Client Management Software: which is right for your practice
There are several Client Management Software (CMS) solutions that can suit any budget and a variety of needs. But which CMS is right for your natural health practice?
Here, we look at the most popular client management and practice management software options for natural health practitioners that can streamline your clinic and allow you to focus on the more important aspects of your business.
#1 Halaxy
Halaxy is a free client management system that has a whole host of features to help you run your natural health practice and manage your clients.
It enables online bookings, allows you to create intake forms and write your patient notes.
You can also add prescriptions and pathology reports, send reminders and do marketing campaigns.
Payments can run through Halaxy and you can produce all the financial reports needed for a successful practice.
Halaxy users also speak highly of the 24-hr support offered and welcome the improvements that are consistently happening.
The downside is that Halaxy is a bit clunky and time-consuming to set up but once done, it's a smoothly run CMS that's free!
#2 SimpleClinic
SimpleClinic is an Australian client management system that was created by a natural health practitioner and a software developer guru.
SimpleClinic users, particularly naturopaths and nutritionists, can't say enough about the support offered.
This is an innovative CMS that is always improving its features to meet the needs of practitioners.
Aside from diary management, online booking, patient notes and invoicing, SimpleClinic offers a lot to natural health practitioners.
The prescribing feature has been specifically designed with naturopaths and nutritionists in mind. There is even a liquid herb builder for your formulas and it integrates seamlessly with suppliers such as Metagenics and Ariya Health.
New updates such as the online program feature and the integration with Metabolic Balance have seen many health practitioners make the switch to SimpleClinic.
#3 Practice Better
The Canadian CMS Practice Better is another all-rounder that is an industry favourite.
As with SimpleClinic, it offers all the standard client management features as well as scheduling and billing options.
One of the big standout features of Practice Better is its programs and courses functionality and Practice Better App. This is suitable for both practitioners and coaches who are expanding their offering beyond 1:1 consultations.
Through the app you can gain access to your patient's info, check in on their progress and send messages or reminders. Clients can also use it to keep a food diary or to join telehealth sessions easily.
#4 Cliniko
Cliniko is a popular practice management software that is used by a lot of allied health practitioners.
Cliniko offers plenty of booking and scheduling features and enables you to custom-build your own treatment note templates and intake forms.
You'll find plenty of tools to help with your financial management and there are ample reports to keep track of the performance of your practice.
It also has a build-in and secure telehealth feature which means you don't have to worry about integrating with other platforms like Zoom.
One of the features of Cliniko that stand out to practices is the ability to scale up to 200 practitioners and use it for a number of businesses. This is great for multi-modalities practices that rent rooms to other practitioners or those with big goals!
The downside of Cliniko for natural health practitioners like nutritionists and naturopaths is that it doesn't have a prescription functionality or ability to run programs or courses. Many practitioners find it can be a bit restrictive when growing into spaces outside 1:1 consulting.
#5 Coreplus
Coreplus is an Australian practice management software that offers a lot of features for your clinic.
It allows your clients to book online, integrates billing and payments and links to lots of the major accounting systems.
Other features include telehealth, e-referrals and patient claims.
There are also some add-ons depending on your profession, however, these seem to be aimed more towards allied health professionals and may not be relevant for a lot of you.
At just $5 a month for the basic plan, it may be a CMS that you could start with, however, it's worth analysing all the features to consider long-term suitability.
#6 Powerdiary
Powderdiary is a CMS that can streamline your administrative tasks. It's a simple-to-use, paid by the month Australian software that could be a good solution for your practice.
Powerdiary enables you to do all the standard things you need in a CMS - booking, calendar management, intake forms and appointment reminders.
You can make treatment notes, send invoices and accept payments. There are lots of things you can customise and you can set up multiple locations.
Its telehealth video call feature is also great for those practising online.
It doesn't have a prescribing tool or the ability to run courses and programs. However, it does have an option for multiple practitioners and calendars which could suit a multi-modality health clinic.
#7 Acuity
Acuity is a clean, simple-to-use scheduling tool that has been developed by Squarespace. If you have a Squarespace website, this is an easy one to set up.
Acuity enables you to work from a number of locations and offer unlimited services and appointment types. You can accept payments through multiple platforms and create various reports to track your clinic’s performance.
Acuity, however, is a scheduling tool, not a full CMS. This means you’re limited with keeping treatment notes and tracking your client’s data. If you’re wanting to have your appointment calendar, treatment notes and prescriptions all in one place, this is not the software for you.
Having said that, there are some great features including the ability to offer classes, workshops and events. You can also set up appointment packages or sell memberships, so great for those who are not mainly focused on 1:1 clients. In addition, there are tools to help up-sell clients with features such as product check-out add-ons.
#8 HealthBank
HealthBank is a CMS that's made by nutritionists for nutritionists.
It allows you to do all the standard things you want from a practice management software - online booking, appointment reminders, recording of patient information and billing.
It also offers a secure online video platform for your telehealth consults.
Beyond these features, HealthBank has a couple of other useful tools specific for natural health practitioners that lots of praccies are loving.
These include your ability to place product orders or arrange functional pathology testing. Your patients can also connect their Fitbit so you can see their data.
HealthBank also works as a directory service for patients to book with practitioners that meet their needs or location. This, in addition to their no monthly fee plans, may be ideal for those just starting out and looking to build their client base.
#9 My Appointments
One of the newest practice management systems designed specifically for natural health professionals is My Appointments. This is another great option for those wanting an all-in-one CMS but who don’t have a big budget as it is $0/mth. You’ll just pay a percentage for payment transactions and 33c per 30min using the in-built video feature. Of course, you can upgrade to a plan and get a few more features as your business and needs grow.
My Appointments are continuing to expand the features on their CMS in response to practitioners. Currently, you can use it for online bookings and customisable intake forms, reports, telehealth and online payments. You can do online scripts and product reordering and it integrates with Medipass for patient claims.
In the CMS, you can write patient notes and attach your treatment plans. While you can’t create your treatment plans in the system, this is an upcoming update. In addition, My Appointments are going to be adding the ability for your clients to record dietary intake, food, mood, exercise etc that practitioners can access in real-time.
My Appointments plan on releasing some new updates soon to reduce your admin time so you can focus on working with your clients. It’s worth booking a demo of the CMS to get a good feel to see if it is right for you.
