On 13 Insurance Panels And The Phone Isn’t Ringing

Dec
20
2011
by Tamara Suttle

Sometimes in trying to get a practice started, Image of On 13 Insurance Panels & the Phone Still Isn't Ringingit’s easy to overlook logical steps.  Last month, I received a couple of emails from a reader that I’ll call “Stephanie.”  Stephanie wrote . . .

I am on 13 insurance panels, have been doing everything possible (since April) that I know how to do and have not received one call.

I would do anything to accept private pay.

My unemployment benefits ran out in September and I applied for food stamps yesterday.

I am revising my website for the third time to focus on clients who are ________ and are non compliant in hopes I can market to and get referrals from physicians.

I never thought it would come to this. I am trying not to panic”

And, in a follow up email she wrote . . .

I have not built a referral base. I’ve been working in agencies with clients who are ________. Not my ideal clients. I only recently returned to the city and know few in private practice. I have been working on marketing 8-12 hrs a day, but not getting ‘out there’. I don’t know how.

I am changiing my niche to aging and dementia using CBT. Not many therapists do this.

I am 55 and have also tried for 2 years to get a job to sustain me.

I sound pathetic but am not. I am determined to make this private practice work. All I need are five clients to start so I can survive.

I hate the idea of insurance panels but I have no choice. I am desperate.

You can use my note but not my name.

I value any advice you can give and thank you for your kind words.”

I thought this might be a good opportunity for you to help Stephanie out.

What is she doing well?

What might be her strengths?

What seems logical to you that she might be missing?

Wiithout any magical solutions, without making anything up, and without adding any information that you have not been given – can you comment on what Stephanie might need to hear and focus on to get her practice on track?

And, what is the logical step that you are missing in your own marketing efforts?


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Filed under: Grow Your Practice, Inspiration, Insurance | Managed Care, Networking, Referrals, Stress Busters, Technology, To-Do's Tagged with , , , , ,
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Impact Your Business By Choosing Your Posture

Jul
14
2011
by Tamara Suttle

Image of Girl w Book on HeadPsyBlog’s author, Jeremy Dean, has written an interesting post on how different postures can affect your performance.  Take a moment to check it out here and then consider how those postures can actually inform the business (not just the clinical) side of your work.

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Filed under: Networking, Stress Busters, To-Do's Tagged with , , , ,
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What If . . . ? I Need Your Feedback

Nov
12
2010
by Tamara Suttle

Reaching Out

WOW!  I love the way that you guys have reached out . . . in comments here on the blog . . . in emails directly to me . . . and by phone, too.  Our vibrant community of professional connections and resources for building and strengthening your private practice continues to grow!  However, I’m feeling like I don’t get to spend as much time and support with each one of you as I would really like to.

I Need Your Help

I’ve been thinking about this a lot . . . about how to share even more information with you and what that format might look like.  This morning I realized that I’m trying to figure this all out all by myself. That’s not very smart and it’s not very effective.  It dawned on me that now I need your help.

A New Idea

I have this idea rumbling around in my head.  It’s about a mentor / coaching / collaborative business think tank to support you on your journey as you build your private practice.  I’m thinking about offering a one hour group phone call twice each month to a limited number of individuals.  On the calls, we will really drill down to what is keeping your practice from taking off.  Our conversations will be about your specific practice concerns. I will bring information and tips to share with you.  Together we will exchange resources and and ideas to keep you motivated and engaged so that you can do the work that you were meant to do.

What Do You Think?

But like I said, to create such a personal group,  I need your help.  Can you  give me your feedback?  I’m looking for your thoughts about:

  • Content.  What would you want to see included or addressed here?  Are there basic must-haves in order for this to be useful to you?
  • Questions.  What questions would you need to have answered in order to see the value in this type of group?
  • Value.  What would make this offer irresistable to you?
  • Cost.  What would you consider to be a fair fee for a group call twice monthly – one hour each?
  • Bonus.  What would be a bonus that I could add on for FREE?

Send your comments to me backchannel or leave them right here on the blog!

P.S.

I’m thinking of starting this group some time in January!  Yes?

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Filed under: Advertising | Publicity, Grow Your Practice, Inspiration, Odds & Ends, Professional Development Tagged with , , , ,
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7 Things You Should Know About Private Practice From The Inside Out

Aug
2
2010
by Tamara Suttle

My lists of subscribers and readers are swelling!  Thank you, thank you for passing along info about this blog to your colleagues and your professors (and to your massage therapists and your chiropractors and your physicians and all the other allied health professionals that you knew would be interested)!

If you are new to Private Practice from the Image of Handful of NutsInside Out, I thought this post might be a really simple way to help you get to know me and start to get a a handle on the scope of information available to you right here.

My Very First Post

Working on Your Business – Working in your business is not the same as working on your business.  Here’s the difference and why it’s important to do both.

I Enjoyed This Post the Most

You Know Your Private Practice is In Trouble When You Say . . . . – If you hear any of these lines start to come out of your mouth, it’s time to check in . . . with yourself, with a coach, with a seasoned colleague that can help you get back on track.  Don’t let your practice suffer because you didn’t notice one of these 25 uh-oh lines.

A Post That Needs Your Input

Best and Worst of the Week -Need a place to vent and brag? Add your highs and lows in private practice here.

My Most Helpful Post

20 Questions to Ask Other Therapists – A tool to help you do your research before you hang your shingle out.

My Favorite Post

The Therapist’s Networking Guide: Introduction – This is actually a series on how to network effectively to build your private practice.

A Post You Shouldn’t Miss

Clinical Supervision and ‘Money Gouging’ – What your professors may not have told you about your clinical supervision and why clinical supervision costs so much.

A Post I Wish I Had Written

How to Conduct Your Own Annual Review – Chris Gillebeau at The Art of Nonconformity speaks my language.   This post talks about engaging in an annual self-review and goal setting.

If you are one of my regular readers and you missed some of these posts, subscribe to this blog (It’s FREE!) to receive email notifications of  new posts.



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Filed under: Clinical Supervision | Consultation, Money Matters, Networking Tagged with , , , ,
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Celebrating Our One Year Anniversary Online and First Annual Roll Call

Jun
30
2010
by Tamara Suttle

The First Year

This month marks the one year anniversary for this blog at Private Practice from the Inside Out and I owe you a bucket full of gratitude for helping me finish it up on such a positive note!  Image of SpeakerThanks so much for dropping in, offering suggestions, asking questions, and supporting each other.  You have made it an awesome first year!   Here are some stats to help you see how our community has grown and how far we’ve come together in twelve short months!

  • We’ve had 1144 individuals drop in to visit.
  • Our online community here includes visits from 46 different countries / territories.
  • Of those who have chosen to subscribe i.e. get updates by email to this blog, over 56%  of you have subscribed within your first 10 minutes of landing here.

Goals for Next Year

As for next year, I have several goals:

  • I’m hoping that we’ll have well over 2000 visits to this site by then.
  • I’m hoping that  folks who drop in here will find the information and community so supportive that at least 75% of those who choose to subscribe by email will do so in less than the first 10 minutes they arrive here.
  • And, I’m hoping that I’ll have visits from at least 50 different countries!

In order to meet these goals, I need your help.  You can strengthen and grow our community by introducing your classmates, colleagues, instructors, and online peers to this blog.

Roll Call

And, finally, so many of you have written in asking . . . “Is there anyone here from . . .?”  This seems like the perfect time  for our first Roll Call!  I hope you’ll take a few minutes to drop in below and let us know who you are, what you do, where you do it, and anything else that you might care to share. (And, feel free to give your private practice a plug, too!)

That way we’ll all know who’s hanging out here in our online community!

I look forward to meeting you!


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Filed under: Marketing, Networking Tagged with , ,
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