Psychiatrist Appointment Scheduling Software: A Complete Guide

TL;DR

• Key Difference: Psychiatry needs multiple appointment types (90-min eval, 20-min med check, 45-min therapy).
• Must Have: EHR integration, prescription workflow awareness, HIPAA compliance.
• For Scheduling Only: OnlyCaly with privacy features.
• For Full PM: SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, or specialized psych EHRs.

Psychiatrists face scheduling challenges that other mental health professionals don't.

Initial evaluations run 60-90 minutes. Medication management appointments are 15-30 minutes. Some psychiatrists also do therapy sessions at 45-60 minutes. Many practices mix telehealth and in-person visits.

General scheduling tools don't understand this complexity. Here's what actually works.

What Makes Psychiatry Scheduling Unique

Multiple Appointment Durations

A typical psychiatrist's service menu:

Your scheduling tool needs to handle all of these with different durations, prices, and availability.

Prescription Workflow Awareness

Patients running low on medication may need appointments sooner. Some scheduling tools integrate with pharmacy/EHR systems to flag when refills are due.

Higher No-Show Rates

Mental health appointments have ~20% no-show rates. Psychiatry can be even higher for medication management (patients feel fine, skip the appointment).

Strong reminder systems and cancellation policies matter more.

Insurance Billing Complexity

Psychiatric services use specific CPT codes. Your scheduling tool doesn't necessarily need to handle billing, but it should categorize appointments correctly.

HIPAA Requirements

Psychiatry involves PHI (Protected Health Information). Any scheduling tool touching patient data should support HIPAA compliance—or at minimum, be designed with privacy in mind.

Essential Features for Psychiatry

1. Multiple Service Types

Create distinct appointment types with different durations, prices, and availability windows.

Example Setup:

• "Initial Evaluation (90 min)" — Available Mondays 9am-12pm only
• "Med Check (20 min)" — Available daily, stacked in afternoon blocks
• "Therapy (50 min)" — Available Tuesdays and Thursdays

2. Buffer Time Between Appointments

Psychiatrists need time to document, update prescriptions, and transition between the intensity of an initial eval and a quick med check.

Recommended: 10-15 minutes buffer after each appointment type.

3. Automated Reminders (Multiple)

Psychiatric patients benefit from:

• 48-hour reminder
• Same-day reminder (morning of)
• For medication management: reminder to bring current med list

4. Intake Questionnaires

Before initial evaluations, collect:

• Current medications and dosages
• Previous psychiatric history
• Current symptoms (PHQ-9, GAD-7 if applicable)
• Insurance information

5. Payment at Booking

Reduce no-shows by collecting payment or deposits at booking. Especially important for high-demand initial evaluation slots.

6. Telehealth Integration

Many psychiatrists offer telehealth for medication management. Calendar invites should auto-generate Google Meet/Zoom links.

Tool Comparison for Psychiatrists

Recommendations by Practice Type

Solo Psychiatrist (Primarily Med Management)

Recommended: OnlyCaly + separate EHR

Why: You need efficient scheduling with privacy, but don't need a giant EHR for 15-minute medication checks. Pair with a simple EHR for documentation.

Stack:

• OnlyCaly for scheduling + payments
• Simple EHR for notes (TherapyNotes, Valant)
• Google Meet for telehealth

Solo Psychiatrist (Med Management + Therapy)

Recommended: SimplePractice or TherapyNotes

Why: You're doing longer sessions and need integrated documentation. An all-in-one makes sense.

Consider: SimplePractice ($69/month) includes scheduling, notes, billing, telehealth.

Psychiatry Group Practice

Recommended: DrChrono, Valant, or specialized psych EHR

Why: You need e-prescribing, multi-provider scheduling, and enterprise features.

Note: These are significantly more expensive but offer psych-specific workflows.

Psychiatrist in a Medical Practice

Recommended: Use the practice's existing EHR scheduling module

Why: Integration with medical records, e-prescribing, and practice-wide systems matters more than standalone scheduling features.

Setting Up a Psychiatry Scheduling System

Step 1: Define Service Types

List every appointment type you offer:

• Initial evaluation (in-person)
• Initial evaluation (telehealth)
• Follow-up (in-person)
• Follow-up (telehealth)
• Medication check (in-person)
• Medication check (telehealth)
• Therapy session (if applicable)
• Urgent/same-day slots

Step 2: Set Durations and Prices

For each service type:

• Duration: Include buffer time
• Price: Self-pay and/or copays
• Availability: When can this type be booked?

Step 3: Create Intake Forms

For initial evaluations:

• Demographics
• Insurance information
• Current medications (list)
• Previous psychiatric treatment
• Current symptoms (open text or PHQ-9/GAD-7)
• Emergency contact
• Consent to treatment

For follow-ups:

• Any medication changes since last visit?
• Current symptom check

Step 4: Configure Reminders

Set up automated reminders:

• 48 hours before
• 4 hours before (day-of)
• Custom reminder: "Please bring your current medication list"

Step 5: Connect Payments

For self-pay patients or deposits:

• Connect Stripe or Square
• Set pricing per service type
• Consider deposits for initial evaluations (protect high-value slots)

Step 6: Add to Your Workflow

Embed booking link on your website. Add to:

• Website booking page
• Psychology Today profile
• Referral materials
• Patient portal

Common Mistakes

1. One-Size-Fits-All Appointments

Creating a single "Psychiatry Appointment" that doesn't differentiate between 15-minute med checks and 90-minute evaluations.

2. No Same-Day Availability

Patients in medication crisis need urgent access. Consider holding a few "urgent" slots each week.

3. Ignoring No-Show Patterns

Track which appointment types and which patients no-show most. Adjust policies and reminders accordingly.

4. Generic Privacy Settings

Calendar invitations showing "Psychiatry Appointment" can be stigmatizing. Use neutral titles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need e-prescribing integrated with scheduling?

Not necessarily. E-prescribing happens in your EHR, not your scheduler. They're separate workflows for most practices.

Is OnlyCaly HIPAA compliant?

OnlyCaly is designed with privacy-first principles. For formal BAA requirements, consult your compliance officer. The tool doesn't store clinical information—just scheduling data.

How do I handle insurance-based scheduling?

Some practices limit certain appointment types to insurance patients. Create separate service types with appropriate availability and require insurance verification via intake forms.

What about prior authorizations?

Scheduling tools don't handle prior auths. That's between your practice, the patient, and the insurer. Schedule appointments contingent on auth when needed.

The Bottom Line

Psychiatry scheduling is more complex than typical therapy scheduling. You need multiple appointment types, strong reminders, and thoughtful intake workflows.

General scheduling tools can work with configuration. Specialized EHRs offer more integration but at higher cost.

For efficient scheduling with privacy: OnlyCaly For all-in-one practice management: SimplePractice, TherapyNotes For full psychiatric enterprise: DrChrono, Valant

Choose based on your practice size, complexity, and budget. The best tool is the one you'll actually use consistently.

Try OnlyCaly for Your Practice →