You’ll want to make sure your Professional Website follows all HIPAA regulations and notifies your clients of your privacy practices, as well as their rights under the No Surprises Act. In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Testimonials
• Notice of Privacy Practices
• Notice of the No Surprises Act and the Good Faith Estimates

Testimonials

A testimonial from a client or colleague can be a valuable tool for prospective clients seeking a new therapist or wellness professional. A testimonial given by a client can be a helpful reflection of the relationship clients can expect when they join your practice. If the testimonial comes from a colleague, it can give further credit to your expertise in the field while also supporting the growth of your professional network.

Contrary to popular belief, asking for testimonials to use in your personal marketing isn’t a breach of ethics, as long as it’s done the right way. This post by Dr. Ben Caldwell on Pollen goes into detail on how to properly obtain consent from your clients and colleagues and post their review in compliance with HIPAA: The Truth About Using Testimonials to Market Your Practice.

If you’d like to start collecting testimonials to use on your Professional Website, here’s how you can get started:

Collecting testimonials from clients or contacts

• Navigate to the Settings > Notes & Forms > Template Library 
• Under Intake Forms, locate the Testimonial Release Form - Client
  • There are two versions of this template:
    • Testimonial Release Form - Client (Name Disclosed): For clients who are willing to add their first name and last initial to the review
    • Testimonial Release Form - Client (Name Not Disclosed): For clients who have requested their name and initials be withheld
  • Add both templates to your My Notes & Forms by clicking +Add

After you’ve spoken with your client and confirmed they’re willing to provide a testimonial, ask them whether they’d like to include their name. Based on their answer, click Share and select the appropriate Testimonial Release Form to send them through the Client Portal. 

Tip: Feel free to ask both former and current clients for testimonials. 

Collecting testimonials from colleagues

• Navigate to the Settings > Notes & Forms > Template Library 
• Under Intake Forms, locate the Testimonial Release Form - Colleagues
• Clicking +Add to add the template to My Notes & Forms

After you’ve spoken with your colleague and confirmed they’re willing to provide a testimonial, we recommend creating a new client named Colleague Testimonials to which you can attach your colleagues as Contacts. To do this:

• Click + Create > Create Client in the blue navigation bar
• Name the client Colleague Testimonials and Save it
• Navigate to Colleague Testimonials’  Overview page and click Edit > Contacts
• Click +Add Contact and add your colleague’s name and the relationship type for the client Colleague Testimonials
  • We recommend choosing the relationship type Other

• Add your colleague’s email address and check the box for Email ok 
• Click Save

You'll also want to grant them permission to the Client Portal. To do this:

• Click Manage > Manage Client Portal & Billing
• Check the box for Allow Client Portal access
  • You'll have the option to edit the Client Portal invitation email

• Click Save
• Return to Colleague Testimonials’ Overview page
• Click Share
• Select the colleague from whom you want to collect a testimonial and uncheck all documents except for the Testimonial Release Form - Colleagues 
• Make any edits to your email, and Share the form with your colleague

This workflow allows your colleagues to sign into your Client Portal and complete the form using their email address.

Note: You can add an unlimited number of colleagues as contacts to the Colleague Testimonials test client.

Adding testimonials to your Professional Website

Once the client or colleague has completed the appropriate Testimonial Release Form, you can find that form by going to the Overview page for the client who completed the form or the test client Colleague Testimonials. Use the drop-down menu to view Questionnaires to find the completed Testimonial Release Form.

Click on the Testimonial Release Form to open it and copy the text. To add the testimonial to your Professional Website:

• Navigate to Settings > Professional Website > Edit your website
• Click Edit Website
• Choose Sections
• Click the toggle next to Testimonials to enable it
• Click Save Changes and Close
• Scroll down to the Testimonials section
• Click Edit
• Paste the contents of your client’s or colleague’s testimonial into the field
• Specify who wrote the testimonial
• Click Save Changes

Note: You can add up to 3 testimonials to your Professional Website.

Notice of Privacy Practices

If you're handling protected health information (PHI) as part of your practice, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires you to include a Notice of Privacy Practices on your website in a place where it’s easily accessible to both new and existing clients. 

Here’s how to add it to your site:

• Navigate to Settings > Professional Website > Edit your website 
• Click Edit Website
• Click Practice Details
• Under Legal, you’ll find the Notice of Privacy Practices section
• Click Upload PDF to upload a PDF version of your existing Notice of Privacy Practices (hereafter, “notice”)
  • If you don’t currently have this notice, you can click on Use our template to create one

Important: Make sure you review the template and update it to include the policies for your practice and the requirements of your state. As the practitioner, you are responsible for ensuring your notice describes the ways in which you may use and disclose PHI and adequately informs clients of their legal rights regarding PHI. SimplePractice doesn’t provide legal advice and doesn’t warrant the templates we provide are legally sufficient for use in your jurisdiction. 

• To copy the template, review the legal disclaimer and click Continue. You’ll be prompted to make a copy of a Google Docs file containing the template. If you choose to use this template, add your practice name, address, contact information, and effective date of the notice before saving and uploading
• Click File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf) to download your newly created notice as a PDF file
• Navigate back to your Practice Details settings and click Upload PDF and choose your customized notice
• Click Save Changes

Once your notice is uploaded, visitors to your website can access it in the footer below your practice name and contact details. Clicking this link will open up your notice in a new window.

Notice of the No Surprises Act and the Good Faith Estimates

In accordance with the No Surprises Act, you’re required to include information about the availability of Good Faith Estimates directly on your Professional Website. To add this link to your Professional Website:

• Navigate to Settings > Professional Website > Edit your website 
• Click Edit Website
• Click on Practice Details
• Under Legal, click the toggle for Display No Surprises Act in footer to enable it

• Click Save Changes

Once the toggle is enabled, visitors to your website can access this information in the footer below your practice name and contact details.