If you’re reading this, maybe you’ve already taken the plunge and hired your first clinician. If so, congratulations are in order! You were probably excited about having someone other than yourself working in your business. But now reality is starting to set in and you need to know how to seamlessly and efficiently integrate them into your practice.
Duplication is key! One of the reasons you most likely hired a new staff member is because you cannot possibly schedule more than one client at a time. Unless you do groups of course, but you would really like to expand your business. Short of duplicating ourselves, hiring and training new clinicians to do what we do. All this while passing your knowledge and the mission of your business to your new staff members. If you don’t have a mission or vision statement yet, check out this article on how to develop one of your own!
Following are some tips to help you get your clinicians up and running:
Orient Your Clinician To Your Practice
This can be via an initial in-office orientation prior to your clinician seeing clients. Or you can also opt to have an onboarding video. This helps detail for your therapist how to navigate the various systems that your practice uses. Sometimes, conceptualizing for the clinician what happens from the time a client becomes their own, until the discharge of that client can be helpful. This would include the necessary paperwork or forms involved. As well as whether your clinician will be handling money, and if so, what to do with the monies received. If your practice solely utilizes an EHR system, you would want to be sure to walk your clinician through that process. They must feel comfortable by the time they meet with their first client.
The Previous Tip Mentions Systems
Now that you have another person in your practice, it’s time to add them to your current systems!
Depending on your email system, it can be helpful to give your clinician an email with your practice domain, especially if they are a W-2 employee. One particular platform that has many benefits for a growing practice is G-suite. It is HIPAA compliant and allows for each staff member to have an individual practice email address. It also allows access to shared documents; which can be helpful if you choose to upload your employee manual, forms or other resources for your clinician to virtually access from anywhere. You can find out more about G-Suite here.
Remember That Your Clinician Is A Part Of Your Practice Brand
You want to ensure that you and each of the clinicians you hire thereafter all have material that is uniform. This includes getting your clinician set up with contact materials such as business cards and a phone number or extension. There are various places where you can create business cards including your local office supply store or online sites such as vista print. Something nice about some online companies is that when you hire your next clinician, all you have to do is change some of the information on the previous design and voilà, you have a business card for your new clinician!
In addition to the business card, you also want to get them set up with a phone extension if they will be having any phone contact with their clients outside of the therapy session. You can choose whether you will have your clinician schedule their appointments after the initial session. Or if you are going to have all clients schedule through you, an administrative assistant, or self-schedule online. There are many options for phone services; the important thing to look out for is whether it’s HIPAA compliant, and if it has features that will benefit your business.
If Your Practice Accepts Insurance, Get Your Clinician On The Panels
Depending on the insurance provider, you may need to submit an application packet. Others may require less information in order to get your clinician individually credentialed. Keep in mind that some insurance providers allow for the practice to bill for services under the practice, therefore the clinician may not need to be individually credentialed. The important thing is to make sure you contact the insurance company and find out BEFORE you start billing for your clinician’s services.
Once you’ve hired your first clinician, the door is now open to hire more and grow the practice that you envision! Keep taking your next right step!
Melissa J. McLean is a Licensed Counselor and Certified Professional Coach who is the owner of Morning Joy Counseling. It is a successful practice that primarily helps individuals dealing with anxiety and depression. She also helps couples who want to rebuild or strengthen their relationships. In addition, Melissa helps other professionals move beyond the gap between visualizing their dreams and making it a reality. She does this by mapping out their next right steps towards having a successful and fulfilling business!
Download her FREE worksheet, “Tips to Increase Your Focus to Build Your Business” and learn 10 ways to get laser focused HERE!
