Is Records Software Enough for a Practice?
Records software keeps the patient record and calendar. Which practice documents can't it replace? A document map for a physiotherapy practice, 2026.
Records software keeps your calendar, the patient record and the visit history. Good software saves hours every week. Does that mean you already have everything a practice needs? Not quite. The software handles one of two layers of documents. You prepare the other one yourself. This article shows where the line runs. It does not suggest that software is unnecessary or non-compliant with the law.
Honest about us: we sell document packages for practices, so we have an interest in this topic. That is why we rely on what the software vendors say on their own websites (as of 3 November 2026) and show you how to check it yourself, without buying anything.
In brief
- Records software handles patient documentation: the record, the calendar, the visit history and sometimes consents.
- Practice documents (organizational regulations, hygiene, registration in RPWDL, data protection) are the second layer. They are not created at a visit and do not come out of the calendar.
- In the feature descriptions of the programs we checked, we did not find ready-made organizational regulations or a practice hygiene plan.
- The software vendor usually processes patient data on your behalf. Article 28 GDPR then requires a contract or another legal instrument.
- Software and practice documents are two independent decisions. One does not rule out the other.
Two layers of documents in a practice
Layer 1: patient documentation. The patient record, therapy plan, visit entries, consents. This is where the software works. It is its main job, and this is where programs differ most: templates, ICF codes, a phone app, price.
Layer 2: practice documents. They describe how the practice is organized, how it handles hygiene and how it protects data. Organizational regulations, sanitary procedures, registers, data protection documents, a guide to registration in the register. These are documents of the practice, not of the patient, so they are not created at any visit and cannot be "pulled out" of a calendar.
A simple picture: the software is a binder with your patients in it. The practice documents are the operating manual of the business. Neither works without the other.
What the programs do (according to their websites)
| Program | Patient documentation | Also | Price (as of 3 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finezjo | Examination record with ICD-9, ICD-10 and ICF, a database of functioning tests | Calendar, unlimited SMS reminders | PLN 0 |
| Medfile | Physiotherapist visit record with a complaint drawing tool, ICD-10 and ICF codes | Free plan: 10 SMS | Free plan: 1 user, 40 visits a month; paid plans from PLN 119 gross/month |
| ZenMed | Visit record with a body outline, ICF, ICD-10, ICD-9 | Calendar, booking widget | Free plan: 1 specialist, 50 visits a month; paid plans from PLN 49 gross/month |
| RSQ Physio | Dictation of records, urogynecological and pediatric records | Mobile app, unlimited SMS | PLN 39 net/month per user, 30-day trial |
You will find a detailed comparison of the free plans in the article Free software for physiotherapists. How to assess the software itself against the medical records rules is in Choosing EDM software for your practice.
What you will not find in the program descriptions
We went through the websites of the programs in the table above. We did not find a description of a ready-made:
- organizational regulations of the practice,
- hygiene plan, disinfection log and sanitary procedures,
- guide to registration in RPWDL (the Register of Entities Performing Medical Activity),
- practice data protection policy and staff authorizations.
Two things about data are described by the vendors' own websites. ZenMed says that the data processing agreement is signed at onboarding and that the record of processing activities under Article 30 GDPR is generated automatically from the database. We did not check what exactly this record covers or whether it replaces the controller's documents in your practice. It is worth asking the vendor.
Some programs have a consent module, for example consent signing on a tablet in ZenMed (from the Standard plan) or the MedSign form in Medfile (from the Premium plan). This is a way to collect the patient's signature, not ready-made content for the practice's organizational documents.
Check it in your own program. Open the template library (if there is one) and see whether it contains the documents from the table later in this article. If it does, good. If not, you know what to look for.
Why this is not a detail
Organizational regulations. They are governed by the Act on Medical Activity (ustawa o działalności leczniczej). Article 23 says that matters concerning the manner and conditions of providing services, not regulated in the Act or the articles of association, are set by organizational regulations established by the head of the entity, and Article 24 lists their contents. For professional practices, Article 24(3) excludes part of that list (points 3, 6-8, 11 and 13), so the requirements differ depending on the form of activity. Article 23(2) excludes the obligation for a practice carried out solely inside a medical facility under a contract with a healthcare entity, as long as no premises monitoring (CCTV) is used. The regulations are set by the practice and describe its own organization of work. The software does not know that organization, so it will not write this document for you. In your situation (professional practice, company, healthcare entity) have a lawyer check the scope. Details are in the article on organizational regulations.
Patient data. The software vendor processes your patients' data on your behalf. Usually you are the controller and the vendor is the processor. Article 28(3) GDPR requires such processing to be based on a contract or another legal instrument that sets out, among other things, the subject matter and duration of processing, its nature and purpose, the type of data and the rights and obligations of the controller. A vendor may declare that its program is GDPR-compliant. That is information about the tool. The controller's documents remain on your side.
Inspections. During an inspection the questions cover, among other things, hygiene, procedures and the organization of the practice. A visit calendar will not show how you disinfect a treatment couch. More in the articles on Sanepid inspections (the State Sanitary Inspectorate) and KIF inspections (the Polish Chamber of Physiotherapists).
Map: what is in the software and what is outside it
| Document or area | In the software? | In FizjoReady packages |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar, SMS reminders | Yes, main function | Not applicable |
| Patient record, therapy plan, visit entries | Yes, main function | Templates in TARCZA, to compare with the template in the software |
| Treatment consent | Depends on the program (e.g. tablet signature in paid plans) | Template in TARCZA |
| Guide to registration in RPWDL | We did not find one | FUNDAMENT |
| Organizational regulations | We did not find one | FUNDAMENT |
| Hygiene plan, disinfection log, sanitary procedures | We did not find one | FUNDAMENT |
| Checklist before a Sanepid inspection | We did not find one | FUNDAMENT |
| Checklist before a KIF inspection | We did not find one | TARCZA |
| Privacy policy, record of processing activities, staff authorizations | We did not find one (ZenMed describes an automatic record, see above) | PREMIUM |
| Data processing agreement with the software vendor | The vendor usually has its own template, check it before signing | PREMIUM (template for comparison) |
| Procedure for a software failure | We did not find one | Outside the packages, described in the article EDM failure |
Three situations, three starting points
You are opening a practice and choosing software. Start with the registration documents, regulations and hygiene (FUNDAMENT). You can choose the software in parallel.
You have a practice and software, and an inspection is coming. TARCZA adds the KIF inspection checklist, as well as patient record templates and the treatment consent, which you can compare with what you have in the software.
Someone other than you processes patient data (the software vendor, an employee). PREMIUM adds data protection documents, a data processing agreement template and a breach procedure.
What to do this week
- Mark in the table above the documents you already have.
- Ask the software vendor for the data processing agreement and read it. What to check is described in 10 questions for a software vendor.
- Compare the record template in your software with the list of fields: patient record in software or a Word template.
- Think about what you do when the software stops working during appointments: the EDM failure procedure.
Already have software? FizjoReady gives you the rest. Regulations, documents for RPWDL registration, procedures for Sanepid and data protection documents as Word files, whichever software you use. See FizjoReady packages
Frequently asked questions
Does Finezjo or other software replace the organizational regulations?
No. The software keeps visit documentation. The organizational regulations describe how the practice is organized and are set by the practice itself. In the feature descriptions of the programs we checked, there are no ready-made regulations.
Is the software vendor responsible for GDPR in my practice?
The vendor is responsible for its system and for what is written in the data processing agreement. You enter patient data into the software as the controller, so the practice's data protection documents remain on your side. The vendor is usually a processor, and Article 28 GDPR requires a contract in that situation.
Do FizjoReady templates work with my software?
They are Word files, so they do not connect to any software. The record and treatment consent templates serve as a checklist when you set up templates in the software and as a printable version, for example for home visits. You keep the practice's organizational documents outside the software anyway.
Do I have to buy software to have practice documents?
No. These are two independent decisions. Practice documents are useful whether or not you keep records in software.
Legal status as of: 3 November 2026
Legal basis: Act of 15 April 2011 on Medical Activity (consolidated text Journal of Laws 2026 item 156; the amendment in item 972 concerns Article 27a), Article 23(1)-(2) (including the reference to Article 19a(3)) and Article 24(1) and (3); Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Article 28(3). Program descriptions come from the vendors' websites as of 3 November 2026 (finezjo.pl, medfile.pl, zenmed.pl, rsqphysio.com) and are not a legal assessment of those programs. We did not check: the contents of template libraries available after logging in, the vendors' terms and data processing agreements, the scope of the record of processing activities generated by ZenMed, borderline cases concerning the obligation to have regulations in your form of activity (to be verified with a lawyer) or the offers of programs other than those listed.
Last reviewed: 3 November 2026
FizjoReady packages cover the second layer: FUNDAMENT is registration, regulations and sanitary procedures, TARCZA adds patient records, the treatment consent and the KIF inspection checklist, and PREMIUM adds GDPR documents, including a data processing agreement template. Choose a package or go straight to FUNDAMENT, TARCZA or PREMIUM.
Related articles:
- Finezjo: what it includes and what it won't replace
- EDM in physiotherapy
- Data processing agreement at a physiotherapy practice
- Organizational regulations for a practice: template