You almost certainly didn’t go into a helping profession because you wanted to write emails, schedule appointments, and meticulously craft invoices. You became a helping professional to help people. That’s why many people in the helping field work for corporations or health systems, where much of the paperwork and processing happens in other departments.
However, when you strike out on your own as a counselor or coach, you no longer have a Human Resources department to take care of the administrative stuff for you. If you’re flying solo, you need to figure out the nuts and bolts of client care as an independent practice.
In other words, you need a care management program.
Before you read on, we recommend signing up for our 30-day, $1 care management software trial. Quenza is a complete care management program for practitioners and therapists, and will give you all the specialized tools needed to deliver professional, client-centered e-treatments to those you help.
What is a Care Management Program?
The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) defines a care management program as a program that applies:[1]
Systems, science, incentives, and information to improve medical practice and assist consumers and their support system.
The ultimate goal is to engage clients in a collaborative process that is designed to more effectively manage their medical, social, and/or mental health conditions.
In simple terms, a care management program offers a framework and functionality to help manage the health of the program’s patients or clients. This can include education and knowledge-sharing with the clients, the provision of tools with which clients can take an active role in understanding and improving their own health, and a system of processes that work towards better health outcomes for clients.
A Closer Look at Care Management
According to CHCS, there are four major components of care management.
We’ve summarized each in the table below:
Care Management Component | Details |
|---|---|
Identification, Stratification, and Prioritization | This refers to understanding your clients and the challenges they face so you are better able to identify areas and opportunities for improvement. |
Intervention | These are the evidence-based practices, tools, and techniques that you use to help your clients. |
Evaluation | This component is about monitoring, measuring, and evaluating client progress and identifying areas for program improvement. |
Payment/Financing | This refers to the billing/invoicing and payment processing required in the provision of services to your clients.[1] |
Each of these four components is a vital piece of the care management framework. To create a system that works for you and your clients, you must address each component; you will need to have:
- A method of determining what your clients need help with.
- A system of administering treatment to your clients to help them with their identified challenges.
- A way of measuring progress in your clients’ treatment.
- A solution for billing and accepting payments from your clients.
It’s possible to design your own care management program from scratch, but most of us are not program development experts, entrepreneurs, and coding professionals all rolled into one.
Fortunately, there are many care management program solutions already available that cover each of these bases.
The hard part isn’t finding one of these many solutions; it’s choosing which solution is right for your practice.
8 Best Software Options & Solutions
The right care management software solution will depend on your practice and your unique needs. However, there are a few options that provide features and functionality to cover all four of your care management component needs.
These 8 solutions are some of the best available options:
Solution | Details |
|---|---|
 | Coaching Loft’s tools and features include:
|
| Name | Coaching Loft |
| Price | Free – $95+ monthly |
| Good For | Coaching Management, Executive Coaching, Wellness Coaching, Mental Health Coaching |
| More info | Coaching Loft |
Solution | Details |
|---|---|
 | Simple Practice provides:
|
| Name | Simple Practice |
| Price | $39+ monthly |
| Good For | Practice Management, Digital Health, Telehealth, Telepsychology, E-Mental Health |
| More info | Simple Practice |
Solution | Details |
|---|---|
 | Therapy Notes gives you:
|
| Name | Therapy Notes |
| Price | $49+ monthly |
| Good For | Practice Management, Digital Health, Telehealth, Telepsychology, E-Mental Health |
| More info | Therapy Notes |
Solution | Details |
|---|---|
 | TheraNest specializes in:
|
| Name | TheraNest |
| Price | $39+ monthly |
| Good For | Telepsychiatry, Online Therapy, E-Counseling, Digital Healthcare |
| More info | TheraNest |
Software | Details |
|---|---|
 | Power Diary’s capabilities include:
|
| Name | Power Diary |
| Price | $5+ weekly |
| Good For | Teletherapy, Coaching Management, Online Coaching, E-therapy, E-Counseling |
| More info | Power Diary |
Software | Details |
|---|---|
 | Therabill can help with:
|
| Name | Therabill |
| Price | $149+monthly |
| Good For | Insurance Claims, Appointment Scheduling, Client Billing, Note Templates, Reporting |
| More info | Therabill |
Software | Details |
|---|---|
 | Kareo offers:
|
| Name | Kareo Billing |
| Price | $80+monthly |
| Good For | E-Therapy, Telehealth, Private Practice Software, Customer Relationship Management |
| More info | Kareo |
Software | Details |
|---|---|
 | TherapyAppointment is useful for:
|
| Name | Therapy Appointment |
| Price | $10+monthly |
| Good For | E-Therapy, Telehealth, Psychotherapy Notes |
| More info | Therapy Appointment |
Top 7 Digital Tools & Interesting Features
If none of the solutions above meet all of your needs, or if you’d prefer to diversify and use more than one solution, you can mix and match some great options to create a unique system that works for you.
Consider the tools below as substitutes or complements to the “do-it-all” software solutions.
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 | Quenza is an all-in-one blended care software that offers:
|
| Name | Quenza |
| Price | $1+ monthly |
| Good For | Treatment Planning, Care Management Software, E-Psychology, E-Therapy, Online Coaching |
| More info | Quenza |
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | Schedulista |
| Price | $19+ monthly |
| Good For | Appointment Scheduling, Care Management, Payment Processing |
| More info | Schedulista |
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | Acuity Scheduling |
| Price | $14+ monthly |
| Good For | Appointment Scheduling, Care Management, Client Relationship Management |
| More info | Acuity Scheduling |
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | IntakeQ |
| Price | $49+ monthly |
| Good For | Patient Intake, Care Management, Practice Forms, Appointment Scheduling |
| More info | IntakeQ |
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 | Check out ICANotes for:
|
| Name | ICANotes |
| Price | $6+ monthly |
| Good For | General Healthcare, Telepsychiatry, Teletherapy, EMR, Billing and Invoicing, Reporting |
| More info | ICANotes |
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | Full Slate |
| Price | $29.95+ monthly |
| Good For | Care Management, Customer Relationship Management, Payment Processing, Appointment Scheduling, Custom Forms |
| More info | Full Slate |
Tool | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | BestNotes |
| Price | $50+ monthly |
| Good For | Therapy Notes, General Healthcare, Treatment Planning, Psychological Assessments |
| More info | BestNotes |
3 Apps to Download Today
In addition to the software solutions and tools listed above, there are some great apps available to help you streamline your practice and offer even more value to your clients.
Check out the 3 apps outlined below.
App | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | InSession Therapist Texting App |
| Price | $199+ yearly |
| Good For | Client Communication |
| More info | In Session |
App | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | YellowSchedule |
| Price | $29.95+ monthly |
| Good For | Appointment Scheduling, Payment Processing, Customer Relationship Management |
| More info | Yellow Schedule |
App | Details |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name | DoTimely |
| Price | Free (basics) to $15+ month |
| Good For | Appointment Scheduling, Payment Processing, Customer Relationship Management |
| More info | DoTimely |
Final Thoughts
When you provide care for your clients, you want to do the best possible job—that’s why you’re in a helping profession, to begin with. It’s possible to “go it alone” and provide care using only email, phone calls, in-person visits, etc., but it’s becoming less and less efficient over time.
With all of the new practice management software available, it’s not only advisable to look into these digital options, it’s practically a requirement. The value you will gain through streamlining your practice and maximizing the ease of use for your clients will far outweigh the cost of any worthwhile care management solution.
Give one (or more) of these options a try, or do some research to identify solutions that will meet your practice’s (and your clients’) needs. You won’t regret it.
We hope our review has helped you clarify your practice needs. Now why not get started right away with your $1 Quenza software trial?
Quenza’s tools and features are uniquely designed for helping professionals, and contain everything you need to optimize the way you run your professional practice – so you can free up valuable time to spend with clients.
