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Working with Client Records in Practice Better

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Your client record (you might call your client chart) is your client's complete electronic health file in Practice Better, bringing together all the information, notes, and resources you need to support their wellness journey. This article provides an overview of the client record structure and guides you through each section so you can make the most of this central hub.

What is a Client Record?

Think of a client record as your client's digital chart—it's where everything about their care lives in one organized space. From basic contact information to detailed health history, session notes, protocols, and billing, the client record gives you a complete picture of your work together. Whether you're preparing for an upcoming session or reviewing their progress over time, you'll find what you need here.

You can access any client record by navigating to My Clients and clicking on your client's name.

Alternatively, you can use the Client Hub feature to keep client information accessible while you work in other areas of your portal.

Populating Client Record Data

The data in a client record can be populated in several ways. 

Client Forms:

By the Practitioner:

  • The practitioner has full control over client record data and can populate, update, and edit details manually in their Practice Better portal.
  • Always remember to click Save Changes near the top right after making changes to a client record. 

By the Client: 

  • If the practitioner has enabled the option, clients can view and request changes to their client record profile from their client portal. 
  • The practitioner must go to Settings > Portal Preferences, enable the checkbox beside "Allow clients to view and request changes to their client profile" and then Save Changes.
  • Learn more about Allowing clients to request changes to their client profile.

Client Record Sections

Your client record is organized into distinct sections, each serving a specific purpose in managing your client's care. Below is an overview of each section and what you'll find there. Each section also contains an open field for Additional Notes, for you to add any specific custom metrics or details that you need to record. 

Recent Activity

The Recent Activity section is your landing page when you open a client record. This dashboard provides a snapshot of your recent interactions and upcoming items for this client.

Here you'll see the client's profile photo, basic contact information, and a feed of recent activity, including notes created, forms completed, protocols shared, and messages exchanged. This section helps you quickly get oriented before a session or when following up with a client.

You can add or update a client's profile photo from this section to help you easily identify them throughout your portal.

💡 Tip: Pin frequently accessed clients to the top of your My Clients page for even faster access by clicking the star icon next to their name.

Bookings & Packages

The Bookings & Packages section shows all your client's scheduled sessions and any packages or programs they've purchased. Here you can:

  • View upcoming and past appointments
  • Book new sessions for your client
  • Manage session requests
  • Track package usage and remaining sessions
  • Review Program progress
  • Reschedule or cancel appointments
  • Add session notes directly from the booking

This section provides a complete history of your time together, making it easy to track session frequency and identify scheduling patterns.

Billing & Payments

The Billing & Payments section is your financial hub for each client. This is where you'll manage:

  • Invoices and payment status
  • Payment plans and installment schedules
  • Credit cards on file
  • Payment history
  • Outstanding balances
  • Insurance claims and superbills
  • Your client's payment history

You can:

If you've enabled online payment processing, your clients can pay invoices directly through their portal.

Learn more about Getting Started with Practice Better Payments.

The section also displays any active payment plans with upcoming installment dates, making it easy to stay on top of billing schedules.

Basic Information

The Basic Information section contains your client's demographic and contact details. This is where you'll manage essential information like:

  • Full name and preferred name
  • Email address and phone numbers
  • Mailing address
  • Date of birth
  • Gender and pronouns
  • Emergency contact information
  • Client's Health Care Providers' contact information 
  • Client's Insurance information 

You can edit this information at any time by going to a client's Basic Information, typing your changes within the section, and clicking Save Changes near the top right. 

Tags are beneficial for organizing clients by location, program enrollment, or stage in their wellness journey—making it easy to search and filter your client list.

If you've enabled the appropriate setting, your clients can also request changes to their profile information directly from their Client Portal, which you can review and approve.

💡 The Insurance information and Health Care Providers saved in a client's Basic Information can be used to populate insurance claims! Learn more.  

Medical History

The Medical History section is where you'll document past and current health conditions, surgeries, hospitalizations, family health history, and other relevant aspects of your client's medical background.

You'll find the following designated fields in a client's Medical History section:

  • Family History: Paternal and Maternal ilnesses
  • Personal Health History: Current health concerns, Pre-diagnosed illnesses and diseases, Hospitalizations and surgeries, and Food and environmental allergies.
  • Medication & Supplements: Supplements-vitamins, herbs, minerals, Prescription medications, Shots and vaccinations.
  • Medication History: Keep a living record of your client's current and past medications. This section can also sync with DrFirst through our ePrescribe integration. 
  • Supplement History: Keep a living record of your client's current and past supplements. This section can also sync with Protocols. Learn more.
  • Diagnosis Codes: Add diagnosis codes to include in your notes and insurance forms.
  • Additional Notes: Capture additional context about your client's health goals, preferences, challenges, or any other information that helps you provide personalized care.

Diet & Lifestyle

Record information about your client's current diet patterns, lifestyle habits, exercise routines, sleep quality, stress levels, and other wellness factors that inform your work together.

You'll find the following designated fields in a client's Diet & Lifestyle section:

  • Main stressors: List any stressors affecting this client
  • Dietary restrictions: List your client's dietary restrictions
  • Sleep patterns: Describe sleep patterns and frequency
  • Exercise regimen: How often does your client exercise? What types of exercises?
  • Contentment: What does your client do for fun?
  • Creativity: How does your client express their creativity?

🪄 Automate it! You can manually enter information in client record fields, or you can streamline your intake process by importing form responses into your client records using form mappings.

Measurements & Vitals

The Measurements and Vitals section provides a centralized location to track your client's key health metrics over time. This section allows you to monitor progress, identify trends, and visualize changes in important health indicators.

You can record a variety of measurements including:

  • Weight and body measurements (waist, hips, chest, etc.)
  • Blood pressure and heart rate
  • Body composition metrics
  • Blood glucose levels
  • Blood Count & Hematology
  • Kidney Function
  • Electrolytes, Vitamins and Minerals
  • Liver Function
  • Lipid Profile
  • Thyroid
  • Urine

Measurements can be added manually by you during sessions, imported from your client's Lifestyle Journal entries, or synced automatically if your client has connected a wearable device integration. When measurements are logged in your client's journal, they can automatically sync to this section, creating a seamless tracking experience.

The visual charts in the analysis section make it easy to spot patterns and share progress with your clients. You can view data in table format or as graphs, and filter by date range to focus on specific timeframes. This visualization capability transforms raw numbers into meaningful insights that help both you and your client understand their health journey.

💡 Tip: Encourage clients to log their measurements regularly in their Lifestyle Journal. Consistent tracking provides the most valuable data for identifying trends and celebrating progress milestones.

Notes & Recordings

The Notes section is where you'll create and store your session notes and chart documentation. Practice Better provides a rich text editor with formatting options, templates, and the ability to include images and tables in your notes.

You can create notes from scratch, use pre-built templates, or create your own custom note templates to speed up your documentation process. Notes can be marked as in-progress or completed, and you have the option to make specific sections of a note visible to your client if you choose.

If you have added the AI Charting Assistant add-on to your subscription, you can also find audio from recorded sessions under this section. 

Key features in the Notes section include:

  • Session note templates for consistent documentation
  • Option to sign and lock notes
  • Ability to duplicate previous notes
  • Version history to track changes
  • Quick Notes feature available through Client Hubs

📍 Note: Practice Better automatically saves your work as you type, so you won't lose important information if you navigate away. You can access version history for notes created or edited in the last 60 days.

Protocols

The Protocols section houses all the care plans, recommendations, and supplement protocols you've shared with your client. When you create and publish a protocol, it becomes visible to your client in their portal, giving them a clear roadmap for their wellness plan.

Protocols can include:

You can create protocols from templates you've built, customize them for each client, and track whether your client has viewed the protocol. Protocols support rich formatting and can include links to additional resources.

Forms & Waivers

The Forms & Waivers section displays all forms your client has been sent and completed through Practice Better, including intake forms, health questionnaires, consent forms, and any custom forms you've created.

Completed forms are stored here with timestamps showing when they were submitted. You can:

  • Review completed form responses
  • Request that clients complete additional forms
  • Import form data into other sections of the client record
  • Export forms as PDFs
  • Track which forms still need to be completed

If you've set up form mappings, you can automatically transfer information from completed forms into your client's Medical History, Diet & Lifestyle, or Personal Information sections, saving you time on data entry.

Labs

The Labs section is your hub for managing all laboratory testing and results for your client. This is where you can order tests (through available integrations), upload results, and track your client's lab history—all in one organized space.

If you've integrated with a lab partner like Evexia Diagnostics, you can order lab tests directly from within your client's record. The integration streamlines the ordering process and automatically imports results back into the client's file when they become available, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring you're notified as soon as results are ready.

You can also manually upload lab results from any testing facility. Simply upload PDF reports, images, or other file formats to keep everything organized in one location. Each lab result is timestamped and stored chronologically, making it easy to track changes over time and compare results from different testing periods.

Key features in the Labs section include:

When lab results arrive, you have full control over whether to share them with your client. You can review results privately first, add your interpretation or recommendations, and then share them when appropriate. Clients receive a notification when new lab results are available in their portal.

✅ Integrated lab ordering saves time and reduces errors by automatically matching results to the correct client record, so you can focus on interpretation and care planning rather than administrative tasks.

Journals

The Journals section gives you access to your client's daily tracking entries. Practice Better Journals enable clients to track personal data, providing valuable insights into their health and wellness patterns.

Your clients can log the following entry types in their journals:

  • Food: Track meals, portions, eating patterns, and nutritional choices. Captures dietary habits, trigger foods, eating times, and meal satisfaction levels.
  • Mood: Monitor emotional states using scales or descriptive entries. Documents mood fluctuations, emotional triggers, daily patterns, and correlation with life events.
  • Activity: Log physical activities, exercise routines, and movement patterns. Records workout intensity, duration, activity types, and energy levels before and after.
  • Water: Track daily hydration through intake measurements. Captures fluid consumption patterns, hydration goals, and correlation with energy and wellness indicators.
  • Bowel Movements: Monitor digestive health patterns and regularity.
  • Measurements: Record quantifiable health metrics like weight, blood pressure, or body measurements that sync with the client record.
  • Sleep: Log sleep duration, quality, and patterns. Captures bedtime routines, wake times, sleep disruptions, and daily energy levels.

You can enable any combination of these entry types for your clients and choose which specific ones they can access. Once enabled, you can review journal entries, leave comments to provide feedback, and track patterns over time. 

If your clients use wearable devices, they can connect integrations to automatically sync activity, sleep, and measurement data directly into their journals, reducing manual tracking effort.

✅ Journals create a continuous feedback loop between you and your clients, helping them stay accountable while giving you real-time insights into their daily habits.

Tasks

The Tasks section helps you and your clients stay organized with to-do items. You can create tasks for:

  • Your client to complete (like filling out a form or taking measurements)
  • Yourself (like reviewing lab results or preparing for a session)
  • Other team members, with the task associated with a client

Tasks can include due dates, descriptions, and the ability for clients to add comments or attach documents when marking them complete. You can also create task templates for workflows you use frequently, like new client onboarding checklists.

Documents

The Documents section is your file storage area for client-specific files. You can upload and organize documents such as:

  • Lab results and test reports
  • Consent forms
  • Educational handouts
  • Images or photos
  • Any other files relevant to your client's care

Documents can be kept private (visible only to you) or shared with your client in their portal. When you share a document, your client receives a notification and can view or download the file from their Documents page. You can organize documents into folders for better organization.

💡 Tip: Use descriptive file names before uploading to make documents easier to find later. For example, "Smith_LabResults_Jan2025.pdf" is more helpful than "LabResults.pdf."

Lifestyle Recommendations

The Lifestyle Recommendations section allows you to create and share personalized lifestyle guidance with your clients. This section allows you to document and communicate specific recommendations for daily habits, behavioral changes, and wellness practices that support your client's health goals.

You can create lifestyle recommendations covering areas such as:

  • Sleep hygiene and rest practices
  • Stress management techniques
  • Exercise and movement guidance
  • Hydration and nutrition habits
  • Mindfulness and meditation practices
  • Environmental modifications
  • Social connection and support
  • Self-care routines

Lifestyle recommendations can be created from scratch or built using templates you've developed for common wellness goals. Once you share recommendations with your client, they become visible in their Client Portal where they can easily reference them as they implement changes in their daily routine.

Unlike protocols that often focus on supplements and specific treatment plans, lifestyle recommendations provide the foundational guidance that supports sustainable behavior change. You can update these recommendations as your client progresses, adding new practices or modifying existing ones to match their current needs and capacity.

💡 Tip: Start with 2-3 achievable lifestyle recommendations rather than overwhelming clients with too many changes at once. You can always add more as they successfully integrate initial recommendations into their routine.

Messages

The Messages section contains your secure, private and encrypted, HIPAA-compliant message thread with your client. This is where you can communicate directly with clients who have access to the Client Portal.

Clients receive in-app or email notifications when you send them a message, and you'll be notified when they reply.

📍 Note: Message notifications can be customized in your notification settings to match your preferred communication style.

Working Efficiently with Client Records

Now that you understand what's available in each section, here are some strategies to work more efficiently:

  1. Use Client Hubs for multi-tasking. Client Hubs let you view client information in a floating window while you work in other areas of your portal—perfect for referencing health history while writing notes or reviewing journal entries during a video session.
  2. Leverage the Client Hub search. The search function in Client Hubs helps you quickly find specific information across your entire client record without clicking through multiple sections.
  3. Create templates for consistency. Whether it's note templates, protocol templates, or task templates, using templates ensures you don't miss important steps and speeds up your workflow significantly.
  4. Set up form mappings once. Taking time to configure form mappings means client intake information automatically populates the right sections of their record—no manual data entry required.

Managing Client Records Over Time

As your client relationships evolve, you may need to manage records in different ways:

For clients who take a break from care, you can deactivate their account to remove their Client Portal access while keeping their record intact in your system.

For families working together, you can set up family records that link multiple client profiles under one primary email address—perfect for parents managing care for their children.

Categorize different groups of clients using client tags to filter, and segment your clients so you can personalize workflows, target communications, and generate insights based on specific client characteristics or groups.

When clients complete your program, you can export their complete record to provide them with a copy of their health information or to maintain an external backup.

If you accidentally delete something, don't worry—client records and most resources can be restored within 60 days of deletion.

Getting Help

Your client records are the foundation of your practice in Practice Better, and we're here to support you as you learn the system. If you have questions about any section or need help optimizing your workflow, our support team is available through the chat icon in your portal.

Remember, every practitioner uses these tools differently based on their practice style and client needs—there's no single "right way" to organize your client records. Start with the basics, explore the features that resonate with your workflow, and adjust as you discover what works best for you and your clients.

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