diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7785847..60650fe 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -101,13 +101,13 @@ continuous = ['Age', 'SysABP', 'Height', 'Weight']
 ```python
 groupby = 'death'
 nonnormal = ['Age']
-labels={'death': 'mortality'}
+rename={'death': 'mortality'}
 ```
 
 7. Create an instance of TableOne with the input arguments:
 
 ```python
-mytable = TableOne(data, columns=columns, categorical=categorical, continuous=continuous, groupby=groupby, nonnormal=nonnormal, rename=labels, pval=False)
+mytable = TableOne(data, columns=columns, categorical=categorical, continuous=continuous, groupby=groupby, nonnormal=nonnormal, rename=rename, pval=False)
 ```
 
 8. Display the table using the `tabulate` method. The `tablefmt` argument allows the table to be displayed in multiple formats, including "github", "grid", "fancy_grid", "rst", "html", and "latex".
diff --git a/tableone/deprecations.py b/tableone/deprecations.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e21cbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tableone/deprecations.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import warnings
+
+# display deprecation warnings
+warnings.simplefilter('always', DeprecationWarning)
+
+
+def deprecated_parameter(parameter, parameter_name, message, version=None):
+    """
+    Raise warning for a deprecated parameter.
+
+    Parameters:
+    - parameter: parameter to be removed.
+    - parameter: name of parameter to be removed.
+    - message: str, message to insert into deprecated warning.
+    - version: str, version when the parameter was deprecated (optional).
+
+    Usage:
+    deprecated_parameter(parameter=label, parameter_name='level, new_name='rename', version='0.7')
+    """
+    if parameter:
+        if version:
+            version_message = f"version {version}"
+        else:
+            version_message = "a future version"
+        warnings.warn(f"{parameter_name} is deprecated and will be removed in {version_message}. {message}",
+                      category=DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
diff --git a/tableone/tableone.py b/tableone/tableone.py
index a8ea638..1ce56c0 100644
--- a/tableone/tableone.py
+++ b/tableone/tableone.py
@@ -10,12 +10,10 @@
 import pandas as pd
 from tabulate import tabulate
 
+from tableone.deprecations import deprecated_parameter
 from tableone.statistics import Statistics
 from tableone.validators import DataValidator, InputValidator, InputError
 
-# display deprecation warnings
-warnings.simplefilter('always', DeprecationWarning)
-
 
 def load_dataset(name: str) -> pd.DataFrame:
     """
@@ -215,7 +213,10 @@ def __init__(self, data: pd.DataFrame,
                  tukey_test: bool = False,
                  pval_threshold: Optional[float] = None) -> None:
 
-        self._handle_deprecations(labels, rename, isnull, pval_test_name, remarks)
+        deprecated_parameter(labels, "labels", "Use 'rename' instead")
+        deprecated_parameter(isnull, "isnull", "Use 'missing' instead")
+        deprecated_parameter(pval_test_name, "pval_test_name", "Use 'htest_name' instead")
+        deprecated_parameter(remarks, "remarks", "Use test names instead (e.g. diptest = True)")
 
         if not columns:
             columns = data.columns.values  # type: ignore
@@ -225,7 +226,7 @@ def __init__(self, data: pd.DataFrame,
         self.data_validator.validate(data, columns)  # type: ignore
 
         self.input_validator = InputValidator()
-        self.input_validator.validate(groupby, nonnormal, min_max, pval_adjust, order, # type: ignore
+        self.input_validator.validate(groupby, nonnormal, min_max, pval_adjust, order,  # type: ignore
                                       pval, columns, categorical, continuous)  # type: ignore
 
         # nonnormal should be a list
@@ -373,31 +374,6 @@ def __init__(self, data: pd.DataFrame,
         if display_all:
             self._set_display_options()
 
-    def _handle_deprecations(self, labels, rename, isnull, pval_test_name, remarks):
-        """
-        Raise deprecation warnings.
-        """
-        if labels is not None:
-            warnings.warn("The 'labels' argument of TableOne() is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. "
-                          "Use 'rename' instead.", DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=3)
-
-        if labels is not None and rename is not None:
-            raise TypeError("TableOne received both 'labels' and 'rename'. Please use only 'rename'.")
-
-        if isnull is not None:
-            warnings.warn("The 'isnull' argument is deprecated; use 'missing' instead.",
-                          DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=3)
-
-        # pval_test_name is now htest_name
-        if pval_test_name:
-            warnings.warn("The pval_test_name argument is deprecated; use htest_name instead.", 
-                          DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=3)
-
-        if remarks:
-            warnings.warn("The 'remarks' argument is deprecated; specify tests "
-                          "by name instead (e.g. diptest = True)",
-                          DeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
-
     def __str__(self) -> str:
         return self.tableone.to_string() + self._generate_remarks('\n')