Every EHR vendor claims to be “the one” that will fix your practice management woes. They all make big promises, but their ability to deliver on those promises varies greatly. Practice managers and owners are caught in the middle, trying to figure out what they actually need and which brand might provide it.

In 2025, every EHR vendor should ask themselves how well their product lives up to its promises. That’s exactly what Valant did when we set out to clarify our brand messaging. We asked: How can we describe our work in such a way that clients and potential clients understand the true value we bring to their practice? How do we show that our product really is “the one” in this crowded marketplace?

Answering that question renewed our sense of purpose, and our determination to go above and beyond in serving behavioral health practices.

The Journey of Discovery

We reevaluated our brand messaging not just for marketing purposes, but to truly understand our impact on customers. We wanted to know our customer’s pain points inside and out. We wanted to understand exactly how we were solving them so that we could create an accurate description of our core value pillars. Defining ourselves impacts everything from company culture to the product to our customer experience, so we knew we had to get it right.

At the same time, we wanted to avoid messaging that was overly generic or overly technical. That doesn’t help customers who are evaluating their options. We wanted a positive, conversational tone in order to reflect the warm relationships we have with our customers.

We conducted stakeholder interviews, both internal and external; reviewed all of the various technology vendors in our space and what they say about themselves; and solicited honest customer feedback from real Valant users. We used it all to refine our core message.

What We Learned About Our Customers

It comes as no surprise that outpatient behavioral health practices have very powerful pain points—one of the worst being the overwhelming demand they face. 

One customer said, “We turn [prospective patients] away every day and have for years now. We just can’t keep up. The demand increased and has not abated. That’s great as we’re growing and developing the practice and moving to other cities, but it’s overwhelming and tugs your heart a little bit that there are so many people that we can’t help – and nobody else can either.” 

We learned about common frustrations with other EHR tools: 

• Workflows not designed for behavioral health 
• Cumbersome intake processes that prospective patients hate 
• Notes that are hard to navigate 
• The inefficiency of switching between software systems for different tasks 
• An influx of new claims to oversee with every new hire  
• Vital software features that are MIA with other vendors 
• Missed reimbursement when outcomes aren’t accurately measured 

The real heart of the matter is that technical inefficiencies ultimately affect patient care. These are the problems mental health practitioners must overcome to serve clients well. 

Overcoming these logistical difficulties has always been at the heart of Valant’s product. In a world where behavioral health practices are held back by so much, someone had to create a better way—a way to not just manage a practice, but actually help it grow. 

Finally, the brand message we had been searching for crystallized in our minds. 

The Valant Difference: Put Growth Into Practice

Our message to the world is simple, but profound: “Put growth into practice.” 

Behavioral health is supposed to be about improvement and growth. Our new rallying cry pays homage to this idea with a double meaning: 

1. Grow your practice 
2. Make growth a continuous discipline. 

This mantra is both a promise and a call to action. It speaks to practices of any size, and also to patients as they pursue their own personal growth. Most importantly, it plants a flag for Valant, declaring our goal: to provide continuous growth and improvement for behavioral health practices. 

How Valant Puts Growth Into Practice

As we realized at the start of this journey, EHR vendors need to back up their claims with concrete actions. So what does it mean for a software company to “put growth into practice”? 

It means creating a product that works with the rhythms of behavioral healthcare. That’s why, for example, our software includes: 

• Fields and forms designed specifically for behavioral health 
• Automated intake assessments to save time 
• A faster, more logical note-taking system
• Documentation that meets the latest compliance standards 
• One system to manage patient billing, prescriptions, communication, records, scheduling, and more 
• A one-stop shop to manage individual providers, staff, and multiple locations 
• Prompt product support from a team of behavioral health specialists 
• Outcome measures to improve reimbursement rates  
• Process improvements that actually improve outcomes 

We know from experience that this work resonates with our customers, who say things like: 

• “A lot of what I see from Valant is the industry knowledge…not just about the product, but about  how to run a business.” 
• “If you use Valant for a year and a half, two years, and you work your way through that progression, you’ll consistently keep getting better results over time.” 

3 Gamechangers

After developing a robust software platform, working with thousands of customers, and diving deep into industry pain points, we’ve identified three game-changing attitudes that support growth in behavioral health practices. 

1. Focus your efforts

Use a platform exclusively built for behavioral health. Your software company shouldn’t provide blanket solutions across healthcare, but targeted solutions for the management of mental health practices. 

Valant is the largest behavioral-health specific EHR. Founded by a psychiatrist, Valant understands the work you do. We’re guided by an advisory board of behavioral health industry experts and customers, so our decisions continue to reflect best practices in the field. 

2. Speed your process

In Valant’s fully-integrated system, every workflow—from notetaking to scheduling to billing—is designed to be as efficient as possible. Our scheduler hub keeps you up-to-date on all relevant information about upcoming patients. Likewise, our prospective patient management tool ensures that prospective patients won’t fall through the gaps. 

We’ve also put more control in the hands of patients to free up time that your staff would otherwise spend on small tasks. Our MYIO Patient Portal app hosts intake forms, self-scheduling, payment features, telehealth access, and much more, so your patients can easily handle these simple interactions with your practice themselves. 

3. Track your progress

With the ability to monitor and measure both clinical and financial outcomes across your entire practice, you can spot trends, good or bad, that you may need to take advantage of or adjust for. 

Valant’s trackable outcome measures feature helps increase your reimbursement rates, while minimum and milestone clinician productivity benchmarks help you manage even a large team of providers. We offer built-in assessment rating scales that are easy to share with patients, and pre-set review cycles with automated reminders, as well as patient retention analysis. You won’t miss important information, and you also won’t spend tons of time compiling data.  

With Valant, logistical tasks are made easier, so you can focus on supporting your practice. 

Looking Forward in Behavioral Health Practice Management

Valant looks forward to continuing to learn about how our customers put growth into practice at their organizations. We are honored to journey alongside you in that amazing work. 

The world of mental health treatment and practice management will continue to change, but Valant will be there to help you manage it—and not just manage, but thrive! 

Put growth into practice at your organization today with Valant.