Marcia R.
I've used TherapyNotes since 2014: Great product with a few notable weaknesses
I've used TherapyNotes since 2014. I initially regretted picking TN instead of SimplePractice. However, they make great updates periodically that have strengthened the program a great deal. I'll spend a disproportionate amount of space on the negatives, because so many reviews rightly focus on what a great program it is, and I think it's important to know the relative weaknesses of a product. TN overall is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly. I really suck with all things electronic, so that's a high compliment. The biggest exception lies with the billing section, which was recently updated and is greatly improved, especially in terms of the higher level of detail in the statements that get sent to clients. But for me it can still be hard to make sense of the various columns. I'm somewhat confident in saying there are still genuine weaknesses because my assistant, who has more than 20 years as a full-time hospital biller, finds some aspects vexing and annoying. I must give high praise for their support. I used to feel incredibly grouchy, because some staff took a condescending tone in years past, especially when I used email rather than phone support. Over the past 10 years I think they've made good strides, and I haven't run into off-putting attitudes for a couple of years now, though I probably reach out only a handful of times per year. Their support availability is amazing. The people are incredibly well-trained and knowledgable about the software. Best of all, after a phone call, you get a thorough summary of the problem you dealt with, and amazing step-by-step instructions in a follow-up email in case you didn't take great notes or misplaced them. I can't rave about this enough. Still regarding support: The main problem I ran into several times was that, if something in an interaction bothered me and I provided this feedback (admittedly, sometimes in a grouchy tone), I would receive an _incredibly_ detailed defensive response from the person's manager about all the reasons I was wrong and the person assisting me was right! He was always worse than the initial person. He didn't bother to begin with, "I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience," before making his case for why I was in the wrong. It's great to be loyal to your employees, and fine to explain to me why he thinks I'm off base, but attacking the customer leads to a really bitter taste, and certainly cannot be good from a business standpoint. I think it was always the same guy. Fortunately I haven't had bad experiences recently, so I haven't had to find out if that guy is still there. Another weakness, in my experience, is their search function for online help. If I'm trying to figure out an issue, it doesn't seem to have a good algorithm for detecting what I'm looking for from the inputted words or phrases. I doubt it's just me, because when I Google questions, the top hits are nearly uniformly spot on (but hey, it's Google, and they have the resources of a giant corporation). In fact, I think I'll try using Google to search for help with TN!! Then there is trying TOO hard to be sensitive to identity issues in the client information. An example: I work with a Native American client who has heritage with two tribes. In the pull-down menu, you get an amazing list of possible tribes, but you can only pick one! I tried to type in "Native American" (she refers to herself as "Native") rather than use the pull-down, but it didn't allow me to. It would be helpful if you could override their choices. Finally, I wish they would integrate the Wiley progress notes and treatment plan guidance as other software programs do. To sum up, I definitely think TherapyNotes is a GREAT product!! Just some complaints for you to consider :)