Most of us realize that New Year’s Resolutions don’t usually work. What is proven to be effective is taking planned incremental steps to achieve a goal. There’s no better way to be prepared for a New Year goal than by gathering momentum now, before the start of the new year, rather than later when it’s already started.

Here are a few ideas on how you can prepare your private practice for success in the upcoming year!

Improve Your Calendar Management

As a mental health worker, your time is incredibly valuable. If you charge an hourly rate, then maximizing the time that you spend with patients is an essential part of your practice’s success. The more time you have to fit in appointments, the more money you’ll be bringing into your practice.

One of the reasons why Owl Practice can save mental health practitioners over seven hours a month is because of our calendar tools. Using Owl’s Scheduling features, patients can actually book their own appointments online. Once scheduled, they will be sent automatic reminders of the date so that it won’t slip their minds. This can save time that your front desk would otherwise spend on the phone, scheduling and confirming appointments with your clients.

You can also use our calendar tools to plan out your entire day. Although to-do lists can be useful, having a carefully planned out daily schedule might be a better fit for your workday. Being able to see your entire day laid out in front of you can help keep you on track and focused on the tasks ahead.

Get Digitally Organized

You can tell a lot about someone based on the state of their digital desktop. If they have dozens of files just sitting disorganized out of their folders, chances are that their entire computer is going to be a disorganized mess. And that isn’t necessarily their fault; they probably don’t have a practice management tool that can take care of that kind of organization for them.

With Owl Practice, you can keep everything digitally organized so you’ll be able to find it whenever you need it. A client profile? Just head to the Clients section, and it will be there. Session notes? They will not only be in the session notes section but they will also be cross-linked with client profiles so you can access them when you need them. And we’ve already mentioned the benefits of Owl Practice’s digital calendar features to keep your schedule organized!

If you’re concerned about digital security protecting all of this valuable data, we have you covered there too. Owl is fully HIPAA-compliant, and all of your confidential client information will be safely stored on our private servers that are regularly backed up. Once you have everything organized online with Owl Practice, it will stay organized!

Get Physically Organized

Actually, this is one that is primarily taken care of by getting yourself digitally organized with Owl Practice.

Much of the clutter in the office has to do with paper. You might have papers on your desk, or in filing cabinets, and your photocopier takes up an entire corner of the office. Not only is all of this paper bad for the environment, but it’s also bad for the organization of your practice. Things can easily get misfiled, dropped behind desks, or accidentally thrown out.

When you switch over to Owl Practice, you can create a paperless office. All of your documents will be precisely where you expect them to be at all times. If something gets improperly filed digitally, you only need to do a search and, bam, there it is. Not only will you be improving your office’s organization, but you’ll also be helping the planet go green. Plus, you’ll be saving on your monthly paper costs! Win, win, win!

Invoicing and Accounting

There are lots of invoicing programs out there and, honestly, many of them are fantastic. For a freelancer or someone working with a limited number of clients, their invoicing services can make billing a breeze. But when you’re working in the mental health care industry, these limited programs may not be enough. You need an invoicing system that is fully integrated with the client database and will allow you to bill and send reminders directly from within your system.

With Owl, you’ll always have your account balances and payment histories at your fingertips. Everything will be connected directly to your clients’ profiles, so you’ll know exactly who to send invoices to and who hasn’t yet paid. The system will even send automatic reminders to clients who haven’t responded to their invoices yet. Plus, all of this essential financial information about your practice will already be organized and ready for your accountant. Our invoicing and accounting features will make things so much simpler come tax time!

Redecorate

Finally, something that Owl Practice can’t help you with!

The beginning of the year is the perfect time for a new coat of paint to revamp your office’s style. If you’re spending the majority of your time working at your mental health practice, you want it to be a place where you feel comfortable and happy. Not only that, you need your office to be a place that puts your patients at ease. So, time for an office makeover!

This could range from brand-new furniture to a literal new coat of paint, to simply doing a deep clean of the entire practice. Even a few little changes, like a new painting on the wall, can do a lot to keep the office feeling fresh.

Being prepared for a New Year at your mental health practice can be a huge hassle if you don’t have the right systems in place. Thankfully, Owl Practice is explicitly designed for private mental health practitioners. We can provide you with all the practice management tools you need to ensure that you’re prepared for the new year, and beyond! Now that’s a resolution you can believe in!

If you’d like a more in-depth look at all of our practice management features, feel free to sign up for a demo! Or, get started with Owl today by registering for a free trial. If you have any questions or comments about our services, we invite you to contact us at support@owlpractice.com

As always,

Practice Wisely