What is Practice Better? A plain-language guide to the software for nutrition and coaching practices

What is Practice Better? A plain definition

Practice Better is software that runs the business side and the record-keeping side of a small health or wellness practice. Its own pages call it all-in-one practice management software and an all-in-one EHR, short for electronic health record. An EHR is the digital file for each client: intake forms, visit notes, plans and documents kept in one secure place instead of folders and email.

The vendor says more than 50,000 practitioners use it and lists dietitians, nutritionists, health coaches, naturopathic doctors, chiropractors and others as the people it serves. Those are the vendor's own figures. For a nutrition practice, the useful question is which parts you will use every week.

The parts of Practice Better: scheduling, notes, billing and video visits

• Scheduling: clients pick a time on your booking page, the system checks your availability and sends reminders. It replaces back-and-forth email.
• Notes, also called charting: after each visit you write a session note, usually from a template with set headings such as SOAP. The help center says signing a note locks it.
• Billing: you send an invoice or take a card payment through Practice Better Payments. A superbill is an itemized list of services a client can send to an insurer for reimbursement.
• Telehealth: a built-in video room opens in a browser. The help center lists a modern browser, a stable connection and camera and microphone permission, and the vendor says no Zoom account is required.
• Forms and consent: intake forms and waivers go to clients online before the first visit, so consent is collected before you meet.

What clients see: portal, app, journals and programs

Clients get a portal and a mobile app for booking, forms, messages and payments. Nutrition practices lean on three client-facing tools. Food and lifestyle journals let clients log meals and habits between visits. Protocols hold your written recommendations in one place. Programs package a series of lessons or sessions that a client buys and follows. The pricing page lists which plan unlocks each program type, and the pricing guide sets that out.

Privacy and HIPAA in plain terms

HIPAA is the US federal rule on health information. Its definitions say a covered entity includes a health care provider that transmits health information electronically in connection with transactions the rule covers. Whether your practice is one depends on how you work and bill, so ask a qualified adviser; this site gives no legal advice.

Practice Better's security help article says the vendor maintains compliance with HIPAA, PIPEDA, PHIPA and GDPR, and that a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is available on request. That agreement is the contract that lets a software vendor handle protected health information for a provider. Ask for it before you store client records.

What Practice Better is not, and who it fits

• It is not a consumer meal-planning app. Meal plans come through an integration with That Clean Life, listed from the Starter plan up.
• It is not free beyond the Sprout plan, which holds 3 clients.
• It is not the only choice. Healthie, SimplePractice and others cover similar ground, and Practice Better vs Healthie compares the closest nutrition rival.
• It is not a source of professional or legal advice on licensing, records retention or insurance billing in your state.

Where to go next

Read the full review for limits and fit, or jump to SOAP notes for dietitians to see what a visit note looks like before you start a trial.