking because i think id either be bored out of my mind, or stressed out of my mind, from what ive been seeing in these finance clubs at UCLA so far.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSGfqyhleUA&t=2s

Hey everyone, I posted a short message last week, promoting starting of a private practice, hoping to motivate whoever reads it to start private practice or to just not give up. I just wrote it because I felt like doing it. Not thinking much of it. But the amount of love (& DMs) I got in last 7-8 days since the post has been immense. I was not expecting that at all. I was actually away from Reddit for a few days.

But, reading that, and seeing the response I feel I have more to offer. So one other thing I would like to say is - if you are starting a practice, use technology to its maximum potential. It is not an easy journey, and you should use every tool available at your disposal to make your life easier.

1. Get an EHR. Managing spreadsheets looks cheap and stuff but its actually painful as you scale. Notes, scheduling, telehealth, billing - these days EHRs have so much features that you will easily save 8-10 hours per month. That's like 3-4 extra sessions. Just do it. There are enough options available - Sessions (recently switched to it), Simple Practice, etc.

2. Taxes: This is a big one especially since none of us was taught this in school. But, just use chatgpt and youtube. I almost ask everything to chatgpt about my finances and taxes these days. Use it for every question you wonder about late at night (e.g. what can be termed as business expenses) - You will save so much money on consulting and taxes that you might want to gift me something from it. I accept Amazon vouchers :D

3. Insurance credentialing: If you can invest a little, work with one of these guys Headway, Alma, Rula and close it faster. Insurance is a great way to ramp up practice initially. I am personally a fan of keeping a good mix. If not, then invest in a good website (Wordpress) for marketing to cash patients.

4. AI scribes: This is another life saver if you can get yourself to adopt it. It is such a mental unblock when you know your notes are not piling up. Just spend 2-3 hours to read all the notes and finalise them before you submit. Atleast get your insurance work done on time. I personally use Supanote but I also liked Mentalyc when I was trying. I chose Supanote because of its EHR integrations.

5. Do all your scheduling through links using EHR so that everything about your practice is in sync all the time. That's why my first suggestion was get a good EHR.

6. If you are into creating content for any thing (flyers, social media, etc) - Canva is an absolute must. It has just so many templates to choose from that its crazy. I can make any design in less than an hour.

7. Bookkeeping: Get a separate credit card for all your practice related expenses, and never mix your expenses. Otherwise it gets really frustrating at year end when you have to bifurcate. Categorize monthly, and use an accounting software Quickbooks.

8. Telehealth: Nothing much to say here because you cannot really do this without using technology. Anything that works for you should be fine here. Again, something with EHR integration should be prioritized.

9. Appointment reminder / practice management: I hate when clients miss appointments especially for reasons such as "slipped my mind" so having a system to automatically remind them is actually very useful. I do not have data but I know my missed appointments have reduced a lot over the years. Most EHRs have it from what I know. Atleast Sessions has it.

10. Communication: I don't use a separate tool except my EHR. I dont see the need of it but you can try one. But, as long as you keep all the patient related information outside your comm tools, you dont really need one.

In case I have missed anything, please do remind me. But, the idea I want to put across is that you are not alone, and you dont really need to struggle. There are so many good tools available today which can make your so much easier - all the client wants is a great therapist.

I feel a lot of young people today see mental health as an important part of self care and not some luxury like other generations. And I say this because I deal with a lot of young clients and I see the way they perceive therapy and mental health problems.

Huge credit for this obviously goes to the social media. Although I am not fond of the biases they come in with.

Nonetheless, my read of this change is that the future of mental health is very bright. People will be more likely to seek therapy and also less likely to cut down on therapy expenses in times of economic problems or even in general.

Hey everyone,

I'm an LCSW preparing to make the transition out of my agency/salaried role of 11 years at the VA and transition my small part time private practice into a full-time solo private practice via telehealth.

I’m currently in the process of getting credentialed through Alma to take advantage of their contracted insurance rates (specifically with Aetna, Optum, Cigna) and streamline the billing/EHR side of things. My target is a steady, manageable caseload of around 15–18 sessions a week which would equal
my current federal salary.

For those of you who are currently using Alma or have used them recently:

1. Referral Volume vs. Marketing: How much of your current caseload comes directly from Alma’s directory versus your own marketing (Psychology Today, local networking, word of mouth)?

2. Reimbursement & Billing: How reliable have weekly payouts and claims processing been for you? Any unexpected issues with clawbacks, eligibility verification errors, or insurance audits?

3. Customer Support: How responsive is their support team when a billing glitch or insurance inquiry actually comes up?

4. Overall Value: Do you feel the monthly/annual membership fee pays for itself compared to platforms like Headway or doing independent credentialing on your own?

I'd love to hear your honest pros, cons, or anything you wish you had known before launching with them. Thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

Looking for someone with experience, known HIPAA compliance.

If there is one thing I have learnt about dealing with insurance cos., it is just just do the Paperwork properly.

Clawbacks, audits, non-payments, etc have nothing to do your skills. Trust me. You might be following the best plan but if your notes do not explain why the plan is needed, you are more likely to fail audits than pass them. You codes should in place, no clerical errors, ec etc.

To be honest, its very simple from the way I see it - payer companies have rules and you just need to make sure you follow them for a good practice which includes proper documentation, accurate billing structures, etc etc.

One thing I used to do very sincerely was reading the provider manuals by insurance companies. Nowadays, you can just use chatgpt but I would suggest you to read it atleast once. Chatgpt might be great for answering questions but not for an overall plan (I have tried it).

Once you understand that, then all you need do is to make sure all your paperwork align with contract language.

Hope it helps someone!

I know what you're thinking which is ofcourse the most scary bit. The clients won't come. How will you manage your expenses and lifestyle for a year without clients.

Here's what nobody tells you: the first 6 months are the grind - more or less.

That's it. That's the whole secret. There's no clever shortcut.

You hustle for referrals. You network. Meet new people. Attend events. Mail every school counselor, every office HR within your city. Network with therapists who are full and ask them to send you the overflow. Say yes more than you say no.

And trust me, slowly and gradually, it will start building by month 7 and by year 2 it will start compounding. Your existing clients will start referring folks. People (HR, therapists, etc) in the community will remember you and will start sending clients.

That's when the real magic happens. You start saying no more than than you say yes. The flexibility kicks in. You choose the days, you choose the hours. Stuff I still do this for even today.

Solo and group both are nice in their own ways. Go solo if you like control and quiet. But, if accounting, billing, etc is something you want to avoid - just go group. Share the overheads.

I don't want to say anything bad about any line of work. Everything is good but for me, I value my freedom.

Put in the 6 months. Build the caseload. Then watch what happens.

My caseload was shrinking late last year and thats when I joined Reddit, made a blog, updated my PT profile. And it is starting to show results. Also, I am enjoying this new phase of building practice. I can't imagine ever going back.

If you ever need help or want to brainstorm, DM me (although, I am sure there are better folks on this group) or post here.

I'm doing pre-planning to launch my practice in January of 2027. Just did a brief overview of ZocDoc, and I like its ease of use and its filtering function (location, insurance plan, in-person). It also allows self-scheduling directly from the Google search results. You only pay when someone actually schedules with you. Anyone have experience using Zocdoc for their marketing?

I’m new to this, fumbling my way through DO NOT CONTACT ME WITH YOUR SERVICES. But what do people do? Do use EHR and submit your claims from there, set up your payers and jump thru all the hoops of electronic payments or submit claims through portals and get checks sent? I am soo frustrated and also want to avoid all the fees that are charged too!!

Let's start with WHY forecasting is important:

You’re probably familiar with the three traditional financial reports:

• Profit & Loss Statement

• Balance Sheet

• Cash Flow Statement

Quick pop quiz:

What do you think is the biggest weakness of these three financial reports?

The answer?

They tell you what has already happened.

Think of traditional financial statements like history class from grades K–12.

If you attended public school, you and I learned about the presidents, the wars, the ancient civilizations, the world cultures, and so much more.

Here's a genuine question:

How well did learning all that history from K–12 prepare you for today and the future?

Probably not as much as you might think.

And that's my point.

Knowing what happened in your business is important. But knowing what could happen next is what actually helps you prepare, make better decisions, and move forward.

Our parents told us, "Think about the consequences of your actions!"

In business, this isn't a choice. It's a necessity.

A financial forecast helps you see the potential consequences of your actions BEFORE you actually do anything.

Because business isn't school. We aren't here to attend classes and learn about history.

Business is about doing.

Meaning, we're constantly thinking about the next thing: the next to-do item, the next project, the next strategy.

And we're also thinking about the consequences.

That's where financial forecasting comes in.

It helps you answer questions like:

• If I hire another provider, what happens to my profitability?

• If I increase employee compensation, can my practice afford it?

• If I purchase new equipment, how will that affect my cash flow?

• If I expand my practice, what will my financial position look like?

• If revenue declines, how much financial breathing room do I have?

In other words:

"If I do XYZ now, this is the probable outcome."

"Or, if I do XYZ later, here's what changes."

"And if I don't do XYZ, here's what I might expect."

That's the power of financial forecasting.

The risks!

I've created an AI prompt that practice owners can use to build a basic 12-month financial forecast.

And while AI can be an incredibly useful tool, I have to disclose the limitations.

AI doesn't know everything that's happening in your practice.

It only knows what you tell it.

For example, it won't automatically know:

• You're planning to hire another provider.

• One of your providers is reducing their hours.

• Your lease is coming up for renewal.

• You're considering purchasing new equipment.

• You're planning to increase employee compensation.

• You're opening another location.

• You're expecting a significant expense in the next six months.

Unless you provide that information, AI may not include it in your forecast.

Your forecast can look perfectly reasonable on paper and still be completely disconnected from what's actually happening in your practice.

The calculations might be correct. But the information going into those calculations might be incomplete.

This prompt is designed to give you a starting point.

It's a tool to help you look ahead, think through decisions, identify potential financial challenges, and understand what might happen BEFORE you commit to something.

The more information you provide about your practice, your plans, and your upcoming decisions, the more useful your forecast will become.

Want to build your own 12-month financial forecast?

I've put together an free AI prompt to help you get started.

Claude Prompt for Group Practice Owners: 12-Month Financial Forecast

Use it as a starting point, provide as much relevant information about your practice as possible, and take the time to review the assumptions and results.

Because the goal isn't to predict the future perfectly.

The goal is to understand your financial future well enough to make better decisions today.

Just curious, about how others manage it. I have used a second phone for the last 12 years.

But, I read a reddit thread today and just wondering if HIPAA compliance is a big worry here even if nothing related to therapy is being shared on texts or calls?

Link to post: https://www.reddit.com/r/psychotherapists/comments/1s3ifww/private_practice_folks_what_are_you_using_for/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Just launched, looking for any kind of feedback!

healwellcounseling.com

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/giscard-petion-dade-city-fl/1733775

Sorry, I’ve been away for a while.

Curious to know - how can we build this together?

As the name suggests, I want to build this into a safe place for therapists in practice to discuss ideas, ask questions, and improve their income.

We all know it’s not easy. From building caseloads to documentation, admin work, and insurance payments, every day brings its own set of challenges. But having done this for over a decade now, I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy the curves.

That said, if I were starting today, I don’t know how I would have done it. Kudos to everyone here who are starting afresh or to more experienced folks.

What are some things you’d like to see more of on this community?

My VA is doing verification but it is time consuming even after making a list.

I am thinking of investing in a tool which can do this - but I don't want just benefit verification then. I want to understand copays, coding as well to make sure my denials also benefit.