Access control, or the selective limiting of access to a resource, is an important part of your account's security. Not every user on your TherapyNotes account needs access to every single piece of information in the account - administrative staff might not need access to clinical information, and clinicians might not need access to the practice’s financial information.
TherapyNotes utilizes two types of access controls to help maintain your security: user accounts and roles. Staff User Accounts are the individual accounts of each person who uses TherapyNotes. An account is defined by the unique username and password.
No two people should be using the same login credentials; doing so is a violation of the TherapyNotes Terms of Service. For information on how to add another user to your account, read Create or Edit a User. This allows the activity log to record the actions of each user, which helps for monitoring practice activity and compliance with regulations.
The second type of access control is roles. Roles limit access to different parts of TherapyNotes based on the job functions of the user.
Overview of Roles
Clinician: In TherapyNotes, a Clinician is any person who provides services to a client. This may include psychologists, therapists, case managers, nurse practitioners, and psychiatrists, among many others. Clinicians are able to access and complete various note templates to document their work; however, Clinicians can only access documentation for clients to whom they are assigned. Like all users in the system, Clinicians will be able to see contact information for all clients regardless of whom the client is assigned to.
Practice Scheduler: A Practice Scheduler has access to all Clinicians' schedules and may schedule and cancel appointments. They have access to add, edit, and remove clients. A Practice Scheduler can create Missed Appointment Notes, Contact Notes, and Miscellaneous Notes, but they may not create clinical notes. Schedulers do not have their own calendar or appointments (unless they also have the role of Clinician).
Practice Biller: A Practice Biller has full access to billing in TherapyNotes. Practice Billers are able to generate and track claims, enter payments, and run billing reports. They have access to all clients in the TherapyNotes account, although they are not able to see clinical notes. Billers do not have their own calendar or appointments (unless they also have the role of Clinician).
Biller For Assigned Patients Only: A Clinician who also has this role has the ability to enter and view client billing information and payments for their clients only. They are not able to submit claims to insurance or access practice-wide billing reports.
TherapyNotes Practice Administrator: A Practice Administrator has the ability to create and edit user accounts, assign their roles, and reset passwords for other users. The Practice Administrator may also configure many of the global settings for TherapyNotes.
Clinical Administrator: A Clinical Administrator has full access to all clients and client notes, whether or not they are assigned to that client. Clinical Administrators also have the ability to assign any client to any Clinician, thereby granting access to all of that client's notes to the Clinician.
Note: Clinical Administrators must also have the role of Clinician (with their own schedule and To-Do list). Clinical Administrators are the only users able to delete a signed note.
Supervisor: A Supervisor may access, review, approve, and co-sign notes of supervised Clinicians and Interns. If a Supervisor also has the role of Clinician, other Clinicians and/or Interns are able to bill with the Supervisor’s credentials using the Bill as Supervisor feature.
Using Access Controls
Consider what access each of your users need in TherapyNotes. As a user’s needs change (for example, by becoming licensed and moving from an Intern to a Clinician or taking on new job functions), be sure to keep their roles updated.
To change your own roles:
- Click Profile > Info tab
- Click anywhere on the Roles box to edit.
- Select the checkbox next to each role that should be assigned to the user.
- Click the Save Changes button.
To change another user's roles:
- Click Staff > Staff name > Info tab
- Click anywhere on the Roles box to edit.
- Select the checkbox next to each role that should be assigned to the user.
- Click the Save Changes button.