Enduring the Course
CheckpointEHR helped me provide administrative efficiency and robust reporting for my scaling practice.
with Ebony Hull
Ebony Hull, also known as EbonyJae, is a licensed independent social worker, CEO, and founder of Enduring the Course, Inc. (ETC). Her journey from being a therapist at a separate behavioral health agency to building her own thriving therapy practice is a testament to her dedication in the mental health field and her personal and strategic development over the last 5 years.
This case study explores Ebony's professional evolution, her process of creating and scaling ETC, and her choice to optimize reporting and administrative efficiency with Checkpoint’s affordable EHR solution.
Enhancing Reports with the right Behavioral Health EHR
Ebony's career in social work began at a community agency in 2017, where she initially worked as a therapist. Over time, she advanced to a supervisory role, gaining valuable insights into the operational needs of leading a therapy practice. With her added responsibilities, she began working with other administrative staff to reevaluate their use of ICANotes, the EHR system they had been using for several years.
As a team, they ultimately deemed the system as too "cookie-cutter." Despite the convenience that came with some of its pre-created templates, it ultimately lacked the customizations they needed for compliance with certain internal processes, giving them some concerns around meeting regulatory standards with their documentation.
That’s when their team found CheckpointEHR, and they were instantly sold.
With Checkpoint, Ebony was able to pull productivity reports real-time, monitoring staff performance and gaining in-depth insights into their payroll. This gave them a lot more peace of mind from a compliance standpoint and they saw quick results as a team, saving significant chunks of time each week while also improving their operational decisions based on a clearer lens into agency data.
However, that was just the beginning of Ebony’s journey with Checkpoint.
Launching ETC with a Scalable System
Fast-forward to June of 2019.
Ebony had the entrepreneurial vision to found her own practice, Enduring the Course, Inc, a nonprofit organization that also offers private practice services.
While ETC started with just a couple employees, they have gradually increased their team headcount over time while expanding their services to include various case management and therapy offerings. Currently, ETC consists of 13 staff members, with ongoing goals for continued growth in the years ahead.
At the genesis of ETC, Ebony elected to use SimplePractice, an EHR solution she was familiar with among her network of smaller practices and clinics. Their software boasted of extensive customizations and a both attractive and user-friendly interface. Unfortunately, due to its high cost, reduced access to customer service reps, and certain difficulties with scalability for ETC’s particular needs, Ebony found it unsustainable for the long-term.
So, she pivoted to TherapyNotes. They were clearly the more affordable option, but it quickly became apparent that they lacked critical features, such as a comprehensive library of documents and other forms particular to their practice needs, while also giving off the general impression of stagnancy in their overall innovation. Ultimately, they weren’t going to be a lasting fit either.
Transitioning electronic health records is never a fun or easy process, and Ebony knew that, if they were going to change systems again, they needed a behavioral health EHR they could trust.
How about Another Round with Checkpoint?
After an overwhelmingly positive experience with Checkpoint at her past agency, Ebony decided to reconnect with Joy Kerr and Kallie Reinhard to touch base and see an updated demo.
She was quickly won over (again)!
After bouncing around from ICANotes, SimplePractice, and TherapyNotes – dealing with limited reporting, inaccessible success reps, elevated pricing, manual billing, and add-on fees for clearinghouse – Ebony was thrilled to return to an EHR that she felt comfortable with and knew her team would be able to adopt seamlessly.
ETC’s Core Benefits in Moving to CheckpointEHR
When asked about the benefits her practice has experienced since incorporating Checkpoint, Ebony shared that the transition to Checkpoint “had a significantly positive impact on ETC’s operations” and that “the detailed productivity and payroll reports enabled [her] to monitor staff performance closely, ensuring that everything administrative was as efficient as possible among [their] therapists and case managers.”
This monitoring translated into a lot of time saved on manual tasks and a meaningful increase in revenue.
Moreover, the integrated clearinghouse and cost-effective pricing model contributed to substantial cost savings. These savings allowed ETC to reinvest in their team and services, further enhancing the quality of care provided to their clients.
Per ETC’s experience with CheckpointEHR so far, here’s their list of the top benefits they have identified:
- Detailed Reporting: One of the primary reasons for switching to Checkpoint was its ability to generate detailed productivity reports. These reports allowed Ebony to monitor her staff's performance more effectively and streamline payroll processes, significantly enhancing operational efficiency.
- Excellent Customer Support: Ebony highlighted the exceptional customer service provided by Checkpoint, particularly the support from both Joy and Kallie. Unlike other EHR solutions that “started off having somebody you can talk to then moved to impersonal online chatbots and emails,” Checkpoint has maintained a high level of personalized assistance, which has been reassuring to her and the ETC team.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Checkpoint's pricing model, which adapts to her practice’s revenue ebbs and flows, has proven to be a far more affordable option. This model has allowed Ebony to manage her budget more comfortably and predictably, a crucial factor for a growing practice.
- Customization and User-Friendliness: Checkpoint’s customization options have provided ETC with the flexibility to adjust documentation requirements to their practice’s particular needs while maintaining streamlined and intuitive processes to keep the EHR simple and user-friendly. For instance, Ebony has appreciated the ability to upload and personalize various forms within a custom storage system across their team.
- Integrated Clearinghouse: Unlike many other EHR solutions that required additional payments for clearinghouse services, CheckpointEHR included clearinghouse integration with Availity RCM as a part of their subscription, saving ETC significant amounts of time and money on claims.
- Feature Enhancements: Lastly, Ebony expressed excitement about Checkpoint's rolling process to innovate and improve features, such as the upcoming enhancements to the treatment plan module. Unlike other EHRs, she feels a sense of partnership with Checkpoint and appreciates the ongoing opportunity to provide clinician input and collaborate on continued enhancements.
Final Thoughts
Ebony's journey with ETC and her decision to adopt Checkpoint as their behavioral health EHR solution underscores the importance of selecting the right tools as a foundation for scaling a therapy practice. Her experience highlights the need for detailed reporting, excellent customer support, customization options, and streamlined billing.
Looking ahead, Ebony is optimistic about ETC's growth, and the constant enhancements being made to Checkpoint's features, knowing she has an established behavioral health EHR system that will grow with her team for many years to come!
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