CoralEHR Blog

CoralEHR Team·September 19, 2026·11 min

Which States Now Regulate AI in Therapy, and What Each One Asks of You

Illinois, Maine, Nevada and Utah have all passed AI mental health laws, and they do not say the same thing. A clinician's read of what each statute actually requires, with the text quoted.

CoralEHR Team·September 19, 2026·7 min

Alma vs Headway: How Each One Pays You, and What the Panel Seat Costs

The two platforms charge you in structurally different ways, and the better deal flips depending on your caseload. Here is the math, plus the part about credentialing that most comparisons leave out.

Billing & Coding

90834 vs 90837: Billing Difference and Revenue Leak

90834 and 90837 are both individual therapy codes - the difference is documented session time, and it is worth about $53 a session at Medicare rates. Here is how to bill the right one.

Compliance

Good Faith Estimates for Therapists: No Surprises Act Guide

Federal law requires a written Good Faith Estimate for every self-pay client. Here is what must be on it, when to give it, the $400 rule, and a free generator.

How Much Do Therapists Make by State? (2025 BLS Wage Data)

Therapist salaries vary widely by role and state. Here is what counselors, psychologists, MFTs, and clinical social workers earn - and why employed wages are a floor, not a private-pay fee.

How to Set Sliding-Scale Therapy Fees That Are Sustainable

A sliding scale makes therapy accessible without taking insurance - but only if it is consistent and you can afford it. Here is how to set one anchored to the federal poverty level.

Billing & Coding

Therapy Reimbursement Rates Explained (2026)

What insurers actually pay for therapy varies more by payer than by state. Here is what the data shows for common CPT codes - and why it matters even for cash-pay practices.

Where to Start a Private Practice: Using Shortage Data

The mental health provider shortage is officially measured. Here is how to use federal HRSA data to find underserved areas - and the honest limit of what it tells you.

CoralEHR Team·June 16, 2026·6 min

Jane App Alternatives: 6 EHRs for Private-Pay Therapy (2026)

Compare Jane App alternatives for private-pay therapists: CoralEHR, SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, Sessions Health, TheraNest, and Upheal. Treatment planning, AI notes, payments, and best-fit use cases.

EHR Pricing

TherapyNotes Alternatives: 6 Private-Pay EHRs (2026)

Compare TherapyNotes alternatives for private-pay therapists: CoralEHR, SimplePractice, Jane, Sessions Health, TheraNest, and Upheal. Pricing, AI note fees, telehealth, and best-fit use cases.

CoralEHR Team·June 16, 2026·7 min

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·11 min

Telling Clients You Use AI for Notes (Without Losing Trust)

A practical, ethics-first guide to disclosing AI documentation to your clients - what the law actually requires, why honesty raises consent rates, and the line that separates a recording scribe from a scratchpad assistant.

De-Identified Is a Door, Not a Wall | SimplePractice AI

On June 16, 2026, SimplePractice begins retaining de-identified session transcripts to improve its AI. Here's what 'de-identified' really protects - and why 'trains nothing' is a stronger promise than 'trains only de-identified.'

Getting Started With CoralEHR: Your First Week, Day by Day

A practical day-by-day plan for your first week in a new therapy EHR - import your charts, draft your first AI note, send intake, and run telehealth - all inside a 30-day free trial.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·9 min

How to Leave Insurance Panels as a Therapist (2026 Guide)

A step-by-step, contract-first guide to resigning from insurance panels as a private practice therapist without breaching your agreement or stranding clients.

How to Raise Therapy Fees With Existing Clients

How to raise therapy fees with existing clients: timing, a notice framework, a client-ready script, handling pushback, and sliding-scale considerations.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·14 min

How to Review a DBT Diary Card in Session

A therapist guide to reviewing a DBT diary card in session: set the agenda from the target hierarchy, scan top-down, run one chain, reinforce skills, and handle a blank card.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·13 min

How to Switch From SimplePractice: A Migration Guide

A practical, step-by-step guide to leaving SimplePractice: what its data export does and doesn't include, recreating templates, and switching without losing records.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·11 min

Is SimplePractice Worth It for Private-Pay Therapists?

An honest 2026 look at when SimplePractice is worth the price for a cash-pay therapist - and when you're paying for insurance billing tools you'll never use.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·14 min

PTSD Treatment Plan Template (With Progress Note Example)

A clinician guide to a PTSD/trauma treatment plan - phased structure, trauma-focused modalities (EMDR, CPT, PE), PCL-5 measurement, plus a progress note.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·13 min

Sand Tray Therapy Documentation Examples for Progress Notes

Safe, copy-ready SOAP and DAP sand tray therapy documentation examples for progress notes - describe the build without over-interpreting the symbols.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·12 min

SimplePractice AI and Your Data: What Therapists Should Know

A neutral, sourced walkthrough of SimplePractice's AI Note Taker data lifecycle, the June 16, 2026 de-identified retention change, who owns your data, and what private-equity ownership means for your clients' words.

EHR Pricing

SimplePractice Cost & Fees Explained (2026)

The full SimplePractice cost stack for private-pay therapists - plans, the $35 AI Note Taker, 3.15% card fees, per-claim fees, ePrescribe - with honest worked math.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·12 min

EHR Pricing

SimplePractice Pricing 2026: Plans, AI Add-ons & Fees

SimplePractice costs $49, $79 or $99 a month before optional AI and payment fees. Compare standard prices and two worked practice budgets.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·5 min

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·13 min

SimplePractice Private Equity Ownership: What It Means

SimplePractice's parent EngageSmart was taken private by Vista Equity Partners for ~$4B in early 2024. Here's what PE ownership means for your data and pricing.

Therapists Don't Hate AI. They Hate AI Therapists.

The therapist backlash against AI isn't one feeling - it's two. Clinicians reject AI-as-therapist and conditionally accept AI-for-paperwork. The line between them is everything.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·14 min

Therapy No-Show & Cancellation Fee Policy (2026 Guide)

Can a private-pay therapy practice charge no-show and late-cancellation fees? What a defensible, consent-based policy looks like - plus a sample clause.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·12 min

Virtual Sand Tray Prompts for Kids, Teens & Telehealth

A therapist library of open-ended and themed virtual sand tray prompts, with age adaptations for children and teens and processing questions that avoid over-interpreting the scene.

CoralEHR Team·June 14, 2026·8 min

Why CoralEHR Doesn't Require Recording Your Sessions

Most AI scribes work by recording the therapy hour. CoralEHR drafts your note from what you type - no microphone in the room required.

CoralEHR Team·June 13, 2026·11 min

OCD ERP Treatment Plan Template (With Progress Note Example)

A clinician guide to writing an OCD/ERP treatment plan - exposure hierarchy, SUDS, response prevention, Y-BOCS measurement - plus a progress-note example.

CoralEHR Team·June 13, 2026·12 min

Why a Clinician Must Sign Every AI-Drafted Note

AI scribes can hand back your evenings - but the second a draft enters the record, one question matters: who is accountable for what it says? A care-first case for the only safeguard that holds.

CoralEHR Team·June 8, 2026·5 min

How to Explain Out-of-Network Benefits to Therapy Clients

A practical guide for private-pay therapists explaining out-of-network benefits, superbills, reimbursement, and payment expectations without turning intake into insurance admin.

CoralEHR Team·June 8, 2026·5 min

Private-Pay Practice Workflow Checklist for Therapists

A workflow checklist for therapists moving toward private pay, covering consultation, intake, payment, documentation, superbills, reminders, and revenue follow-up.