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Rising Up Family Services
CheckpointEHR has saved our team hours every single week on logging clinical notes and knowing where our money is in the billing process.
with Shawanda Martin
Shawanda Martin, a driven social worker in Louisiana, is a behavioral health consultant and the office manager of Rising Up Family Services. While she has a passionate focus on helping families and individuals navigating mental health challenges, she also loves consulting several other agencies helping them optimize their operations, billing processes, and Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
Navigating EHR Inefficiencies
Before joining Rising Up, Shawanda was a part of another local practice where she handled many operational responsibilities, including tracking authorizations and billing. She was (and continues to be) dedicated to providing high-quality care, and a big part of that includes having effective systems in place to prevent staff from getting bogged down by administrative tasks.
Overtime, however, Shawanda and her team continued to meet frustrating roadblocks with unnecessarily cumbersome processes that were limited in functionality and ultimately costing them time and money.
At first, she dealt with issues while using ClaimsTrack, which continually fell short in critical areas such as billing and authorization management. As a large agency with three offices at the time, her agency struggled to keep track of client authorizations and staff credentials, often using disorganized Excel spreadsheets to manage important data.
"Before we got Checkpoint, we used to have to do so much in Excel," Shawanda recalls. "Now, I have a system that gives me checks and balances on where we are with authorizations, when they're getting ready to expire, and other critical deadlines."
ClaimsTrack’s inability to provide comprehensive billing reports was also another pivotal pain point. The process of tracking which claims had been paid and which were outstanding was labor-intensive and prone to errors, and this inefficiency regularly led to delays in payments, adding administrative overhead for the staff who had to manually verify claims through multiple portals.
Shawanda eventually engaged other EHR systems as well, such as ShareNote, NoteNetic, and ICANotes, which each posed similar challenges. These systems were either too complicated to navigate or lacked features robust enough to streamline and support daily operations. For instance, ShareNote, which Shawanda described as "looking ancient," required users to manually enter billing codes while it lacked a detailed billing report and involved a tedious process for correcting claims. Similarly, NoteNetic required multiple steps to make even simple corrections to a claim, making it a frustrating experience for users.
"I don't like a system where I have to do everything myself," Shawanda shared. "It just creates more room for errors and delays in getting paid."
For Shawanda, the inefficiencies of these systems were more than just an inconvenience—they directly impacted her ability to provide timely care to her clients and limited the financial stability of the agencies she worked with.
The Decision to Go with Checkpoint
Shawanda first encountered Checkpoint EHR around 2017 when the company conducted an in-person demo in Shreveport, LA. From that first demo, she was impressed with Checkpoint's user-friendly interface and its potential to address the administrative challenges she faced.
"From that day, I kind of fell in love with Checkpoint," Shawanda explained. "It was everything we needed, and it was so much easier to use than the other systems I had dealt with."
After finally leaving her agency of nearly 7 years in 2023 to branch out on her own as a director and consultant, Shawanda began recommending Checkpoint to the agencies she worked with. Two of the agencies she consulted for were still using paper logs and had no EHR system in place. She introduced them to Checkpoint, and they were immediately sold on its simplicity and effectiveness.
"I always tell people, I am a big advocate for Checkpoint," Shawanda said. "I don’t work for Checkpoint, but I love it because it’s so user-friendly compared to other EHRs."
One of the key features that drew Shawanda to Checkpoint was its ability to automate billing processes. Unlike the less intuitive steps required by systems like NoteNetic and ShareNote, Checkpoint allowed her to set up hands-free billing processes, with claims being sent out at a scheduled time every day. This feature alone saved her and her clients hours of manual work each week.
"In Checkpoint, everything is billing-ready, and you know that your claims are going out the window at the same time every day. You don't have to worry about it," Shawanda said. "With the other systems, it was five or six steps just to correct a claim. With Checkpoint, you just go to billing, correct it, and it's done."
The Value of Checkpoint: Efficiency, Accuracy, and Peace of Mind
Since adopting Checkpoint, Shawanda and the agencies she works with have experienced significant improvements in both efficiency and accuracy. One of the standout features for Shawanda is the detailed billing reports that Checkpoint provides. This report allows her and her clients to see exactly which claims have been paid, which are pending, and which need to be corrected—all in one place. This transparency has been a game-changer for the agencies she consults with, as they can now easily track their revenue and avoid costly billing errors.
Another major advantage of Checkpoint is its ability to track client authorizations and personnel files. With Checkpoint’s system, Shawanda can receive automatic notifications when authorizations are about to expire, ensuring that no client’s treatment is interrupted due to administrative oversight. The same goes for tracking personnel credentials like CPR certifications and professional licenses, which Checkpoint flags well in advance of expiration.
"Checkpoint leaves room for less error, and it makes life a whole lot easier," Shawanda said. "It’s all about checks and balances, and Checkpoint gives us that."
Perhaps one of the most significant impacts of Checkpoint has been the time it has saved Shawanda and her team. Before Checkpoint, clinicians would spend hours each week entering notes and managing billing. Now, with Checkpoint’s streamlined progress notes, Shawanda estimates that each clinician on her team saves five to six hours a week on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus more on providing care and even taking on more clients.
"One of my staff members, who never used to put her notes in on time, now has all her notes entered within 48 hours," Shawanda said. "That’s a huge improvement, and it's all because Checkpoint makes the process so easy."
Conclusion: A Seamless Transition to Better Care
For Shawanda Martin, the decision to switch to Checkpoint EHR was a no-brainer. After years of dealing with inefficient, outdated systems that created unnecessary administrative burdens, Checkpoint provided a behavioral health solution that was not only user-friendly but also comprehensive in its features. From automated billing to detailed reports and real-time notifications, Checkpoint has transformed the way Shawanda and her team manage their practices.
Today, Shawanda continues to be a strong advocate for Checkpoint, recommending it to other behavioral health practices she consults for. As she works toward her goal of becoming a fully licensed LCSW, she remains committed to ensuring that both her clients and her agencies have the best tools available to provide exceptional care. With Checkpoint, Shawanda has found a partner that supports her in delivering on that promise.
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