Epic vs. TheraNest by Therapy Brands

Epic is very good on the medical side and continues improving mental health and dental care. Having integrated telehealth via Zoom was a game-changer. During COVID, it was vital to have telehealth options and to ensure it was completely HIPAA Compliant and easy to document inside their health record.

Incentivized

TheraNest is appropriate for clinical practice and seems well-suited for providing speech-language and other allied health services. Without firsthand experience billing, it is difficult to provide input regarding the ease of billing with this software. I have yet to see how TheraNest would work for clients with multiple insurance types. I trialed the TheraNest video conferencing near the beginning of 2020 (start of global pandemic), but the feature had glitches and I have since discontinued use of this feature.

Incentivized

• There are doctors' notes templates with prepopulated fields in them. This saves a lot of time.
• Epic sends medication orders to pharmacies electronically so that we do not have to call. This saves a lot of time.
• Epic has a Secure Chat feature via which we can send HIPAA protected messages to any employee with the patient's name and record attached.
• It has a PDMP link. We can look up what controlled medications such as opiates patients have been prescribed and by whom.
• It links to MyChart, which is a platform via which patients can look up their own information without them having to call the doctors. This saves a lot of time.

Incentivized

• Well-organized layout
• Syncs to Google Calendar
• User friendly

Incentivized

• Visual Updates: While Epic is constantly improving the user experience, there are a few features that still need a design refresh. While this does not effect functionality, it does have an impact on user perception.
• Ordering: While placing an order for a physician is very easy, a few changes to the workflow could improve the experience for physicians.

Incentivized

• Make it easier to see if a note is linked to an appointment
• More options for making employee availability blocks
• Synced appointments still show up after client is archived

Incentivized

It is beyond measure the best EHR on the market.

Incentivized

You should invest time into taking a training class before using Epic, but once you get the hang of it the usability features are endless! My favorite part about Epic is how it is automated and "trained" to catch user errors that would typically be missed in normal documentation/charting. This ensures accuracy and eliminates errors.

Incentivized

The initial training was good but would have been even better had I been more familiar with the system before taking it. I found learning how to deal with Epic while working in the field at the same time was a (pardon the pun) Epic learning curve. I really think there should be a scribe who does the data entry and others can focus on what they do best.

Incentivized

TheraNest support team is great but has grown since we bought it 4 years ago. 4 years ago you could call a number and someone would assist immediately and your issue would be resolved within moments. Now when you call to support you speak to someone who tells you they will create a ticket and get back in touch, which takes 2-3 days for a resolve. We understand that this is because TheraNest is growing and cannot staff at such a large scale so quickly without needing to better structure the support process. However, it is something that has been hard to transition over to for our company.

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Well-vetted lesson plans that teach you what you need to know for success.

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While not as effective as in-person training, it is still adequate.

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Epic has a regimented implementation process that ensures a successful go-live.

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Epic gives extensive customization options in terms of utility and view. I have found this to be highly useful and efficient EHR as compared to other EHRs we use in our organization.

TheraHelper was outdated software that was difficult to use and hard to understand. We have cut down almost 3X the amount of work it took to use TheraHelper. TheraHelper did have a better report option for accounting purposes and that is something we are hopeful TheraNest grows toward. TheraHelper also was just beginning to offer a cloud-based option that was very different from the original software they offered, but still too difficult to navigate.

Incentivized

• Being able to track and document all of our services in the same place has made an exceptional improvement in continuity of patient care, both internally across departments (medical/dental/mental health) and externally with specialists and other healthcare organizations on a national scale.
• Continuous improvements in Data reporting and analytics make tracking and implementing quality improvement measures throughout the year easy.
• Massive improvements to the ELLA training platform, combined with detailed and interactive training materials for all system areas, make onboarding and staff training much easier!

Incentivized

• Saved us money!
• Saved us time!
• Helped us stay organized!

Incentivized