If you prescribe controlled substances, your electronic health record needs to do more than schedule appointments and store notes. You need built-in ePrescribing for controlled substances (EPCS), access to your state’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP), and billing support for psychiatric CPT codes.
Three platforms come up most often in this search: SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, and Valant. Each was built with a different type of practice in mind, and that difference shows up fast once you start prescribing.
This article compares how each platform handles the parts of an EHR that matter most to a prescribing practice: ePrescribing, PDMP access, psychiatric documentation, billing, and the ability to add clinicians without hitting a wall.
What to Look for in an EHR for Psychiatric Prescribers
Most EHR comparisons focus on scheduling, notes, and price. Those matter, but a prescriber has a shorter list of non-negotiables.
You need EPCS support for Schedule II medications, PDMP access built into your workflow, and documentation templates suited to medication management rather than talk therapy alone. You also need billing that supports psychiatric CPT codes such as 90792 and 99202 through 99215.
Finally, you need a platform that still works once your practice adds a second prescriber, a therapist, or a second location. A platform can look complete on its pricing page and still fall short on one of these points once you start using it daily.
How SimplePractice Handles Psychiatric Prescribing
SimplePractice was built for solo therapists and small therapy practices, and it shows in the product. The interface is clean, the brand is well known, and more than 250,000 practitioners use it, mostly for non-prescribing outpatient therapy.
SimplePractice added psychiatric capability in 2023 through its acquisition of Luminello, and prescribers pay for it in pieces. ePrescribing runs $49 per month per clinician plus an $89 one-time setup fee.
PDMP access adds a $699 setup fee plus $6.25 per month per clinician. AI documentation costs another $49 to $59 per month. A prescriber who wants all three is stacking add-ons on a base plan that starts at $49 per month, on a platform not originally designed for psychiatric workflows.
SimplePractice also has a practical ceiling for growing practices. Plus-plan pricing runs $74 per month per additional clinician, admin reporting is limited, and role-based permissions don’t go very deep. Support hours run Monday through Friday, 6AM to 6PM Pacific time (PT), a limitation documented across G2, Capterra, and other review sites.
How TherapyNotes Handles Psychiatric Prescribing
TherapyNotes serves non-prescribing behavioral health practitioners well: therapists, counselors, and social workers in solo and small group practices. Its customer support is strong, confirmed across more than 3,000 Trustpilot reviews, and its pricing is transparent with no setup fees.
For a prescriber, the gaps show up quickly. ePrescribing exists as an add-on, but the platform offers limited native PDMP workflow. Its AI documentation tool, TherapyFuel, does not yet generate psychiatry-specific notes as of June 2026; it supports SOAP progress notes only. A PMHNP who needs medication management templates has to work around that limitation.
TherapyNotes also has architectural limits that no plan upgrade resolves: no native API access, no mobile app, no bulk admin actions, and no UB-04 billing for intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization programs. Those limits tend to create a hard ceiling around 10 to 15 clinicians.
A March 2026 Capterra review also documented a clearinghouse error that caused claims to never reach the payer, resulting in more than $2,000 in lost reimbursement with no system warning.
How Valant Is Built for Psychiatric Prescribers
Valant was founded in 2005 by psychiatrists, specifically for behavioral health practices, and it has served that market exclusively for more than 21 years. EPCS for Schedule II substances and PDMP access across 43 states come standard, not as add-ons.
Psychiatric CPT codes, including 90792 and 99202 through 99215, are supported natively with documentation templates built around medication management. Valant’s AI Notes Assist includes SOAP and medication management templates plus any custom template your practice configures, all within one system.
Valant supports practices of every size on the same platform, from two providers to two hundred, without a required migration. When you add a clinician, a therapist, or a counselor, your existing setup keeps working. Every new practice also gets a dedicated implementation manager and behavioral health-specific training through Valant Academy, rather than a self-serve trial and a general help center.
Concise Platform Comparison
| Category | SimplePractice | TherapyNotes | Valant |
| Purpose-built for psychiatry | No | No | Yes, since day one |
| EPCS (Schedule II) | Add-on, $49/mo + $89 setup | Add-on | Included |
| PDMP integration | Add-on, $699 setup + $6.25/mo | Limited workflow | 43 states, included |
| Psychiatric CPT codes | Supported, not optimized | Supported, not optimized | Native templates |
| Medication management documentation | Not purpose-built | Not purpose-built | Built-in templates |
| Scales beyond 15 providers | Design ceiling | Hard ceiling, roughly 10–15 | 2 to 200+ |
| API access | None | None | Available |
| Dedicated implementation manager | Self-serve | Self-serve | Included |
| Base price, solo prescriber | Starting at $49/mo | Starting at $69/mo | Starting at $199/mo |
Pricing and features reflect information verified as of July 2026. Confirm current details directly before making a decision.
The Real Cost of an EHR for a Psychiatric Practice
The sticker price rarely tells the full story for a prescriber. SimplePractice’s $49 base rate turns into roughly $147 to $197 per month per clinician once ePrescribing, PDMP access, and AI documentation get added. TherapyNotes stays closer to its advertised price but leaves gaps in psychiatry-specific documentation and PDMP workflow that your practice ends up managing manually.
Valant’s starting price of $199 per month is higher up front, though EPCS and PDMP access come included rather than billed separately. For a solo PMHNP evaluating three or four add-ons on a competing platform, the gap between the sticker prices narrows once every feature you need is on the table.
Beyond monthly cost, consider what happens if your practice grows. A platform with a hard ceiling around ten to fifteen clinicians means a future migration, and migrating an EHR mid-practice means re-entering patient records, retraining staff, and risking billing disruption during the transition.
Which EHR Fits Where You Are Today?
If you’re a solo therapist with no prescribing needs and expect to stay small, SimplePractice’s interface and brand recognition are strengths. If you value phone and email support around the clock and don’t prescribe, TherapyNotes delivers on that consistently.
If you prescribe controlled substances, bill insurance for psychiatric services, and plan to add providers over time, the calculation changes. According to Telehealth.HHS.gov, telemedicine flexibilities for controlled substance prescribing remain extended through the end of 2026, and providers are expected to maintain PDMP checks and documentation as part of that framework. An EHR that builds these requirements into daily workflow, rather than treating them as optional add-ons, keeps your practice compliant without extra manual steps.
Frequently Asked Questions About EHR Platforms
What Is EPCS and Why Does It Matter for Psychiatric Prescribers?
Electronic prescribing of controlled substances, or EPCS, lets you send Schedule II through V prescriptions directly from your EHR to a pharmacy. For psychiatric prescribers, this matters because many medications used for ADHD, anxiety, and other conditions fall under these schedules. An EHR without native EPCS forces you to use a separate system or pay an add-on fee for a core prescribing function.
Do All Behavioral Health EHRs Include PDMP Access?
No, PDMP access varies significantly across behavioral health EHR platforms. Some, like Valant, build PDMP checks into the platform across dozens of states. Others charge a separate setup fee and monthly cost, or offer limited workflow support that requires you to check your state’s database outside the EHR itself.
What Does an EHR for a Psychiatric Practice Typically Cost?
Base pricing for behavioral health EHRs ranges from about $49 to $199 per month per clinician, depending on the platform. The base price rarely reflects the full cost for a prescriber, since ePrescribing, PDMP access, and psychiatric documentation tools are sometimes bundled and sometimes billed as separate add-ons.
Is Switching EHRs Difficult Once a Practice Grows?
Yes, switching EHRs mid-practice typically means re-entering patient records, retraining staff, and managing a period of billing disruption. Choosing a platform built to scale from the start, rather than one with a known ceiling around 10 to 15 providers, reduces the likelihood of a forced migration later.
Does Valant Support Non-Prescribing Therapists in the Same Practice?
Yes, Valant supports behavioral health practices of all sizes and provider types on one platform. A practice with prescribers, therapists, and counselors working together doesn’t need separate systems or a migration as it grows from a solo operation to a multi-location group.
The Bottom Line for Prescribing Practices
SimplePractice and TherapyNotes each serve their core audiences well: solo and small non-prescribing therapy practices that value a clean interface or dependable support. Neither was designed from the ground up for psychiatric prescribing, and the add-on costs and scale limits reflect that.
Valant was built by psychiatrists for behavioral health prescribers, with EPCS, PDMP access, and psychiatric billing included rather than bolted on. Together, you and your team can evaluate which platform matches where your practice is today and where you want it to go. Schedule a demo now to see how Valant fits your practice.
