Halaxy 101: Setting It Up So It Actually Works For Your Practice
Most allied health professionals are using about 30% of what Halaxy can do. Here's how to set it up properly from the start and fix it if you didn't.
The honest truth about Halaxy
Halaxy is one of the most powerful practice management platforms available to allied health professionals in Australia. It's also one of the most underused.
I've worked with dozens of psychologists, counsellors, nutritionists and allied health practitioners and almost every single one of them is using Halaxy in the same way: as a basic appointment scheduler. They're paying for a sports car and using it to do the school run.
The good news? The functionality is already there. You just need to know where to find it and how to set it up in the right order.
💡 Quick note
This guide is designed for practices at any stage, whether you're setting up Halaxy for the first time or you've been using it for years and suspect you're missing things. Either way, start from the top.
Why most Halaxy setups fall short
The most common problem I see isn't a lack of features, it's a lack of structure. Halaxy gets set up in a rush (usually when you're about to open your practice and have 47 other things to do), and then it never gets properly revisited.
The result is a system that technically works but creates friction at every step, for you and for your clients. Appointments get booked in the wrong locations. Invoices go out with missing information. Reminders don't fire. Clients fall through the cracks.
None of this is your fault. Halaxy wasn't designed to be intuitive, it was designed to be comprehensive. There's a difference. And most practitioners don't have the time or the background to work through all of it.
"You're paying for a sports car and using it to do the school run."
The 6 areas to get right: in order
Here's how I approach a Halaxy setup or audit with a new client. These aren't all the features, they're the ones that make the biggest difference to your day-to-day practice.
Your business profile and settings
1
This is where most people rush and it creates problems downstream. Your ABN, provider numbers, business address, email settings, and invoice details all need to be accurate here before you do anything else. Get this wrong and your invoices, Medicare claims and correspondence will have errors that are annoying to fix later.
2
Your appointment types and locations
Set up every appointment type you offer (including telehealth, in-person, and any group sessions). Link them to the correct locations and durations. If you offer Medicare or NDIS services, make sure your billing codes are attached here. This is what drives accurate invoicing automatically.
3
Automated appointment reminders
This alone will save you hours every week and significantly reduce no-shows. Set up SMS and email reminders at 48 hours and 24 hours before each appointment. Customise the message to match your practice's tone. Test them yourself before going live, you'd be surprised how many practices have reminders set up but not actually switched on.
4
Online booking settings
If you have online booking enabled, review your booking page carefully. What information are clients asked for? What do they see when they land on your booking link? Can they book any appointment type, or only the ones appropriate for new clients? Your online booking page is often the first experience a client has with your practice, make sure it reflects well on you.
5
Client intake forms
Halaxy allows you to create and send digital intake forms that collect client information before their first appointment. Most practices aren't using this, which means either they're collecting paper forms (time-consuming) or they're starting sessions without key information. Set up your intake forms and attach them to your initial appointment type so they're sent automatically on booking.
6
Invoicing and payment settings
Review how your invoices are set up, what payment terms are shown, and whether online payments are enabled. If you're still chasing payments manually, this is where to fix it. Halaxy integrates with Stripe for card payments, setting this up properly means clients can pay from their invoice link without you having to follow up.
⚡ Common mistake
Enabling online booking without restricting which appointment types new clients can book. New clients booking a "follow-up" session (intended for existing clients) is a very common and easily avoidable problem.
What good looks like
When Halaxy is set up properly, here's what your week looks like: a new client finds your booking link, books an initial appointment, receives an automatic confirmation and intake form, completes the form before their session, receives reminders at 48 and 24 hours, attends their appointment, and receives an invoice automatically afterwards that they can pay online.
You touched none of that manually. That's what a well-configured Halaxy does. And that time, easily 3 to 5 hours per week for a busy practice, goes back in your pocket.
When to get help
If reading this has made you realise your Halaxy setup needs attention, you have two options: work through it yourself using Halaxy's support resources, or get someone who knows the platform to set it up properly for you.
The DIY route is absolutely possible, but it takes time, and time is the one thing most practitioners don't have. I regularly do Halaxy setup and optimisation as part of my backend support retainers, and most practices are properly configured within the first month of working together.
Want your Halaxy set up properly?
I do Halaxy setup and optimisation as part of my monthly retainer support. Book a free discovery call and let's talk about what your practice needs.
Your Halaxy audit checklist (TL:DR)
Use this as a quick self-audit. If you're answering "not sure" to any of these, it's worth a proper review.
Business profile is complete with accurate ABN and provider numbers
All appointment types are created with correct durations and billing codes
Automated reminders are set up AND switched on
Online booking page has been reviewed and tested
New client intake forms are attached to initial appointment types
Invoicing is set up with correct payment terms and online payment enabled
Medicare and/or NDIS claiming is configured correctly (if applicable)
You've tested the entire client journey end-to-end yourself
That last one is important. Book yourself in as a fake client. Go through the whole process. You'll find things to fix that you wouldn't otherwise notice.