How to get insurance clients
Taking insurance can make it easier to get clients, especially if you’re just starting out in private practice.
It can also be a pain. Difficulty getting paneled, tedious paperwork, low reimbursement rates, delayed payments, rejected claims, and clawbacks are all reasons why therapists choose to not accept insurance.
There are tech companies who are trying to make the process easier for therapists. Because of their large provider networks, they’re able to negotiate higher reimbursement rates and they take care of the admin and billing for you.
Sounds pretty great, right? The downside is if you ever decide to leave, you wouldn’t be able to accept insurance under their NPI and would need to get paneled on your own.
Pay per session varies by license type and location, so be sure to check with them as you’re evaluating your options. You can also join more than one and test them out for yourself.
Alma
Alma helps you get credentialed with most major insurance companies in 45 days and guarantees payback for every session in two weeks. They’re active in most states (some limited) and they market you through their provider directory. They also offer a suite of digital tools (scheduling, billing, HIPAA–compliant video) and a members-only community with CE courses. It costs $125/month or $1,140/year.
Headway
Headway also offers credentialing and guaranteed payments. They’re active in CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, NC, OH, TX, VA, WA. Unlike Alma, it’s free to join and they make money by taking a percentage of insurance reimbursements.
Grow Therapy
Grow Therapy offers credentialing, guaranteed billing, marketing, telehealth, EHR, a peer community, and even access to discounted health insurance for their providers. They’re active in 36 states. Similar to Headway, It’s free to join Grow and they get paid by insurance companies.
Want to hear from therapists directly? I asked my Twitter audience. You can read their replies here.