Have you considered working with insurance companies as part of your private practice?  And what do you need to know?

In the latest Good Enough Counsellors podcast: Getting Therapy Clients Through Insurance Companies with Louise Hiles we discussed what therapists need to know when they’re considering working with insurance companies.

You can listen to the episode here:

If you would like to subscribe to the podcast, click here.

Can insurance work be another source of therapy clients?

Louise Hiles is a psychotherapist, supervisor and coach, who earns approximately 25% of her private practice income through insurance work.

Just like other private practice enquiries, the work can fluctuate but Louise finds insurance work provides another source of clients.

Yet she also recognises that therapists can be deterred from working with insurance companies because of the paperwork.

Who can work with health insurance companies?

Requirements can differ between different insurance companies and it’s important to check their eligibility requirements, but generally they require accreditation.  

Louise mentioned in the interview that one major insurance company does not accept NCPS accreditation.  As NCPS has different levels of accreditation, this is worth checking with the relevant insurance company.

When looking to register with a company, therapists are asked to provide evidence of their qualifications, professional insurance and ICO registration.

How is insurance work different to EAP work?

Health insurance and Employee Assistance Programmes are different arrangements, even when an insurer offers both.

EAP work is often short-term and employs therapists who do not hold accreditation.  

Sometimes insurance companies will specify a limit on the number of sessions but Louise has found they normally allow extra sessions where necessary.

How do insurance clients find your counselling practice?

Registration with an insurance company does not guarantee clients.

Insurers differ in what information they present to claimants. Some offer a directory but for others, clients need to find you through your own website or commercial directories.

It is therefore helpful to list which insurance companies you work with on your website and profiles.

What needs to happen before you start seeing an insurance client?

You need to be registered with an insurance company. Healthcode is an online platform that helps you to register with participating insurance companies through its Private Practice Register.  It also offers an invoicing service.

Healthcode does not cover all insurance companies – for example, Bupa has its own registration process.

Clients need to obtain a pre-authorisation code from their insurance company before working with you as this is used when you are making a claim.

What should therapists know about fees and getting paid?

It’s important to identify what fees insurance companies pay as these may be below what you charge for your private clients.  You may also need to allow more time to do paperwork than you would in your own practice.  

You’ll need to invoice companies for payment and there may be a wait before you get paid.

There may be a policy excess that the client covers themselves and it’s important that this is included in the contract and collected at the first opportunity so that you are not left out of pocket if a client decides to withdraw.

Is Insurance work worth it for your private practice?

This is an individual decision and can include factors such as:

• The fees a company will pay
• Whether you want to spend more time on paperwork
• The likelihood of attracting more clients to your practice

Louise shared that it takes time to get set up with insurance companies but she found it a more manageable process over time.

Help with getting started

Louise has created a course for therapists called From Overwhelmed to Insurance Ready.  It covers the journey from registration to working with clients, extensions and endings.

It includes templates and a workbook to help therapists put processes in place.

If you’d like to purchase From Overwhelmed to Insurance Ready, you can gain a discount of 15% if you use the coupon code JOSEPHINE at check out.

Louise’s advice?

“Don’t let the processes put you off!”

We are an affiliate of Louise Hiles and may be paid commission if you buy through our link. As we are an affiliate and From Overwhelmed to Insurance Ready was created by a third party, we shall have no liability whatsoever in any circumstances to you in relation to the course From Overwhelmed to Insurance Ready (including in relation to any consequential loss of any type whatsoever) other than in relation to matters for which we are not lawfully able to limit or exclude our liability

This article reflects Louise’s experience at the time of recording – insurance companies’ requirements may change over time.

About the Good Enough Counsellors Podcast

You can access the complete recording, full transcript, and detailed notes from our discussion, “Getting Therapy Clients Through Insurance Companies with Louise Hiles” right inside the embedded audio player. To make sure you never miss an upcoming release of Good Enough Counsellors, follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.