Onboarding study guide

You can find all of the onboarding videos you watched when you first joined Rula here. Below is a recap of the information covered in the videos that you can go back and review in case there was anything you might have missed!

Logging in to the Rula Provider Portal

(After initial setup)

1. Navigate to www.rula.com.
2. Locate the Login button, located at the top right of the webpage.
3. Click Login.
4. From the dropdown, select Provider.
5. Enter in the email address you used to create your account and click Continue.
6. Enter in your password and click Login.
7. Enter in the 6-digit code from your authenticator app.
8. Click Sign in.
9.  You'll arrive at your portal dashboard.                                                        

Setting Your Availability for New Clients

1. Log into the Rula provider portal.
2. Stay on the Schedule tab.
3. Click the Edit new client availability button in the top right-hand corner.
4. The New client availability editor will pop up in a new window.
   
   
   • Buttons that are white represent days of the week where you have not yet indicated your availability.
   • Light purple buttons represent days where you have already indicated you would like to see new clients.
   • Important Note: Existing appointments and calendar blocks will override new client availability.
5. To add client availability, click on the day of the week buttons to select the days you are interested in seeing new clients on a recurring weekly basis.
   • Once you click on a white button, it will turn light purple.
6. Next, select the time frames for each day that you are available to see new clients.
   
   • Here, you can add a continuous length of time, for example from 9 am to 3 pm, or individual time slots, for example, from 9 am to 10 am.
7. When you are satisfied with your selections, click Save.
   • This sometimes takes a second as the portal is updating all availability into the future.

You will see a pop-up notification that your availability for new clients has been updated.

These will now appear on your schedule calendar as light purple boxes.

• Rula will only schedule appointments with clients on days and times when you have indicated you are available to receive new clients.
• Providers may choose to schedule their own follow-up appointments with existing clients in these light purple areas or in any open white space.

Editing your availability for new clients

If your schedule changes and you need to remove availability from your calendar:

1. Log into the Rula provider portal.
2. Stay on the Schedule tab.
3. Click the Edit new client availability button in the top right-hand corner.
4. The New client availability editor will pop up in a new window.
5. Click on the minus sign next to a time slot of availability to remove it from your schedule.
   • You can also just adjust the time frames to shrink the day on a given window.
   • You can also deselect any light purple day of the week button to turn it white and remove all availability for that day.
     
6. If you would like to completely recreate your schedule of availability preferences, you can click Clear All to wipe away your previous selections and start fresh.
7. When you are satisfied with your selections, click Save.
8. You'll see a pop-up notification that your availability updates have been saved.

Important Note: Existing appointments and calendar blocks will override the new client availability you set.

Creating Calendar Blocks

To create a block:

1. Log into the Rula provider portal.
2. Stay on the Schedule tab.
3. Click on any available white space on your calendar.
   • Note: You cannot create calendar blocks in the past, so always choose space either below the red local timeline or on a future date.
4. The Add an event box will pop up, click the block tab.
5. Type in a name for your new calendar block in the title box.
   
   • Most therapists just write “DNS” for do not schedule or “OOO” for out of office.
6. The date field will auto-populate with the day you clicked on.
7. If your calendar block is for the whole day, select the All day checkbox.
8. Under Repeats, the default selection is Does not repeat.
   • If you would like this calendar block to be recurring, click the box to choose another option, daily, weekly, or biweekly.
9. When you are satisfied with your selections, click the Create button.
10. The block will now appear on your calendar in dark gray.

Editing Calendar Blocks

To edit a calendar block:

1. Log into the Rula provider portal.
2. Stay on the Schedule tab.
3. Click the calendar block you wish to edit.
4. Click on the 3 dots in the top right corner of the pop-up for more options.

5. Click Edit.

6. Choose whether you would like to update the date, time, or both.
   • If you want to change the cadence of the calendar block (e.g. weekly to biweekly) you'll have to delete it and create another.
7. When you are satisfied with your selections, click the Save button.
8. A message will appear confirming that your calendar block has been saved.

Note: If you are editing a series of calendar blocks, you must edit each individual block as this time. There is no option to edit the whole series of blocks. a Rula Support agent will have to assist you further to edit an entire series of blocks.

Deleting Calendar Blocks

To delete a calendar block:

1. Log into the Rula provider portal.
2. Stay on the Schedule tab.
3. Click on the calendar block on your schedule.
4. Click on the 3 dots in the top right corner of the pop-up for more options.
5. Click Delete.
6. If this is a single calendar block, a pop-up message will appear asking you to confirm.
   1. Click Yes.
7. If the calendar block is a part of a series, you can either delete a single block or the entire series.
8. If you would like to delete the entire series of a recurring calendar block series:
   • Select the second option on the pop-up: this block and all following blocks.
9. A moving circle will appear at the top of the page indicating that the block is being deleted.
10. Once the calendar block has been deleted, this will be replaced by a confirmation message with a green checkmark.

Scheduling Follow-Up Appointments

The first 5 appointments (1 initial appointment + 4 follow-up appointments) with a client will automatically be scheduled for the same time and day that you initially agree upon with the client. However, after these first few appointments, you may need to schedule further visits or change the time of the recurring visits. 

See Creating appointments for your clients in the Rula provider portal for step-by-step guidance creating new appointments, single and recurring.

Managing Missed Appointments

If a client cancels an appointment with less than 24-hours notice or does not show up for a scheduled session, you will document that in their chart by completing a “Missed Appointment Note” and mark the client as a no show on the schedule.

To complete a Missed Appointment Note:

1. Log into the provider portal
2. Find and click on the appointment you want to cancel.
3. Click the 3 dots then Appointment did not happen
4. Select the reason for canceling from the drop down
   • Teleconferencing did not work
   • Client did not attend appointment
   • I did not attend appointment
5. Fill out the note template
   • • The cancel reason selected when canceling the appointment will not determine if the client is charged or the therapist is paid.
     • Make sure to select Yes under Charge client if appropriate.
6. Once complete, click Sign note.
7. Confirm your electronic signature, then click Sign and submit note

Once the note is submitted, it cannot be edited. The signed note will generate a charge and be billed to your client. No further action is needed.

See Completing a missed appointment note in the Rula provider portal for a step-by-step guide on how to complete a missed appointment note.

Canceling / Deleting Appointments

Single Appointment

To cancel a single appointment, navigate to the Schedule tab and click on the appointment you wish to cancel:

1. Click on the three dots in the top corner for more options, and click Cancel Appointment.
2. Fill out the selections in the pop-up window
3. Once the appointment has been canceled, this will be replaced by a confirmation message with a green checkmark.
4. The appointment will be removed from your calendar.

Note: Whenever an initial appointment is canceled, all automatically booked follow-up appointments between that patient and therapist are also canceled.

Recurring Appointments

Once you have clicked Cancel appointment on a session that is part of a recurrence, a message will appear asking if you would also like to cancel all future appointments in the series.

1. Select the option you prefer, if you would like to cancel the single appointment or the entire series.
2. Choose a cancellation reason.
3. Click Yes to save.

See Canceling appointments in the Rula provider portal for a video and step-by-step guide for canceling single and recurring appointments in the Rula provider portal.

Joining Telehealth Sessions with Clients

There are two ways to access Telehealth!

1. 1. All therapists now have access to the Rula provider portal, where it’s quick and easy to copy/share Telehealth links as well as join the video session directly from your calendar. For more information, please review this Telehealth sessions article. 

Ending a Telehealth call

At the bottom of your Zoom meeting window:

1. Click the red End button 
2. Select End Meeting for all

Troubleshooting while on a call:

• Refresh: If you are experiencing issues with Zoom or your internet connection, leave the Zoom session and return to the appointment on your provider portal calendar. Click Join appointment again.
  
  
  
• Share Link: If your client is running late or reports that they do not have the link to join the session you can share the link by copying it from the portal calendar appointment and pasting it in an email to the client.
  
  

Client Matching

When clients join Rula they must first complete a questionnaire where they indicate what they are looking for in a therapist, whether that is a specific specialty, race, gender, or affiliation. This is done so that we ensure the best possible match between our clients and therapists. 

The Client Matching process is as follows:

1. Clients complete the initial questionnaire
2. Clients receive a curated list of therapist profiles that fit their criteria
3. Clients select a therapist and book their initial appointment
4. Before the appointment is confirmed and placed on a therapist's calendar the client must sign consent forms, Rula policies, and have their insurance verified.

Leading up to the initial appointment, clients will also need to complete additional intake paperwork.

• 2 days prior to the initial appointment: Your client will be asked to complete a brief intake form along with a set of screening tools to capture baseline symptoms of anxiety, depression, & alcohol use. All this information will be visible to you from the client’s chart within the EHR.
• 3 days and 1 day prior to the initial appointment: Clients will receive an email with the link to their appointment and a reminder of the cancellation policy.

You’ll receive an email notification with your client’s contact information & appointment details once they confirm their appointment. The appointment will also appear on your provider portal schedule. You can look up the client’s chart in the Rula provider portal to review the documents they’ll complete in the 2 days prior to your appointment.

Documentation

Please make sure that you create and sign all of your notes and billable notes within 24 hours of each appointment. This is very important to ensure that we can get you paid on time every other Friday.

Session Notes

1. Navigate to Clients tab of the provider portal and select the client you need to create the note for.
2. Find the appointment card for the desired date, and click Start progress note
   • The default note type in the portal for the first appointment is an initial assessment, and a progress note for any session that is not the first appointment. 
   • Once the note opens, you can optionally change the template to a SOAP note, by clicking Change note template on the top left of the note.
3. Fill out the note, all fields are required.
   • If you need to finish the note later, click Save & close
   • To finish the note, find the appointment card in the client chart and click Complete progress note.
4. Once complete, click Sign note.
5. Confirm your electronic signature, then click Sign and submit note

Billable Note Templates:

1. Initial Assessment and Treatment Plan:
   • For first-time appointments, the template will default to Start initial assessment. 
     
   • Complete all (required) fields within each of the following sections - History, Risk Assessment, MSE, Summary, and Treatment Plan. You do not need to use the Narrative tab.
2. Progress Notes and SOAP Notes:
   • For all subsequent appointments, you have the option to choose between the Progress Note template or the SOAP Progress Note template from the dropdown.
   • Once you select your template, you’ll see either a Progress Note tab appear, or a SOAP Note tab appear. Click on the relevant tab and complete all (required) fields. 
     • Please note: For all follow up appointments, you have the option to complete another Risk Assessment, and you have the option to update your Treatment Plan. Click on either tab and complete as needed. 
3. Missed Appointment Notes:
   
   • Use the Missed Appointment Notes template when a client no shows for a scheduled appointment, or if a client cancels with less than 24 hours' notice of the appointment.

All Note Types:

• Yellow fields on all note template types are required. 
• All notes must include a Procedure code and Diagnosis code.
• Session Start Time is the time the client joins your session.
• Session End Time is the time your client leaves the session.
• Any field with a small arrow to the right gives you the option to select multiple answers.

Selecting a Diagnosis:

• To add a diagnosis, click the Diagnoses section of your note.
• Search for your diagnosis by typing in the code or description, or use the dropdown list.
• Click on the relevant F code diagnosis for your client.
  • Please note: Z codes are not billable diagnosis codes
    
    

See more on diagnosis requirements and FAQ in this article: Diagnosis

Signing Notes:

1. Log into the provider portal and click on the Clients tab
2. Select the client you need to complete the note for.
3. To finish the note, find the appointment card in the client chart and click Complete progress note.
   
   Note: This wording will reflect the template or appointment type (SOAP note or Initial Assessment).
4. Once complete, click Sign note
5. Confirm your electronic signature, then click Sign and submit note

Once the note is submitted, it cannot be edited. The signed note will generate a charge and be billed to your client. No further action is needed.