Mental Health Software Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

With tons of options available, each boasting different capabilities, how do you know which mental health software will meet your needs and help you provide the best care for your clients? The wrong choice could lead to frustrated staff and compromised patient care.

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But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! With a mental health software requirements checklist, you can easily evaluate different platforms and choose one that supports both your practice and your patients’ needs.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of key requirements to look for when choosing mental health software that will serve your practice for years to come.

Mental Health Software Requirements Checklist

This guide will help you:

• Follow our analyst-approved checklist of must-have features
• Choose software that’s perfect for your practice needs
• Learn what mental health software means for your practice
• See how the right software can transform your day-to-day operations

Deep Dive Into Mental Health Software Requirements

We’ve onboarded over 100,000 users into our software selection platform. This has given us a wealth of insights into their usage patterns based on industry, company size and user persona. By leveraging this data, we’ve identified key requirements you should consider to minimize the risk of selecting the wrong software.

Our goal is to empower you to benefit from the collective experience of your peers who’ve embarked on the same journey before you.

A comprehensive mental health software requirements checklist to cross-check with your practice needs.

Use this checklist as a starting point to identify the essential features and functionalities you need in mental health software. While it may not be all-inclusive, it can help you narrow down your options.

1. Platform Security and Compliance

You can ensure security and confidentiality in your practice by safeguarding sensitive data through encryption.

Secure in-transit information and gain access to a chronological permanent record of all user activity. The activity includes who accessed the electronic medical record, their log-on and log-off times, who viewed what and for how long, and any changes, additions and deletions.

Our analyst, Dhanasri Yasam, said that regulatory requirements form a complex web, from billing accuracy with ICD-10 and CPT codes to state-specific privacy laws like CCPA. Modern mental health practices need software that addresses multiple compliance layers — federal regulations, state mandates, HITECH Act standards and secure data exchange protocols. Most critically, she noted that interoperability requirements under the Cures Act are reshaping how mental health data must be managed and shared.

Mental health software that is HIPAA compliant, supports HL7 standards and has been certified to meet Meaningful Use (MU) requirements is also a great pick.

Psychologists and psychiatrists should look for solutions that support Medicare compliance for behavioral health services and Medicaid.

• Activity Logs and Audit Trails
• Encryption
• HIPAA Compliance
• HL7 Standards
• Meaningful Use (MU)
• Medicare and Medicaid Compliance
• MIPS and APMs
• ONC-ATCB
• Role-Based Access
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

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2. Dashboards and Reports

This capability helps with automatic report delivery at recurring time schedules. You can save and bookmark reports to view them later with or without filters for future reference, enabling you to make informed decisions.

Dashboards help visualize all data in a centralized platform, leading to improved clarity.

Robust mental health systems give you the option of both pre-built and custom reports. Dynamic dashboards help visualize progress and provide a 360-degree view of everything important. You can use them to monitor essential daily tasks, key performance indicators, workflows, monthly progress, patient visits, billing and accounts.

• Auto-Schedule Reports
• Bookmark Reports
• Custom Reports
• Dashboard
• Pre-Built Reports

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3. Electronic Prescribing

Mental health systems providing this feature offer built-in clinical decision support. This helps determine possible drug interactions with other drugs the patient might be taking. Sometimes, unmonitored drug interactions can be harmful or even fatal, so electronic prescribing is convenient and necessary.

Manage prescriptions from start to finish, along with client interactions and appointments in a consolidated platform.

You can calculate and decide appropriate dose recommendations based on client-specific conditions and demographics. Create e-prescriptions that include treatment plans and lab tests on any device you like and transfer them securely to pharmacies. Along with regular medications, the solution offers the ability to prescribe controlled substances.

• Clinical Decision Support (CDS)
• CPOE or CPOM
• Dose Calculator
• Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS)
• Electronic Prescription
• Electronic Prior Authorization (EPA)
• Formulary Checks
• Medication Management
• Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
• Refill Prescriptions

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4. Mental Health Billing

Billing capabilities are a core part of mental health software, providing various options for customizing patient statements. It enables you to receive electronic remittance advice (ERA) reports and payments via electronic funds transfer and automatically post electronic insurance payments.

According to our analyst, Akshay Bharat Parekh:

Built-in insurance verification allows checking primary or secondary insurance eligibility in real time or before an appointment. The solution should automate billing processes, track and manage insurance claims, and handle payments.

Akshay Bharat ParekhSoftware Research Analyst, SelectHub

Get quick insight into client transactions and view and edit charges with mental health platforms.

Counseling psychologist Priyanka Jaswal talked about the importance of mental health billing:

You do not have to hassle with sharing bank details yourself or even have an exchange of cash. At an individual level, when you’re practicing as a practitioner, I think it just makes everything quite easy and streamlined.

Priyanka JaswalAssociate Manager, PeakMind

The system allows patient payments to be made directly through credit, debit, check or cash. These non-insurance payments include copays, pre-payments or direct payments toward an outstanding balance.

• Batch Patient Statements
• Claim Rule Engine or Claim Validation
• Claims Submission and Rejections
• Custom Patient Statements
• Denial Resolution
• Electronic Superbills
• ERAs or EOBs
• Insurance Claim Status Tracking
• Insurance Eligibility Check
• Insurance Payment Posting and Reconciliation

5. Mental Health Coding

The system provides CPT codes that note down what actions the mental health professional or provider performed during a meeting. It includes the latest DSM-5 diagnoses by default, helping you stay up-to-date with the latest diagnostic standards. Along with DSM-5, the software also allows you to add, edit and delete ICD codes.

Mental health coding features help you stay organized and reduce confusion.

• Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Codes
• DSM Diagnoses Codes
• Evaluation and Management (E&M) Coding Optimization
• Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes
• ICD Diagnosis Codes
• Searchable Diagnosis Codes

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6. Mental Health EHR

The auto-calculated diagnostics feature auto-populates the patient’s responses from personality inventory measures onto the clinician’s note. You can move healthcare-related data between different entities and share it with two or more organizations.

You can view patients’ current and past medical history for a more holistic approach to treatment.

You can view, monitor and upload patients’ medical records like X-rays, ECGs, MRIs, past prescriptions, diagnostic reports and past documentation. Psychologists and psychiatrists can also note down standard vitals such as BPM and temperature and add other custom vitals needed for patients.

• Auto-Calculated Diagnostics
• Health Information Exchange (HIE)
• Patient Chart Management
• Patient Screenings
• Patient Vitals

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7. Mobile Capabilities

This feature has become critical over the years as it enables you to manage clients anywhere, anytime, on any device. Mobile apps or mobile-optimized web pages save time and effort and let teams respond to patients’ concerns quickly.

Mobile apps enable you and your clients to communicate from wherever is convenient.

Robust mental health software sends push notifications that notify you whenever new client information needs your attention. You can also convert speech to text, eliminating the need to manually type out information and saving time and effort.

• Mobile Push notifications
• Native Mobile apps
• Patient Kiosk
• Responsive Design
• Speech-To-Text Support or Hands-Free Notes

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8. Telehealth

You can communicate with clients from the comfort of your home or office through audio and video conferencing. Conduct group telehealth video sessions with multiple participants at the same time. Mental health professionals can remotely create and manage intake forms, consent documents and clinical notes.

Allow clients to meet up from the convenience of their homes and make their therapeutic journey easier. Source

Screen sharing capabilities allow both the clinician and client to share documents, notes and worksheets for improved collaboration and to stay on the same page. There’s also a virtual waiting room where patients can check in for the session, make payments, review consent, fill out intake forms and wait for the professional to join.

• Conferencing (Audio and Video)
• Group Telehealth
• Remote Patient Consent and Intake
• Screen Share
• Virtual Waiting Room

9. Patient Engagement

This is another capability that’ll help you stay on top of processes. The system can send appointment reminders to any device of your choice and keep up with client communications.

A calendar view provides a high-level overview of all your appointments.

The software provides a calendar view, color-coded appointments, follow-up and group scheduling to optimize patient management. Clients can sign consent forms and fill out intake forms from their mobile, tablet, desktop or any other device. They can also track their progress, prescriptions and appointments in the patient portal. Mental health solutions facilitate referrals and help clinicians refer patients to specialists.

10. Platform Capabilities

You can fully transform your daily practice operations with potent yet intuitive platform features. Design custom workflows that match your practice’s pace, ensuring every step from patient intake to treatment planning, flows seamlessly. A central communication hub enables secure doctor-patient messaging while allowing your team to collaborate efficiently through internal chat features.

Set up a custom workflow that matches your daily operations. Source

Managing documentation becomes effortless with secure document storage and electronic signature capabilities. You can also stay organized and efficient with integrated to-do lists and automatic spell-checking.

11. Clinical Management

Boost your clinical care with comprehensive tracking and monitoring tools designed specifically for mental health practices. The system streamlines lab request management, integrating results directly into patient records for easy access and review. Implement data-driven care through comprehensive measurement-based tools that help you track treatment effectiveness and adjust care plans with confidence.

Track your patient’s progress and adjust treatment with measurement-based care.

Detailed patient charts provide a complete picture of each client’s journey, while vital tracking capabilities ensure you never miss important health indicators. This systematic approach to clinical management helps you deliver more informed, effective care while maintaining detailed documentation of patient progress.

• Lab Request Tracking
• Measurement-Based Care
• Patient Chart
• Patient Progress Tracking
• Patient Vitals
• Evidence-Based Content Library

12. Integration & Extensibility

A platform with a wide range of integration capabilities can connect your entire practice ecosystem. You can sync your existing calendar system with the software to prevent scheduling conflicts and simplify appointment management. Direct clearinghouse integration simplifies insurance processing, while connections to document management systems keep all patient information organized and easily accessible.

Securely exchange lab orders and results online. Source

The platform should work hand in hand with laboratory systems and prescription management software, creating a smooth workflow for test orders and medication management. With built-in telehealth integration, you can easily transition between in-person and virtual care without disrupting your established processes.

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Benefits of Mental Health Software

Mental health software offers a range of benefits for both mental health professionals and their clients:

Streamline Billing

Mental health software doesn’t include diagnosis and treatment codes that are irrelevant to mental health specialties. It speeds up your practice’s revenue cycle with relevant DSM-5 codes, ICD codes and coding assistance.

These solutions offer specialized codes and claim form templates to facilitate your claim filing and reimbursement processes accurately. They also allow for time-based billing and authorization tracking to maximize reimbursements.

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Improve Treatment and Diagnostic Accuracy

With mental health software, you can streamline the entire mental health care process from assessment to outcome. It helps:

• Develop complex treatment plans that support multiple approaches and variables.
• Add goals and intervention strategies based on presented symptoms and insert personalized notes to track patient progress.
• Get treatment recommendations and alerts to improve diagnostic accuracy.
• Monitor patients’ suicidal or violent tendencies.
• E-prescribe controlled psychotropic medications and manage patient outcomes.

Shravni J, a psychotherapist and community mental health worker, said:

If you’re a private practitioner, there’s a lot of backstage work done by you. You’re the one keeping track of the finances, client scheduling, what slots are free, emails…mental health software really aids and supports in that process. And because it’s all sorted, I’m able to be more present for my work. So in that way, I think it contributes to supporting the professionals so that they can do their core work properly.

Shravni JPsychotherapist and community mental health worker

Ensure Data Security and Confidentiality

As a mental health practitioner, protecting your patients’ data security and confidentiality is a top priority. The right software secures your patient database and communication modules with encrypted security, access regulations and more.

Shravni stressed the importance of data security:

Jaswal is of a similar opinion:

It’s been known worldwide that it’s very easy for people to hack applications and things like that…When you start a session with a client, you do the legal paperwork with them saying that data will be confidential and it will not be leaked out. So if data security is compromised, even though it’s not really your mistake, you’re still kind of breaking the agreement. So I think it becomes really important to have applications that follow necessary compliance guidelines.

Priyanka JaswalAssociate Manager, PeakMind

Save Time and Money

Patients can book appointments at their discretion whenever and however it’s convenient for them. They don’t need to make multiple phone calls and talk to reception staff to book a session with you; they can do it themselves. This helps save time and money on their part and improves client satisfaction in the long run.

Regarding this, Jaswal said:

Enhance Patient Accommodation and Empowerment

Mental and behavioral health patients often need greater ease and convenience. Convenient rescheduling, increased reminders, and continuous follow-ups and encouragement can go a long way in improving mental health patient outcomes.

Mobile mental health care access can be beneficial for patients, especially in crises. Clients can take an active role in their mental health journey and participate in sessions anytime, anywhere, from any device.

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How To Create a Mental Health Software Requirements Checklist

1. Map Your Practice Workflow

Start by walking through your daily operations from start to finish. Think about how a patient moves through your practice — their first phone call, scheduling appointments, insurance verification, session documentation and follow-up care. Watch how your staff handles each step and note which processes could benefit from automation or digital solutions.

2. Identify Pain Points

Look for bottlenecks and frustrations in your current system. Maybe your team spends hours on paperwork that could be automated. Perhaps patient records are scattered across multiple platforms or billing errors are causing payment delays. You might notice that appointment reminders are missed, leading to no-shows.

Our free software selection platform helps you convert these challenges into specific requirements. All it takes is filling in your industry, team strength and essential functionalities and you can start comparing various platforms and features side by side.

Choose your category, industry, team strength and preferred modules.

3. Set Core Requirements

Using your workflow analysis and pain points, establish your non-negotiable features. Consider what you absolutely need versus what would be nice to have. Think about compliance requirements for your location and specialty. Factor in your growth plans — will you need features that support multiple locations or providers in the future?

Our selection tool helps you organize and prioritize these requirements systematically. You can label each feature either high, medium or low priority according to your preferences.

Prioritize features and simplify your selection process.

4. Gather Team Input

Different perspectives are important for a complete requirements list. Your therapists might want better documentation tools, while your front desk staff needs a more efficient scheduling system. Your billing team could require specific insurance processing features, and your management team might need certain reporting capabilities. Our platform enables this collaboration, ensuring every voice is heard.

5. Research Industry Standards

Don’t create your checklist in a vacuum. Consider what modern mental health practices are using to stay competitive. This might include telehealth capabilities, patient self-scheduling, secure messaging or integrated payment processing. Our research team continuously updates industry benchmarks in our platform to help you stay current.

6. Review and Document Final Requirements

Compile your findings into a clear, actionable document that your entire team can review. This final step brings together all your research, team input and priorities into one comprehensive checklist. You’ll clearly see which features are deal-breakers and which ones are optional, making vendor evaluation straightforward.

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Next Steps

Mental health software can help take your therapeutic game to the next level, and determining your mental health software requirements is the first step toward that. While the whole process may seem challenging, deciding your non-negotiables and key capabilities can help ease the burden.

Still confused and looking for guidance? Our free requirements template makes it easy to customize and prioritize your requirements. Good luck!

Which mental health software requirements are the most critical to your organization? Let us know in the comments below!

SME Contributors

Shravni J is a mental health professional dedicated to fostering care, safety and collaboration in mental health care, with a stance of intersectionality and social justice. She currently works as a psychotherapist through her independent practice and is a community mental health worker in India.

She holds a master’s degree in Psychological Counseling from the Indian Institute of Psychology and Research and recently completed a fellowship program from Pause for Perspective.

Priyanka Jaswal is a counseling psychologist who worked as an associate manager at PeakMind. She earned her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Kristu Jayanti College and is currently pursuing her Master of Science degree in Person-Centered Counseling from the University of Aberdeen, UK. She has been practicing for over three years and specializes in suicide prevention therapy.

Akshay Bharat Parekh is a highly analytical and detail-oriented Software Research Analyst at SelectHub, with a proven track record of generating industry-standard templates for RTs, RFIs, pricing guides, LTSRs and more across software categories like big data analytics, BI, ETL, EDI, EHR, endpoint security and medical billing. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science Engineering and an MBA in Marketing and Analytics from IBS Hyderabad.

As a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, Dhanasri Yasam works in key categories like EHR, EMR, business intelligence and HR. In her role, she conducts primary research, collects and analyzes empirical data, and draws evidence-based conclusions. She also has extensive experience gathering requirements for client projects.

Dhanasri holds a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Aurora’s Business School, Hyderabad.