Moving your physiotherapy clinic from paper and Excel to PhysioDesk: a first-week plan

Most clinics that stay on paper do so for one reason: switching looks like a weekend of typing that nobody has time for. It does not need to be. You do not move your history; you start recording the present, and the history follows as patients come back. Here is a plan for the first week.

Before you start: what to move, and what to leave

Move:

• patients you are treating now

• sessions already booked for the coming weeks

• money patients have paid in advance for future sessions

Leave where it is:

• files for patients who have finished treatment

• old diaries and bill books

Keep the old paper safely, in the order it is in now. It is still your clinical record. When a former patient returns, enrol them then, and note in their record that earlier notes are on paper.

Day 1: set up the clinic (about fifteen minutes)

1. Open the 30-minute demo from the pricing page first and click around a sample clinic, so nothing in your own account is a surprise.

2. Create your clinic account with your mobile number. A code arrives on WhatsApp to confirm it.

3. Sign the clinic agreement.

4. Fill in your clinic details: name, physiotherapist's name, registration number, address and logo. These go on every bill and certificate, so take a moment to get them right.

Everything else opens once the clinic details are in.

Day 2: today's patients

Enrol only the patients coming in today, as they arrive or before they do. For each, add:

• name, mobile number, date of birth and gender

• what you are treating, as a diagnosis

• their session rate

Mark each session done after the patient leaves, with a line of notes. By the end of the day you have a working record for every patient you saw, and you have typed nothing about anybody who did not walk in.

Days 3 to 5: the rest of your active list, and the diary

As the rest of this week's patients come in, enrol them the same way. Then move the diary across:

• Book sessions already promised for the next two weeks.

• For a patient on a regular course, use a repeat booking: every day, alternate days, or chosen weekdays, in one step.

From now on, the paper diary is retired. Every booking goes into PhysioDesk.

Day 6: money

• For anyone who has paid in advance, add the amount to their wallet. Future bills will be paid from it first.

• If you take UPI, add your clinic's UPI ID in Settings, under Getting paid. Every unpaid bill will then carry a QR code that pays you directly.

• Raise your first bills from the sessions marked done this week and share them on WhatsApp.

Day 7: your team, and your patients' side

• Staff: add each team member with their mobile number from Settings, under Staff. They sign in with that number; there is nothing to hand out. Start them on the two things they will do most: booking sessions and marking them done.

• Exercises: prescribe home programmes from the ready library, so they appear on patients' phones instead of on paper.

• Patients: tell patients they can see their appointments, exercises and bills in the patient portal by signing in with their mobile number.

The second week: get found

Fill in your Reach listing: treatments, areas, fees, timings and at least one photo, then submit it. Once it is approved, share its link on your Google Business Profile and WhatsApp profile.

Habits that make it stick

• One place for bookings. The moment two diaries exist, both are wrong.

• Mark sessions done the same day. Bills, figures and the patient's progress all depend on it.

• Write a line of notes every time. One line is enough; it adds up to a real record.

• Look at the dashboard on Monday mornings. Last week's sessions, money in and money owed, in one minute.

What you will notice after a month

Bills that take seconds instead of an evening with a calculator. No more "what time is my session?" calls from patients who can see it on their phone. A clear list of who owes money. And a record you can search, instead of a cupboard you cannot.

If you get stuck at any point, write to support@physiodesk.in and someone on the team will help.