- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 In Graduate School, I Learned What I Need to Know About Running a Successful Practice
- 2 Becoming Licensed Means That I Am Now Competent
- 3 If I “Sell Out” to the Business of Practice, I Give Up My Core Value of Altruism
- 4 Being Known as a Generalist Will Position My Practice Well in the Community
- 5 Managed Care Is Evil and Should Be Avoided Like the Plague; Experienced and Competent Clinicians Don’t Participate in Managed Care
- 6 Insurance Companies Just Care About Profits and I Care About My Patients, So It Is OK to Bend the Rules to Get Paid
- 7 If You Build It, They Will Come
- 8 If You Build It, They Will Never Come
- 9 A Fee-for-Service Practice Cannot Survive
- 10 Keeping Clients in Treatment as Long as Possible Is an Effective Practice-Building Strategy
- 11 Video Conferencing and Tele-Mental Health Technologies Are Easy Ways to Build My Practice
- 12 There Is No Need to Waste My Hard-Earned Money on Consultants, Attorneys, and Certified Public Accountants
- 13 At This Stage of My Career Paying for Supervision or Consultation Is Just Ridiculous
- 14 There Is No Need to Have a Budget or Business Plan
- 15 If I Treat My Staff Well, They Will Take Care of Me and Look Out for My Best Interests
- 16 I’m the Boss. Who Needs Policies and Procedures?
- 17 It Is Best to Have a Policy About Cancelled and Missed Appointments, and to Enforce It Consistently
- 18 Continuing Education Requirements Are Unnecessary and Are Not Relevant to My Professional Competence
- 19 All You Need to Do to Close Your Practice Is to Stop Seeing Clients and Lock the Door
- 20 There Is No Need to Save for Retirement
- 21 Documentation and Record Keeping Are Burdens to Be Completed as Quickly as Possible
- 22 It Is Best to Provide Minimal Information When a Referral Source Requests Information About a Client
- 23 If I Receive a Subpoena I Should Turn Over the Client’s Records Immediately, or Be Prepared for Serious Legal Consequences
- 24 Client Records Should Be Destroyed Once the Client Leaves Treatment or Dies
- 25 Private Practice Is a Solitary Pursuit
- 26 As a Professional, I Don’t Need to Worry About Self-Care
- 27 When I Need Clinical or Risk Management Advice I Should Ask for It on a Listserv
- 28 Being a Good Caring Person Is All I Need in Order to Practice Ethically and Reduce My Risk of a Malpractice Claim
- 29 You Are Ethically Obligated to Take Insurance, Offer a Sliding Scale Fee, or See Some People Free of Charge
- Index
(p. 86) I’m the Boss. Who Needs Policies and Procedures?
- Chapter:
- (p. 86) I’m the Boss. Who Needs Policies and Procedures?
- Author(s):
Jeffrey E. Barnett
, and Jeffrey Zimmerman
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med-psych/9780190900762.003.0016
This chapter illustrates how every mental health practice needs a number of key policies and procedures in place from the outset. Risks to the success of the practice financially as well as ethically and legally are highlighted. Specific policies to create and use are described, and their role for promoting the provision of effective clinical services is explained. Policies relevant to business aspects of running a private mental health practice, setting clear expectations of staff and employee relations and responsibilities, and for responding to or addressing client needs and expectations are provided. Key policies explained in detail include payment, participation in insurance and managed care, fees, requests for records and release of information, and others. How to incorporate such policies into the informed consent process with clients is described.
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- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 In Graduate School, I Learned What I Need to Know About Running a Successful Practice
- 2 Becoming Licensed Means That I Am Now Competent
- 3 If I “Sell Out” to the Business of Practice, I Give Up My Core Value of Altruism
- 4 Being Known as a Generalist Will Position My Practice Well in the Community
- 5 Managed Care Is Evil and Should Be Avoided Like the Plague; Experienced and Competent Clinicians Don’t Participate in Managed Care
- 6 Insurance Companies Just Care About Profits and I Care About My Patients, So It Is OK to Bend the Rules to Get Paid
- 7 If You Build It, They Will Come
- 8 If You Build It, They Will Never Come
- 9 A Fee-for-Service Practice Cannot Survive
- 10 Keeping Clients in Treatment as Long as Possible Is an Effective Practice-Building Strategy
- 11 Video Conferencing and Tele-Mental Health Technologies Are Easy Ways to Build My Practice
- 12 There Is No Need to Waste My Hard-Earned Money on Consultants, Attorneys, and Certified Public Accountants
- 13 At This Stage of My Career Paying for Supervision or Consultation Is Just Ridiculous
- 14 There Is No Need to Have a Budget or Business Plan
- 15 If I Treat My Staff Well, They Will Take Care of Me and Look Out for My Best Interests
- 16 I’m the Boss. Who Needs Policies and Procedures?
- 17 It Is Best to Have a Policy About Cancelled and Missed Appointments, and to Enforce It Consistently
- 18 Continuing Education Requirements Are Unnecessary and Are Not Relevant to My Professional Competence
- 19 All You Need to Do to Close Your Practice Is to Stop Seeing Clients and Lock the Door
- 20 There Is No Need to Save for Retirement
- 21 Documentation and Record Keeping Are Burdens to Be Completed as Quickly as Possible
- 22 It Is Best to Provide Minimal Information When a Referral Source Requests Information About a Client
- 23 If I Receive a Subpoena I Should Turn Over the Client’s Records Immediately, or Be Prepared for Serious Legal Consequences
- 24 Client Records Should Be Destroyed Once the Client Leaves Treatment or Dies
- 25 Private Practice Is a Solitary Pursuit
- 26 As a Professional, I Don’t Need to Worry About Self-Care
- 27 When I Need Clinical or Risk Management Advice I Should Ask for It on a Listserv
- 28 Being a Good Caring Person Is All I Need in Order to Practice Ethically and Reduce My Risk of a Malpractice Claim
- 29 You Are Ethically Obligated to Take Insurance, Offer a Sliding Scale Fee, or See Some People Free of Charge
- Index
