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Where should you start with AI in your practice, and how much time can it actually save you?
In this episode of the Private Practice Elevation Podcast, you’ll learn where therapists are seeing the biggest time savings from AI and automation right now, and how to add it without losing the human side of care.
The problem is familiar. Documentation, insurance, treatment plans, session prep. For every 45 to 50 minutes of therapy, a clinician spends about 90 minutes total. Most of that extra time is admin that pulls you away from clients and eats into your evenings and weekends.
A lot of therapists assume automating their practice means jumping straight to AI. But some of the biggest time-savers are already built into the tool you use, and none of them require AI.
Today Daniel is talking to Ian Knox, Chief Product Officer at SimplePractice. Ian has spent 4 years deep in the mental health space and brings 25 years in tech from Microsoft and Expedia, including work with AI going back to the early 90s.
Whether you’re solo or running a group practice, you’ll leave with a clear place to start and a realistic view of what AI can and can’t do for your practice.
This Episode Answers…
Do I need AI to start automating my practice?
Not at all. Ian’s advice: look at where your time actually goes first, then start with the automation already in the tool you use. Appointment reminders, online scheduling, auto pay, and mass document sharing save real time and don’t touch AI.
Explore your settings, check the help center, or ask support what’s already there. You can also lean on community groups, since most cities have a therapist community online. Once the basics are on, then experiment with AI.
Where does AI save therapists the most time right now?
Note-taking is where most people start, and it’s the biggest win. SimplePractice sees an average of 5 hours saved per week and documentation done 40% faster.
Ian breaks AI into 4 buckets: clinical support (notes, session prep, client summaries), insurance and billing, practice operations like intake, and building your business through referrals and matching. Beyond time, there’s a quality benefit. When you’re not writing notes mid-session, you’re more present with the client.
Is AI training on my data, or going to replace me?
No on both. SimplePractice doesn’t train the base AI model on your data or your way of practicing. Their clinical team grades notes on about 30 characteristics to build a “golden data set” that guides the output.
Ian is clear that the therapist stays at the center of care. AI can support and even coach newer clinicians, but it never replaces clinical judgment. They also just launched a Trust Center so you can see exactly how your data is handled.
Other Key Takeaways
- The next wave of AI does tasks for you, not just content: verifying benefits, catching claim errors before submission, and deciphering insurance denials
- How AI can fill cancelled slots and pull the right person off your waitlist, which helps group practices keep utilization up
- Why client matching is getting smarter, and how AI can pair a new client with the clinician whose modalities fit best
- How to prompt AI to write notes in your style or from a custom template, using context from past sessions
- Why new clinicians should still learn to write their own notes first, and how AI works better as a coach than a shortcut
- Why picking tools with AI built in beats bolting separate tools together
- How to weigh the benefit of anything new against the cost: setup time, learning curve, and hours actually saved
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This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsors:
Zanda practice management software is excited to partner with Private Practice Elevation Podcast to support practitioners with simple, secure tools that reduce admin and strengthen practice operations. Together, we’re helping practitioners spend less time on paperwork and more time with clients.
If you’re ready to spend less time on admin and more time with clients, visit zandahealth.com to start your free trial.
Alma is on a mission to simplify access to high-quality, affordable mental health care by giving providers the tools they need to build thriving in-network private practices. When providers join Alma, they gain access to insurance support, teletherapy software, client referrals, automated billing and scheduling tools, and a vibrant community of clinicians who come together for education, training, and events.
Learn more about building a thriving private practice with Alma at helloalma.com/elevation.
About Ian Knox
Ian Knox is Chief Product Officer at SimplePractice, where he brings over 20 years of product leadership experience. Ian has worked across Fortune 500 companies and other high-growth businesses, and he has deep experience with SaaS products for small and medium businesses, API platforms, and marketplaces.
About Daniel Fava
Daniel Fava is the owner and founder of Private Practice Elevation, a website and SEO agency focused on helping private practice owners create websites that increase their online visibility and attract more clients. Private Practice Elevation offers web design services, SEO (search engine optimization), and WordPress support to help private practice owners grow their businesses through online marketing.
Daniel lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife Liz, and two energetic boys. When he’s not working he enjoys hiking by the river, watching hockey, and enjoying a dram of bourbon.
