TheraNest Reviews

Pros

It's simple to use and has everything you need to make your small private practice run. The customer support is AMAZING! I've never had a question or concern that wasn't quickly resolved by their great team.

Cons

I would like to see the TeleHealth screen be bigger. This is a work in progress since this is a newly added feature.

Alternatives Considered

Zoom Workplace

Reasons for Switching to TheraNest

TheraNest is the one stop shop that does it all in a super user-friendly fashion. Simple, affordable - exactly what we needed!

Pros

Price for value. Good features. Fairly intuitive. Good tech support.

Cons

Difficult to set up divorced parents for one child as system is not well set up to handle that; complicated. Document signing can be difficult when individual forms need signature by a client. Did not like the telehealth option as can only be used with clients, not prospects.

Alternatives Considered

Carepatron, TherapyNotes, LLC and SimplePractice

Reasons for Choosing TheraNest

TherapyZen is a terrible product. Slow, lacks automation and security issues.

Reasons for Switching to TheraNest

Value for money. Great onboarding and customer support. Seemed fairly easy to use.

Pros

Ease of charting and making appointments. That part is typically ok - unless the system is down - which happens way more than it should.

Cons

Not sure where to begin! Theranest is an extremely complicated system and there is a big large learning curve for all users - even just clinicians that make appointments and chart. It is extremely cumbersome for billing and insurance work. Back buttons have to be used all the time - at least 3 times to update client insurance claims. Look at invoice, enter what the client owes, save. Back button - write off the money the insurance won't pay, save, back button, charge the client what they owe, back button, send the client a statement (their "automatic" receipts don't show what the date of service is). I really need someone else trained on the billing part of the system and I cannot even imagine the extra time I would have to take to train someone and the mistakes that would be made. There is way too much room for user mistakes when using the theranest billing system. I pay a lot extra for their billing portion to use their clearing house, yet I am consistently having to go to each payor's websites and figure out what is going on with various claims when the Era's come back to theranest - I should say "if" they come back to theranest. Today their ERA processing suddenly stopped working and now I get to spend hours and hours updating clients billing charts manually for the week! We have 6-7 clinicians and it already takes me 2 full working dates to reconcile accounts with theranest. when things are working "properly". They claim to be very proud of their billing system - as they have "added" features to make the billing process quicker- (which I found their "upgrade3" doesn't even pull the correct amount a client owes and it needs to be manually fixed anyway and I have to manually write off money insurance won't pay). Oh by the way - they upped their monthly fee because they added this "upgrade" that doesn't work. Their updates at times causes problems elsewhere in the system - which means something else like updating a chart for example or simply saving notes you have written stops working. God forbid you don't remember to save everything every 2 seconds or all will be lost. When adding a diagnosis to a clients charge - you have to save it 2x in two different areas or it doesn't save! Customer service is "available" but expect to wait for days before they reply back to you - usually asking questions you have already told them in your request for help email. When you send a message back reiterating what you already said - there is never a quick reply. So any problems with the software could literally take a week to fix. I actually got someone today on chat - which is the very first time in the 6 years this has ever happened - and then had to spend literally one hour chatting about our ERA issue today because he failed to explain anything in any clear way - only directed me to some form and because between each line of chat - it took 2 minutes for the message to even get to each other. (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the system is super slow at times-not my computer - it happens to all of us). They are constantly changing things with the software that are an unnecessary waste and cause a lot of confusion and time for the user because all the sudden something is different. For example, for some reason only they know, they stopped allowing the same email to be used in different client accounts (we work with children). We see many sibling groups and use their parents email on their chart to send statements or reminders, etc. Now we can't use the same email. So again - extra time and money had to be spent for my office manager to call these families and ask for different emails. Parents like information to go to one email. Many parents weren't happy about this. Who checks 3 different emails everyday? Customer service's response was "We recommend you have the parents create emails for their children to access the data, and also should help them distinguish and filter data between their kids if they have multiple". Um, ok. Basically - they will not go back to allowing us to use one parent email for his or her kids. After years and years of headaches and so much extra work theranest adds, just to use the expensive software, that was the straw that broke the camels back. We are searching for a new system - stat. Have not done it before now because the thought of switching all clients over and the learning curve of a new system was too much. BUT - now we are done.

Pros

The support team and support portal have been very helpful and timely.

Cons

TheraNest's "dynamic" forms are not as dynamic compared to other EHR for therapists. It takes so long to create the most basic form in TheraNest and you cannot duplicate questions. You cannot edit the client details tab to customize it to your practice nor can you send clients documents in TheraNest to sign or view outside of consent forms. I have used other EHRs at other practices, and TheraNest seems to have the least features and easability.

Pros

The cost and all of the features that are available.

Cons

I wish there were premade template library in the document section. It is a little wonky trying to create documents and then it is trial/error to get them to where you need which is very time consuming. I am still going through my documents and needing to change small things that I didn't catch. That is one feature that I do miss from Simple Practice- they had an amazing library of document templates, assessments (PCL5, health assessments, etc.,).

Alternatives Considered

TherapyNotes, LLC, Calendly, Qualifacts CareLogic, Kajabi, AdvancedMD EHR, Asana and MD Charts

Reasons for Choosing TheraNest

The cost kept increasing and the billing as I wouldn't get paid for 2-3 days after seeing a client.

Switched From

SimplePractice

Reasons for Switching to TheraNest

There were many other products that I evaluated, and they were either missing telehealth or were incredibly expensive. Some had wonderful features but all in all, price is important and ease of access.

Pros

TheraNest is very simplistic and easy to use for a small practice

Cons

TheraNest is unable to handle multilevel practices that require collaboration between various levels of providers (more specifically therapist and bachelor's level caseworkers)

Pros

Inputting progress notes is quick and easy. Navigating adding clients, storing records, and reliability of site working is the best thing about TheraNest

Cons

The billing service is expensive for what you get. You will spend a lot of time tracking payments and following up on your own. Your invoice records will not be kept in a timely way and you won’t be alerted if invoices aren’t paid. If not paid you won’t know why unless you spend hours contacting insurers.

Pros

It's a comprehensive program that handles most aspects of the claim processing we all need in a busy practice.

They SAY they offer live customer service when a user runs into questions about how to use the program. That is why I chose them over Simple Practice, which offers NO live customer service.

The reality is when you are in need of an answer on how to use an aspect of the program, you must leave a message on a voice mail.

They will call you back when it's convenient for them to do so - and that's never when I need an answer.

I do all of my claims submissions myself and I'm a fairly intelligent and computer literate user. This is a complex, intricate software with may nuances in use.

My time is limited, and so it doesn't work for me to have to wait for an answer until it's convenient for them to call me back.

Cons

Simply put, they lie about their live customer service.

Their training videos are convoluted, not well-produced and hard to follow in terms of content.

I spent countless hours and significant money to make the transfer over to Theranest, and when I held them to account for their promised and not delivered live customer service they CANCELLED MY ACCOUNT!

This has caused me undue stress and dollars...and they have been very callous and offered no-compromise position. I complained too much, and therefore, they got rid of me! Nice!

Alternatives Considered

TherapyNotes, LLC

Reasons for Choosing TheraNest

Simple Practice makes no false statements about Customer service. They don't offer ANY live customer service options, and the program is fairly buggy and complicated.

Reasons for Switching to TheraNest

I chose them because they said they had live customer service available. This turned out to not be true.

Pros

I have been using this software for over 10 years. I appreciate the ease of on-boarding and the quick response from customer service.

Cons

Like most software the price could be cheaper. I wish there were more included features instead of paying for each additional feature.

Pros

Theranest had ease of navigation inside their system for the most part.

Cons

If you do not use their clearing house, they charge you extra and then start messing up your EDI and billing. They will NOT allow you to manage your charts in a timely manner when trying to leave their system. I have been trying to leave their system since August and it is now October. Because they are making it difficult to leave, it is forcing me to pay for a system at a high price that I am not using. For example, you have to delete everything one at a time, and then they only let you delete 3 people a day. So, they are making bank because I cannot leave their system from their lock down of MY CHARTS. Imagine when you have almost a thousand or more people to exit the system how this impacts you financially as a business owner. So, essentially, I am paying for 2 EHRs.

Pros

I have used Theranest for over five years since starting my solo private practice. The ease of use has been outstanding. I have everything I need to keep organized records, appointments and invoices all in one place. I transitioned to providing Telehealth seamlessly with Theranest during the Covid pandemic as well.

Cons

There is really nothing I don't like about it.

Alternatives Considered

EHR 24/7

Reasons for Switching to TheraNest

I thought TheraNest was more user friendly and customizable.

Pros

I like the note style and how the printed result looks finished and professional. Features are easy to use and customizable without being overly complicated.

Cons

The telehealth connection for clients is challenging. I would prefer a waiting room/lobby type platform. I would like to be able to have multiple people join the session for parent consults/couples/supervision.

Pros

The pricing structure and informative reporting are what I like best about Theranest.

Cons

I would appreciate more flexibility with storing logistics information for an entire family using one parent email and tracking of all customized documentation (particularly Pediatric Evaluations, Plans of Care, and treatment session documentation).

Alternatives Considered

TherapyNotes, LLC, ClinicSource, Jane, HelloNote, Practice Pro, Practice Perfect EMR, Cliniko, SimplePractice and HENO

Reasons for Choosing TheraNest

Simple Practice was more expensive to add our part-time, after-school therapists.

Reasons for Switching to TheraNest

I also looked at MW Therapy, Web PT, and Clinicient. I chose Theranest primarily for its pricing structure and reporting. We still use Google Suite for much of our therapy reporting (Evaluations, Progress Updates, Discharges, etc.) and tracking when updates are due because of Theranest's mental health formatting of that part of the therapeutic documentation.

Pros

It was user friendly and could be used on multiple platforms

Cons

Did not have an autosave feature and notes would get lost

Pros

I love Theranest's interface- I find it quite easy to navigate around the different features. I had tried other plans but did not find them as easy to use.

Cons

I am still a little uncertain about the Ledger/ Accounting piece, but I also am aware that this could be my own aversion to dealing with accounts receivable, etc.

Pros

Ease of use. User friendly. U have heber had any negative or troublesome issues.

Cons

Nothing to not like. I very much enjoy using Theranest.

Pros

Easy to use and excellent for record purposes!

Cons

Ledger can sometimes be easy to click wrong key.

Pros

That i can access my mental health appts. Records and treatment plans all in one place. Especially because I can make a telehealth appt regardless of how my mental health is going

Cons

Im not sure how much it will cost me at the end of my trial

Pros

The looks are easy enough on the surface. But even from the there the functionality is poor.

Cons

The billing side is terrible. They won't let you post a zero pay payment, like a deductible, in an easy way. You need to post the payment, then find the patient, do the codes, and do the adjustment. And if there is secondary insurance, the user has to mark it to bill. These should all be done for the user.

Pros

So easy to use great templates large font convenient features love it

Cons

I haven’t found anything that I don’t like about this software yet after two years of using it

Pros

The therapists on staff at my agency love the software. With only a few complaints, they find it easy to use and obviously are happy to not have paper files any longer. We have used this software since July 2018. I also appreciate that TheraNest offers a discount for nonprofits, which our counseling agency is a nonprofit. This helps with my budgeting.

Cons

The billing and reporting of this software is lacking in many ways, from the lack of robust reporting options to very elementary and clunky billing system. I would NEVER recommend this product for a group practice. Literally, we asked them early on - due to their statements being very difficult to read - if they had any accounting professional associated with the development of the software, and the answer was no. I have a CPA who reconciles our books every month and it's been a nightmare trying to reconcile TheraNest. Again, it might be good for a solo practitioner or for someone who is less worried about reconciling finances.

Pros

TheraNest offers our practice the ability to effectively manage a caseload from all different sizes, and enables us to maintain confidentiality of patient information even across different users. I love that I don’t have to worry about someone else seeing the notes or appointment dates other than those who should.

TheraNest’s template for progress notes, intakes, and treatment plans are super helpful in keeping me organized and making sure that I do not miss any information that needs to be documented.

Additionally, I appreciate the software’s consistent updates that take into consideration feedback received from users like me. I was especially appreciative of their addition of separate gender identity and pronoun lines in the client details section.

Cons

Learning the software is difficult - wherein we notice a lot of people making errors in setting up appointments or being able to navigate through the site.

We also find that few people use TheraNest the same way across the board, which creates some inconsistencies for us on billing and case management.

Additionally, I have noticed minor fixes that could help to change the overall experience. For example, there’s no option for a user to cancel/change multiple appointments at one time; e.g., when a therapist is going out of town for a week. Also, there is no option to maintain a history of client demographic information, once you update the information (or the client does) it is gone.

Lastly, there are seemingly no options to enter notes or addendums to notes that are signed or attached to a billed invoice. As a clinician, we notice mistakes at times and need to include additional comments like follow-ups with collaborative providers, client homework, etc. that would be best attached to the session note.

Pros

customer service is great--they make updates every month
makes billing insurance pretty easy
standard superbills easy to produce and email to client
store all client data in organized, accessible fashion
can subscribe to small cost subscription (lower amount of active clients)
Allows electronic paperwork completion for clients
Integrated client schedule with insurance billing
credit card capability

Cons

clients can complete paperwork electronically but there are some flaws--can't require client signature field so have to do work around; ideally this would offer more official signatures as often as needed (this is a big liability issue)
secure messaging included but these conversations can't be added to the cart through a click and also copy and paste function is deactivated. secure messaging also not available to with non clients to share PHI for example with a medical provider.
Some issues with superbills showing a balance in a confusing way; we can't reflect discounts which creates liability issues, we can't send these through secure message easily (only email)
I've heard too many complaints about the video platform so am not using it (or paying for it) at this time
cumbersome to upload documents to the chart (I haven't figured out how to skip step of saving to my computer first)
Simple Practice seems to have them beat in two areas:
In TheraNest, Can't require client to enter their cc information when they register electronically
In TheraNest, Client self-scheduling is not user friendly so I don't offer it

Pros

Fairly easy to use. Nicely integrated EHR, telehealth, credit card processing. Using as an all-in-one package for our practice management. Generally good training videos and knowledge base.

Cons

Some critical functionality is lacking, or requires a work-around. (You cannot create a repeating telehealth appointment. WTF?) The way couples/families are implemented is a bit wonky, with differences from individual appointments. Telehealth is limited to a max of 6 people (including therapist). Seeing as we (and I assume most eveyone else) have been using Telehealth exclusively for all appointments for the last 1 1/2 years, I'm really bothered by the telehealth scheduling issue.