Questions to ask during a speech therapy EMR demo: A checklist for SLP practices
Knowing which speech therapy EHR demo questions to ask can help speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and private practice owners evaluate Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software before making a purchasing decision. A demo should show how the system handles everyday tasks, including clinical documentation, goal tracking, scheduling, billing, and teletherapy.
Rather than simply watching a presentation of the software's features, use this guide to ask targeted questions, test real-world workflows, and identify potential limitations. These steps will help you determine whether a speech therapy EHR or EMR meets your practice's clinical and administrative needs.
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Key takeaways
- Prepare before the demo. Identify workflow problems, must-have features, and real-world scenarios so the demonstration focuses on your practice’s actual needs.
- Test everyday workflows, not just features. Ask the vendor to demonstrate scheduling, documentation, billing, payments, reporting, and telehealth from start to finish.
- Look beyond clinical documentation. Evaluate security, HIPAA compliance, implementation, data migration, training, customer support, reporting, and scalability.
- Get clear on the total cost. Ask what is included in the base subscription, which features require add-on fees, whether a contract is required, and how pricing changes as your practice grows.
Streamline your practice with One EHR
- Scheduling
- Flexible notes
- Template library
- Billing & payments
- Insurance claims
- Client portal
- Telehealth
- E-fax
How to prepare for a speech therapy EHR demo
Before you jump into a demo, prepare by identifying your practice’s specific needs. That helps prevent it from being more of a generic tour of features.
- Identify current workflow problems: Are scheduling errors happening often? Are clinicians spending too much time on documentation? An ASHA study showed 52.6% of SLPs identified administrative tasks as one of the top three barriers to providing optimal clinical care. Knowing what your practice’s biggest problems are helps you evaluate whether a new EHR system will actually solve them.
- Bring real-world scenarios: Prepare a few specific client scenarios that represent daily workflows within your speech therapy practice. For example, ask the vendor to show you how staff would schedule a recurring appointment or an SLP would document a treatment session.
- Know your must-have features: Make a list of non-negotiable features (e.g., automatic appointment reminders or integrated telehealth). Separate these from a “nice-to-have” list (e.g., customized portal branding), so it’s easier to objectively compare platforms.
Questions to ask about SLP clinical workflows
A clinician’s workday revolves around interacting with the EHR. It’s crucial for the system to support documentation efficiency while maintaining clinical quality.
Ask:
Documentation and templates
- Are templates customizable?
- Are there discipline-specific templates available (e.g., speech, occupational, physical, or behavioral therapy)?
- Can therapists use the EHR to document evaluation, daily treatment, progress, and discharge notes?
- Can documentation auto-populate previous note details, including client information and diagnostic codes?
- Can documentation be customized for specific payers?
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), “succinctness and legibility are critical factors” in documentation because they help the reader quickly identify important information.
Treatment plans and goals for a speech therapy practice
- How do clinicians create, update, and track goals?
- Can therapists document progress by easily viewing previous performance on individual goals?
- Can the EHR system alert the clinician when a plan of care, progress report, or re-evaluation is due?
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AI documentation
- If artificial intelligence (AI) documentation tools are offered, how do they work?
- Are AI notes generated from clinician-entered information, session recordings, or both?
- Can the therapist review and edit the AI-generated note before signing?
- How is data used by AI stored and protected?
- Is AI included in the base subscription or is an additional fee required to add on AI tools?
Questions to ask about scheduling and client management
Scheduling features
Ask:
- Can you walk through the speech therapy workflow of creating recurring appointments, cancellations, and rescheduling?
- Are automated appointment reminders built in(e.g., SMS, email, voice)?
- Can clients access a portal to complete electronic intake forms, self-scheduling, and secure messaging?
- How can staff view a clinician’s availability?
- Can families schedule or request appointments online?
Questions to ask about billing, insurance, and payments
- Ask the vendor to walk you through the entire billing process, from creating a charge to submitting and tracking a claim.
- Does the platform support eligibility verification, electronic claims, and electronic remittance advice (ERA)?
- Are claim scrubbing and denial management available?
- Can clients securely save a payment method?
- Are electronic statements and pay available through a client portal?
- If billing services are offered, are they included or priced separately?
Free Resources for Therapists
Click below and help yourself to peer-created resources:
Questions to ask about telehealth in a speech therapy EHR demo
- Is telehealth built into the EHR or does it require another platform?
- Is telehealth HIPAA compliant?
- Are there any limits or additional charges based on providers, sessions, or minutes?
- Are features such as digital whiteboards, screen sharing, and waiting rooms available?
- Test the process of joining a virtual session as both a clinician and a client.
Questions to ask about speech therapy reporting and analytics
- Can the EHR report on metrics such as cancellations, no-shows, and clinician productivity?
- Are standard financial reports included, and which ones (e.g., revenue, outstanding balances, claims)?
- Can SLP practices easily export reports into PDF or CSV formats for external accounting?
Visibility of financial performance and operational metrics is essential to grow your practice.
Questions to ask about security and HIPAA compliance
Data security is a must when it comes to handling Protected Health Information (PHI).
Ask:
- Will the vendor sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with your practice?
- How is PHI encrypted?
- Are multi-factor authentication and role-based permissions available?
- What is the process for backups and disaster recovery, if included?
- How does the software respond to a security breach? How will customers be notified?
Questions to ask about implementation
Data migration
- What information (e.g., client demographics, clinical notes, and billing records) can be transferred from your current system?
- Does the vendor assist with migrating existing data? Is there an additional cost associated?
Training
- What training resources does the vendor provide for SLP clinical and administrative staff (e..g, self-paced video modules, live webinars)?
Customer support
- How is support provided (e.g., phone, email, or live chat)?
- What hours is support available?
- Are additional fees charged for higher levels of support?
Questions to ask about pricing for a speech therapy EHR
- What is included in the base subscription?
- What features are considered an add-on?
- Is a contract required?
- Are there setup fees?
- Does the price change as the practice grows (e.g., adding clinicians, locations, or clients)?
Demo testing checklist
Before choosing a speech therapy EMR, test how the software handles real-world tasks in your practice. During each demo, complete common SLP workflows rather than relying solely on a list of advertised features. Pay attention to ease of use, unnecessary clicks, duplicate data entry, and tasks that require manual workarounds.
Use this checklist to compare systems and identify potential limitations before making a purchasing decision.
EHR area | What SLPs should look for | What to test during the demo |
|---|---|---|
Clinical documentation | SLP evaluation and treatment note templates, treatment plans, progress reports, customizable fields, goal integration, and electronic signatures. | Create an evaluation, customize a template, and complete a treatment note. Check whether information carries forward without duplicate entry. |
Goal tracking | Individualized goals, session data collection, progress monitoring, and reporting. | Create a measurable SLP goal, record session data, and check how progress is tracked and incorporated into subsequent notes and reports. |
Scheduling | Recurring appointments, automated reminders, clinician availability, rescheduling, multiple locations, and time zone support. | Schedule recurring therapy sessions, reschedule one appointment, test reminders, and check for scheduling conflicts. |
Billing & payments | Invoicing, online payments, cards on file, payment tracking, outstanding balances, and financial reporting. | Complete an appointment, generate an invoice, record a payment, and check how outstanding balances are tracked. |
Insurance & authorizations | Eligibility verification, electronic claims, authorization tracking, ERA posting, and rejection or denial management. | Create a test claim, review authorization usage, and check how claim rejections, payments, and remaining authorized visits are tracked. |
Teletherapy | Easy client access, device compatibility, screen sharing, interactive therapy tools, and integration with scheduling. | Join a mock speech therapy session, share therapy materials, test interactive tools, and check how the appointment connects with the calendar. |
Client portal & intake | Electronic intake and consent forms, e-signatures, document sharing, client communication, payments, and teletherapy access. | Complete the intake process as a client or caregiver. Submit forms, sign documents, and check how the information appears in the client record. |
After each demo: Rate each area as Meets requirements, Partially meets requirements, or Does not meet requirements. Compare the results against the 5–10 must-have requirements you identified earlier, and ask vendors to demonstrate any workflows that remain unclear.
What to test during the speech therapy EHR demo
Give the vendor realistic tasks to see how the EHR performs in everyday practice.
Ask the representative to show you how to:
- Schedule a recurring speech therapy client
- Create a treatment note
- Submit/track a claim
- Collect a payment
- Run a report
- Launch a teletherapy session
EHR demo red flags
Look out for warning signs in an EHR demo, such as:
- Unwillingness to show workflows in real-time.
- Unexpected add-on fees for essential features.
- Excessive manual data entry.
- Unclear implementation timelines.
Final thoughts
A speech therapy EHR demo is a chance to ask the right questions, test key workflows live, and get clear answers on pricing and support. Following this structure checklist can help you find an EHR that best fits your practice’s needs.
Streamline your practice with One EHR
- Scheduling
- Flexible notes
- Template library
- Billing & payments
- Insurance claims
- Client portal
- Telehealth
- E-fax
Resources for speech therapists
TheraPlatform is an all-in-one EHR, practice management, and teletherapy software with AI-powered notes built for therapists to help them save time on admin tasks. It offers a 30-day risk-free trial with no credit card required and supports different industries and sizes of practices, including speech-language pathologists in group and solo practices.
More resources
- Therapy resources and worksheets
- Therapy private practice courses
- Ultimate teletherapy ebook
- The Ultimate Insurance Billing Guide for Therapists
- The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Private Therapy Practice
- Insurance billing 101
- Practice management tools
Free video classes
- Free on-demand insurance billing for therapist course
- Free mini video lessons to enhance your private practice
- 9 Admin tasks to automate in your private practice
References
Ayer, M. (2023). Relieving administrative burden on clinical staff with streamlined workflows and speech-recognition software. British Journal of Nursing, 32(Sup16b), S1-S9. DOI: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjon.2023.32.Sup16b.S4?journalCode=bjon
Crooks, A. (2022). What Do Insurers Look for in Your Claims? A claims and clinical reviewer offers insights for accurate and timely reimbursement of speech-language services. ASHA Leader, NA-NA.
Torab-Miandoab, A., Samad-Soltani, T., Jodati, A., Akbarzadeh, F., & Rezaei-Hachesu, P. (2025). The impact of electronic medical records on clinical documentation: A case study. Journal of education and health promotion, 14, 246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_320_24
FAQs about questions to ask during a speech therapy EHR demo
What should speech therapists look for during an EHR demo?
Look for speech-specific templates, goal tracking, recurring scheduling, integrated billing, HIPAA-compliant teletherapy, and automated documentation reminders.
How can an EHR improve an SLP’s documentation workflow?
The right EHR can streamline evaluations, treatment notes, progress reports, and discharge summaries with customizable templates and auto-populated client information.
What workflows should SLPs test during an EHR demo?
Test scheduling a recurring client, documenting a therapy session, updating goals, submitting a claim, collecting payment, and launching a teletherapy visit.
