If you’re a private practice professional, you already know the hours don’t stop when the sessions do.

Between charting, follow-ups, client messages, and billing, the administrative side of care can quickly take over your evenings and weekends. And while your EHR is meant to make life easier, sometimes it can feel like just another system to manage.

But here’s the good news: most EHRs offer powerful shortcuts and automation tools that go unnoticed—features that, once implemented, can help you reclaim real time in your week.

Whether you’re a solo practitioner or managing a growing team, these seven underutilized EHR workflows can help reduce stress, improve consistency, and give you more space to focus on what matters most—your clients.

1. Create Charting Templates for Your Most Common Sessions

Charting doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch every time. Most EHRs allow you to create reusable charting templates that save time while maintaining documentation quality and compliance.

These templates can include pre-filled fields, dropdowns, checkboxes, and even conditional logic to ensure you’re capturing what’s needed—without over-documenting.

Try this:

• Create templates for your most frequent session types (e.g., initial assessments, follow-ups, group sessions).
• Include both structured fields and space for free-text notes.
• Revisit templates every few months to make sure they still reflect how you’re practicing.

By using templates thoughtfully, you reduce friction, stay consistent across client records, and protect your time—without compromising care.

2. Use Keyboard Shortcuts and Text Snippets to Navigate Faster

If you’re clicking through multiple menus just to get to a client chart or schedule view, you’re not alone. But your EHR likely has keyboard shortcuts and text snippet tools built in to help you move faster. In Healthie, we offer Smart Phrases and Hotkeys to help improve the speed and accuracy of charting and messaging.

Some other examples:

• Use shortcuts like Ctrl + K (or Cmd + K on Mac) to open a universal search bar.
• Type in short phrases like .followup to auto-insert your standard session summary or plan.
• Use tab keys or arrow keys to move quickly between fields when documenting.
  

Pro tip: Keep a printed cheat sheet of your most-used shortcuts near your workstation until they become second nature. The time savings really add up.

3. Automate Client Follow-Ups and Check-Ins

Following up with clients between sessions is essential—but manually managing every message or reminder can quickly overwhelm your workflow.

With the right EHR, you can set up automated messages that are triggered by client actions (or inaction). These workflows not only save time but help keep your clients engaged and supported.

Automations to explore:

• Send a personalized message 24 hours after a new client’s first session.
• Trigger a form when before or after a session, or even when it’s first booked.
• Automatically share session prep info or post-session materials.

Whether it’s improving attendance or reinforcing care plans, automations help you extend support without additional effort from your team.

4. Batch Schedule Using Availability Rules

Scheduling shouldn’t feel like a constant back-and-forth. If your EHR supports availability rules and batch scheduling, you can simplify your calendar and make it easier for clients to book with you.

Instead of booking one session at a time:

• Set recurring availability for specific appointment types (e.g., new clients only on Tuesdays).
• Offer pre-approved windows for clients to self-book—reducing emails and admin time.
• Use batch scheduling to reserve recurring times for follow-ups or group sessions.

Workflow tip: Encourage clients to book a recurring schedule upfront. It supports better outcomes—and fewer holes in your calendar.

5. Simplify Intake with Automated Forms and Welcome Packets

Client onboarding is one of the most time-intensive parts of running a practice. Between collecting demographics, signed consents, and initial assessments, there’s a lot to keep track of.

With your EHR, you can automate the entire intake process—from the moment a client books to their first session.

What to include:

• Digital intake forms (demographics, insurance, payment info)
• Pre-visit screeners or assessments
• Informed consent, practice policies, and telehealth disclosures
  
  

Pro tip: Bundle these forms into a branded welcome packet that automatically sends to new clients upon booking. You’ll reduce administrative back-and-forth and help clients feel supported from day one.

6. Use Superbill and Claim Templates to Streamline Billing

Billing is often one of the biggest time drains for private practices—but it doesn’t have to be.

If your EHR includes claims and superbill templates, you can dramatically cut down the time you spend on documentation and submission.

Try this:

• Pre-fill diagnosis and CPT codes for common session types.
• Set up automatic claims generation for recurring clients or group services.
• Use validation checks to alert you to missing fields before submission.

Even better? Look for batch billing tools that let you submit multiple claims in just a few clicks.

Over time, these efficiencies translate into faster reimbursement and fewer headaches at the end of the week. Healthie’s integration with Claim.MD enables Healthie customers to run eligibility checks, submit claims, track reimbursements, and manage Electronic Remittance Advice (ERAs) all within Healthie, eliminating the need for multiple platforms and reducing administrative burden. 

7. Centralize Communication With Two-Way Messaging

Client communication is a critical part of care—but when it happens across multiple platforms (email, texts, DMs), it’s easy to lose track. That’s where secure, two-way messaging within your EHR can make a huge difference.

Instead of managing scattered conversations, explore communication tips like:

• Keep all messages within the client chart.
• Set clear boundaries with office hours and auto-responders.
• Schedule future messages to be delivered in advance
• Use message templates to reply quickly to common questions.

Workflow tip: Dedicate 15–20 minutes at the beginning and end of each day to respond to messages in batches. You’ll reduce mental clutter—and client questions won’t fall through the cracks.

Putting It All Together: Start Small, Save Big

The best way to implement these shortcuts? Start with one. Choose the area of your workflow that feels the most time-consuming or chaotic right now, and look for the EHR shortcut that supports it. Once that’s in place, move on to the next.

Over time, these small changes build momentum. You’ll find yourself spending less time on logistics, and more time doing the work you care about.

A Platform Designed to Support Your Workflow

At Healthie, we’ve built our platform with private practice professionals in mind. From customizable charting templates to client engagement automations, our goal is to help you spend less time on systems—and more time with your clients.

Thousands of nutritionists, therapists, coaches, and clinicians use Healthie every day to reduce burnout, streamline operations, and grow with confidence.

If your current EHR isn’t helping you get time back, we’d love to show you what’s possible.

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