Here are a few products and services that I recommend to get your practice up and running smoothly. Note that some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that I’d receive some kind of perk or commission if you were to sign up for their service (and where noted below, you will too!). I recommend these not for commissions, but because they’ve met my needs in the ways I describe below, after a fair bit of testing them against similar products and services. Each comes with its own limitations, and this is certainly not an exhaustive list.

I like Simple Practice for managing client information, clinical documentation, and scheduling. Allowing existing clients to see my availability and schedule through the client portal allows us to side-step all of the back-and-forth that attempting to schedule by e-mail requires. SP’s automated reminders eliminated no-shows in my practice. They include functionality to support group practices, and I used this upgrade with my co-facilitator while running counseling groups. I also use SP to send clients consent and intake forms to complete electronically. SP includes options for generating invoices, statements, superbills, and CMS-1500 claim forms, as well as storing credit cards for clients who wish to autopay.  Lastly, SP can produce a variety of reports about appointments, income, and referral sources, which can help us gain insights about and refine our practice activity.  If you sign up for Simple Practice using the link above, you’ll get a $100 credit towards your subscription.

Although Simple Practice has an integrated telehealth feature, they sadly limit the number of participants on each call to three (not including the practitioner). Because I run groups, I’ve chosen Doxy.me as my telehealth platform. Their Professional Plan allows up to ten participants per call, features high-quality video, a customizable waiting room, and secure file sharing. Doxy is designed to comply with the HIPAA Security Rule and also tracks details of your meeting histories, which is helpful for documentation.

Though Simple Practice has an integrated payment processing feature, Square is a less expensive option if you primarily take payments in-person (for this, you can purchase their basic readers for magstipe and for contactless and chip). If you prefer invoicing or keeping clients’ credit card information on file, Simple Practice’s integration would be a more sensible choice. Square is also willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to support compliance requirements under HIPAA. If you sign up for Square using the link above, Square will waive processing fees for your first $1,000 in sales.

Paubox provides a secure e-mail solution that can integrate with e-mail platforms like G-Suite. For secure phone, voicemail, and texting I use an app called Spruce. Any messages I send to clients, and clients’ direct replies to e-mail messages, are encrypted and secured. But Paubox and Spruce can’t verify anything about our clients’ platforms or whether the messages that they initiate are secure. I inform my clients at the start of therapy about the risks of communicating with me by nonsecure means. Spruce has a friendly web interface (so that you’re not needing to mess with your phone), a clean contact management system, e-faxing capability, and more.  You could also use a practice management system like Simple Practice to send and receive secure messages. If you sign up for Paubox using the link above, you’ll get a $250 credit towards your subscription. If you sign up for Spruce using the link above, you’ll get the first month of your subscription free.

All practice-related data stored on my computer is encrypted, password-protected, and automatically backed up. I use AxCrypt for file encryption and Backblaze for backup. AxCrypt has both a free plan and a premium version, with the premium version offering higher-grade encryption. Backblaze supports continuous backup, meaning that they’ll monitor any changes you make to folders and files on your machine and copy those changes to the cloud within minutes. Backblaze is also willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to support compliance requirements under HIPAA.

Google has several products that can help you start and grow your practice. First, if your practice has a physical location, set up an account with Google My Business, which will allow information about your business to appear in Google searches. If you already know your way around Gmail, you can upgrade to Google Workspace (their basic plan is only $6 per month) for a more secure e-mail solution (I still recommend pairing this with Paubox for even stronger encryption) and an e-mail address with your domain (e.g. you@yourpractice.com). Speaking of domains, Google Domains provides a way to secure one of those too. I also recommend setting up Google Search Console and Google Analytics accounts so that can monitor your website’s traffic and performance and learn more about how prospective clients are engaging (or not) with your site. Lastly, if you want to give your presence in Google searches a boost, consider setting up Google Ads and running a few campaigns.

WordPress provides a free, simple way to create a website and manage content on that site. It offers a variety of themes, which allow you to change the look and feel of your site without altering your core content. Thousands of ‘plugins’ are available to extend the features and functionality of your site (the contact and signup forms at the bottom of this page are examples of plugins at work). A third of all websites run on WordPress. Oh, and you’ll need to find a host for your site. WordPress provides some recommendations for that here. If you’re planning to hire a web development company, they may also be able to provide hosting services.

Upwork is a great site for outsourcing things you don’t like to do, things you don’t know how to do, and things you shouldn’t be doing. Begin making a list of any projects and tasks that fall into these categories and getting to know Upwork’s platform and community of freelancers. Hiring out will help you avoid burning out. I’ve used Upwork for web development and graphic design most. Though theoretically you could find a freelancer on Upwork willing to sign a BAA and maintain the privacy and security of PHI, I’d recommend working instead with an agency dedicated helping private practice owners with those projects and tasks that include handling of PHI.

Person-Centered Tech: the late Roy Huggins’ portal for all things telehealth, digital ethics, and HIPAA – includes articles, product reviews, online courses, and membership options for both solo practitioners and group practice owners. Roy also developed a tool for quickly determining any provisions made by states and licensing boards that may allow you to conduct teletherapy across state lines.