What to Do About Slashed Reimbursement Rates

As leaders of payors, both from a financial perspective as well as through an amplified media lens, Optum and fellow entities within the UnitedHealth Group conglomerate are very much in the spotlight.

Moral opinions aside, the behavioral health industry faces continued slashed reimbursement rates that remind us of the current reality and intricate cycle of insurance operations.

As a business, wanting to see more money coming in than going out makes sense, especially when you have investors, and your financial decisions are under constant supervision of the public. With that, and with a massive rise in Americans using their behavioral health benefits, Optum, and major payers across the nation chose to stick with their pattern of lowering reimbursements to lower their overall costs.

Tuesday, Feb 11th: Join the Conversation

As providers, it’s crucial to empower your team and partners to navigate insurance challenges by teaching payors how to collaborate with your facility and training your staff to advocate effectively for your organization and patients.

To navigate these changes effectively, join us on Tuesday, February 11th, for an insightful discussion featuring Linda Shulman, Director of Payor Relations and Advocacy at Hansei Solutions. This session will cover Optimizing Utilization Review and Length of Stay in Behavioral Health Treatment.

We’ll discuss:

• Using metrics to drive informed decisions

• Knowing your payors and building effective relationships

• Understanding the process to streamline operations and improve outcomes

In the meantime …

Whether you’re lost in the trenches or frustrated by the continued loop of barricades, we urge you to:

a) aim to accept the current reality of the payor-provider complex, and
b) take action to feel secure in how your company is being supported

c) Work with outside sources like billing companies to access critical data, optimize reimbursement strategies, and improve operational efficiency

If you’d like an expanded perspective on this matter, we invite you to read Chris Larson’s work in BHBusiness.com.

We’ll see you next week!

Join us for the Addiction Treatment Advocacy Coalition (ATAC) 2025 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, California. This intensive one-day event is the best investment your organization can make in the substance use treatment space this year.

• Russell Olsen, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Kipu Health – The Importance of Clinical Documentation for Payer Reimbursement

• Dan Southard, Deputy Director, California DMHC – Resolving Inappropriately Denied Claims

• Matt Lavin, Partner, AGG – Multiplan Class Action Lawsuit and Legal Landscape

• Stampp Corbin, President, ATAC – State of the Industry and Your Financial Bottom Line

This event will significantly impact your bottom line, covering the cost of attendance many times over. Bring a colleague, friend, or even a competitor—we all share the same goal: ensuring access to care, fair reimbursement, and exceptional treatment for those affected by substance use disorders.

Only a few seats are left. Register today:

• ATAC Member Registration: https://theprofessionalview.com/atac-2024-annual-meeting-members-only/

• Non-Member Registration: https://theprofessionalview.com/atac-2024-annual-meeting-non-members/

For more information, visit: https://theprofessionalview.com/event/2025-atac-annual-meeting/

Trends in Revenue Cycle Management

Financial Transparency: A Patient-First Approach 

As telehealth gains popularity, behavioral health institutions are expanding geographically, altering the landscape of revenue cycle management (RCM). The complexity of RCM has increased due to diverse payer types entering the revenue stream. While private payment remains common, navigating the unique regulations of private insurers, Medicaid, and Medicare poses challenges, intensifying with the growing volume of services.

Erin Burke, the CEO and founder of Hansei Solutions, and Thomas John, the founder and CEO of Plutus Health, provide insights into the evolving dynamics of RCM in behavioral health. The great resignation has shifted RCM leaders' priorities to safeguarding income and optimizing efficiency. A shortage of administrative and clinical personnel exacerbates staffing challenges.

Summary of Covered Topics: 

• Scheduling Tasks and Adopting New Technologies

• Wellness vs. Value-Based Care Approaches

• Addressing Talent Shortages

• Outsourcing Strategies

• Ensuring Cybersecurity

• Enhancing Profitability through Strategic Financial Management

In the context of significant innovation and change in healthcare, RCM leaders are urged to adopt innovative techniques, influencing the revenue cycle. The interview explores major RCM trends in behavioral health amid this transformative period. 

Take a Listen:

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/podcasts/podcasts-beckers-hospital-review/rcm-trends-in-behavioral-health-122183527.html 

Learn More:

https://hanseisolutions.com/rcm-trends-in-behavioral-health-a-glimpse-into-the-future/ 

“What got you here won’t get you there.” - Marshall Goldsmith | Global Leadership Coach

In the ever-evolving business world, one constant remains: change is the only way forward. 

We’ve all been part of a team that struggles to execute goals and evolve collectively.  As with any joint effort, it takes a buy-in from all members - especially leadership - which is why, in 2019, Hansei pushed forward with implementing the highly lauded Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). 

EOS became the guiding light for Hansei's success, not only transforming the business but also serving as a model for several other ROC members who have integrated it into their leadership development and growth strategies. 

“We fulfilled our 5-year vision in under 4 years. This, combined with
the broad expansion of our executive team, combined with an HQ relocation and the release of new solutions, prompted us to do a second implementation.” Erin Burke | Founder & CEO.

“Vision is one thing, but without a driven group of leaders, it remains an aspiration. This team is driven to win and help behavioral health companies heal our friends and neighbors.  Thank you for your commitment to the process.” –  Robert Hartline EOS Leader. 

If you’re struggling to organize your systems, meet your target goals, or grow as a collective, we encourage you to start here.  

Purchase 'Traction' Now.

“Betty Ford is the reason addiction treatment became acceptable for women,” my mom offered as we spoke about Women’s History Month.  “Your next story should be on her.” 

When people suggest I do something, typically I’ll jot it down, or I’ll disregard it immediately, but this time, I was in - instantly.  Plus, I have way too many credits remaining on Audible, so that was a real incentive.  

I spent the next few weeks consuming Lisa McCubbin's book, ‘Betty Ford - First Lady, Women’s Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer,’ which, in my opinion, is titled perfectly, though I might rearrange the order of her descriptors.  As I see it, she may have been our first real influencer. 

As the narrator recounted Betty’s days as a young dancer, I listened with enthusiasm, imagining her move to New York at 19 in pursuit of her dreams. Dreams slowly shifted as she realized relationships and social gatherings were more valuable to her than performing on stage (relatable).

Answering her mother’s plea to come back home, Betty moved back to Grand Rapids, MI.  She spearheaded fashion events, volunteered in her community, and continued her dance journey, this time as a teacher, both in her own neighborhood, as well as an all-black neighborhood, despite criticism within her own household.  

Influenced by her community, Betty agreed to a conventional marriage which ended after a few years, though that time strengthened her own independence and ability to nurture, which would prepare her for a future as a mother, and First Lady of the United States (1974), marrying Gerald R. Ford in 1948. 

Having four kids over the span of seven years filled Betty’s plate, and on one fateful day in the 60s, she pinched a nerve in her neck, introducing her to a life with pain, pills, and alcohol. 

Labeling all prescription drugs in the US didn’t become mandated by law until 1979 - one year after Betty Ford entered announced her addiction to the prescribed pills; if my math is right, that tells me we went over a century without public conversations about addiction. How could that be?  We’ve all seen Dopesick, yes? 

Women’s Advocate: the reason Ford became an avid supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) could be debated - one might say it was seeing her mother take charge of the household after her father’s surprising death, showing her what a female is capable of, mentally and financially.  

Perhaps that added to the Betty Ford cocktail, but as I’ve observed with my own shared family experiences, we all feel something different.  Individually, we decide what is important, what will plague us, and who we’ve granted the power of influence.   

Working with lobbyists to combat systemic pay discrimination, Ford came to understand the importance our legal system had on true equality.  Never shy to go on record, Betty referred to gender equality as “our most basic issue,” and during Ford’s time in office, our Federal Government saw a 14% increase in female appointments in the White House - higher than all previous administrations.  You go, girl. 

Survivor: During a routine physical examination in Ford’s first year at the white house, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Only months into her husband’s presidency, and in the aftermath of Nixon’s Watergate, Betty announced she would be undergoing surgery, encouraging women across the nation to get annual mammograms.  Thousands of lives were saved as society was given a new understanding of a once-taboo topic.  

Trailblazer: Understanding her influence without attaching ego, Ford said, “Lying in the hospital, thinking of all those women going for cancer checkups because of me, I’d come to recognize more clearly the power of the woman in the White House. Not my power, but the power of the position, a power which could be used to help.”  

And help she did, not only through her advocacy and financial contributions towards breast cancer but through her continued honesty.  In 1978, months after the Fords left office, Betty announced her addiction to prescription pills and alcohol. “I would mix pills and cocktails every day,” Ford recalled, “I had no idea it could be problematic.”  

In 1982, with help from two friends who encouraged her to use her namesake, the former First Lady opened The Betty Ford Center, which became the first place to mandate an equal number of beds for women, recognizing the lack of available resources.  

In 1983, Elizabeth Taylor became the first of many celebrities who would seek addiction treatment from The Betty Ford Center, which illuminated the national epidemic our country still faces today.  

First Lady: Using her voice to express what authentically mattered was Betty’s superpower; it only makes sense the trajectory would lead her to continue just that.  Ford affected real change for our country and, more importantly, for everyone she seemed to connect with, on either side of the political aisle, within her own home, even giving an up-and-coming fashion designer the opportunity of a lifetime by collaborating to showcase fashion that doesn’t break the bank.  Consider me influenced. 

In closing,

I am most struck by Betty Ford’s open honesty during a time when it was more common for women to stay quiet, and through her drive and tenacity, she changed the world, making a lasting impact on access to healthcare throughout the United States.  

As always, there is more work to be done, but whenever I get discouraged, I’d like to remember the power of one.  

No more suffering in silence - use your voice, and use your resources.  

Resources:
Conquer Addiction - Rehab Reviews
SAMHSA - Find Treatment 

Citings: 

Betty Ford | First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer

Gerald Ford Library: Women

ACLU - Women's Rights - Betty Ford

40 Points - Breast Cancer - Betty Ford 

Biography - Activists - Addiction - Betty Ford

Prescription Labeling Law - 1979

While everyone faces challenges to their motivation at times – whether it’s a workout goal, a career goal or some other personal ambition – motivation is even harder to maintain when the work is not stimulating or feels overwhelming. Working in the field of addiction treatment can sometimes feel like shouting into the void: you give so much personal and professional energy and still find yourself wondering if you’re doing any good. Or, even worse, you’ll see dramatic – sometimes tragic – setbacks that challenge your resolve and commitment to this intense work.

See You at Masterminds on March 14th!

However, addiction treatment can also offer some of the most rewarding moments anyone could hope for in a career. So, if you can find ways to power through periods of waning motivation – and help your team do the same – you’ll have a career you can be proud of. More than that, you’ll have the power to change many, many lives.

Understand What Motivates You and Others

An article in Harvard Business Review, called Keeping Your Team Motivated When the Company Is Struggling, reports: “Human motivation is complicated. A person’s motivation is a complex set of emotions, including excitement, joy, desire, passion, and hope. And those emotions are derived from a set of skills and traits, including resilience, optimism, self-confidence, and ambition. When motivation flags, those emotions and traits aren’t gone, but they get covered up or substituted. Emotions like fear, anger, anxiety, sadness, even a sense of futility and self-doubt crowd out motivating factors. Your job is to find out what might be at the root of an employee’s lost motivation and help them make the necessary choices to rediscover theirs over time.” 

Identify your employee’s motivations so that you can remind them of these things when they’re disheartened. Often, when we lose sight of our goals or lack the drive to work towards them, support from others can give us the nudge we need. However, it can be important to recognize individual differences in motivation. For example, some people find failure motivating, using it as a learning experience or dare. Meanwhile, others can be so discouraged by disappointment as to be paralyzed.

“Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49,” according to the Washington Post. “From 2019 to 2021, fatal overdoses surged 94 percent, and an estimated 196 Americans are now dying each day from the drug… More lives each year than car accidents, suicides or gun violence.” 

For some professionals in the addiction field, the life-or-death significance of the work can be a source of motivation. Those people, big problems and frightening statistics like the one above can drive them to work harder. For others, the immensity of the problem can be daunting, and they can feel like their efforts are too insignificant to make a difference. Those workers would probably find more inspiration from personal stories of people they’ve helped: testimonials from satisfied clients, photos of individuals who are succeeding because of their efforts.

Understanding your professional motivation is not an abstract concept. It has a very practical function to – pardon the French – light a fire under your ass. Find tricks and tools to keep your motivations front and center. That can mean decorating your office or car with things that inspire you, like inspirational quotes or putting reminders in your phone that say “you’re doing a great job!” It can be creating playlists that energize you when you’re dragging or funny videos that make you laugh when you’re taking things too seriously.

Tips to Stay Motivated at Work

Regardless of individual motivations, there are some general tips for staying motivated that can help just about anyone.

• Get up and move. Research shows that exercise can improve depression, increase energy, burn off anger and anxiety and help your mental focus. Make exercise a part of your life, whether it’s a workout at the gym or pushups in your office – even if (and even more when) you’re feeling unmotivated.

• Take a break. When we’re exhausted or overwhelmed (whether emotionally or physically), it’s a natural to seek relief. If we don’t provide ourselves (and our employees) with that opportunity, we risk burn out.  

• Break things down into smaller tasks. “It’s easy to look at the huge amount of work it will take to reach the goal and get overwhelmed with how much there is to do… But the good news is that every task, no matter how big, can be broken down into smaller, more achievable steps.” - 5 Tips for Staying Motivated at Work

• Check things off your to-do list. Nothing feels better than the sense of accomplishing something. Even if it’s just catching up on emails or packing all your lunches for the week, provide yourself that little ego boost.

• Reward yourself! The donkey-and-the-carrot works just as well for people, whether it’s yourself or your employees. Maybe you allow yourself 15 minutes of Youtube bingeing for every four hours of administrative work. Maybe it’s a donut or coffee drink, or even something more extravagant like a massage. 

Most of all: Celebrate all successes. Even “little” accomplishments can provide big fulfillment in the challenging and rewarding field of addiction recovery.  

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and career, and that is why I succeed.

 – Michael Jordan

Feeling appreciated is critical to employee satisfaction

Almost half of U.S. workers (46%) have left a job because they felt unappreciated, according to an employee appreciation poll by Bonusly. Even more striking, 65% of respondents said they would work harder if they felt their contributions were acknowledged and appreciated – and not just by management but by coworkers as well.

Employee recognition leads to more engagement and better performance, as well. Organizations with employee recognition programs perform 14% higher in “employee engagement, productivity, and performance” than those without, according to an article in Forbes titled Why Employee Recognition Is More Crucial Than Ever. “In research conducted by Quantum Workplace, when employees believe management will recognize them, they are 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged. And when O.C. Tanner studied employee engagement, 37% of those surveyed said that more appreciation would motivate them to produce better work more often,” the article said.

“Organizations that make employee appreciation a priority have workers who are 56% less likely to look for a new job,” the Forbes article said. In a period of unprecedented labor shortages and high turnover, improving employee retention through efforts at employee appreciation is both logical and cost-effective. And enjoyable for all involved!

Feeling appreciative is good for your well-being

There’s a growing body of evidence that gratitude is beneficial for mental health and well-being – of the person expressing gratitude. “Physiologically, when people are experiencing gratitude or when they tend to be more grateful overall, they have lower blood pressure,” said Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley in an article by American Heart Association News.

Psychology Today reports that: “A 2010 systematic review found that “an attitude of gratitude” may reduce your risk of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, and has been shown to help people adjust to traumatic life events and their aftermaths, while a more recent review found strong evidence that a grateful outlook is tied to emotional and socia

l well-being.”

Appreciation is contagious – but it’s not automatic

Have you ever noticed how being complimented makes you more inclined to compliment others? When we feel appreciated, we’re also more likely to feel – and even more importantly – to express appreciation to others. However, it’s not always an automatic or consistent response for individuals to focus on gratitude. It can take a conscious effort to train our brains to focus on appreciation.

Tips to create a culture of appreciation in your workplace

• Create a Gratitude Board where employees can jot down their appreciation for others to read.

• Make gratitudes part of your holiday decorations. Provide a supply of blank, construction paper stars, stockings or Christmas ornaments. Employees can write down the things they appreciate and hang them up.

• Express your appreciation – for big and little things. Don’t keep your gratitude inside. Make a point to let your employees know that you appreciate them, whether it’s for closing a major sale or simply making you laugh.

• Launch a company-wide appreciation program. It can acknowledge length of time at work, special contributions or rely on performance benchmarks. But make sure you acknowledge all employees at some point.

“Everyone wants to be part of something greater than themselves and know that at the end of a long workday, what they did mattered—that they mattered,” writes Forbes Business Council Member Hao Lam in his article Embrace The Season Of Gratitude By Creating Meaningful Actions In The Workplace. How can you help your employees see how their contributions matter to the success of your company?

Other ideas? There are endless ways companies and supervisors can promote a culture of appreciation. Do you have ideas to share with us?

But the fact of the matter is that we’re all human and no amount of communications classes, diversity and inclusion efforts, and company team-building retreats will guarantee that all employees like each other or their supervisors. Or that all supervisors will like their employees.

So, let’s just acknowledge the elephant in the living room: sometimes we don’t like the people we work with. And that’s ok.

But, just because it’s ok, doesn’t relieve anyone of the obligation of the requirement to work well with each other – even co-workers we don’t like.

Now that we’ve admitted (at least to ourselves) that there are some co-workers or employees we don’t like…And we’ve acknowledged that we still have to find a way to be productive and professional with them…what can you do if you don’t like your co-workers? The truth is, you’re not as powerless in this situation as you may think. There are numerous things that are within your power to improve the situation – at the very least for yourself and possibly for the company as a whole.*

Company Diversity Leads to Better Work

There’s a good chance that – if everyone at your company thought just like you and approached work just like you – you might find it easier to like everyone you work with. After all, if they’re just different iterations of yourself, what’s not to like?

Ignoring the fact that we often dislike characteristics in others that remind us of our own faults, companies with employee diversity actually produce better work. “Diverse people bring different values and different assumptions to the table. Their varied histories allow them to see problems through different lenses and draw on different models and examples than others. This can be beneficial even if it feels disruptive,” writes Alice Boyes Ph.D. in her Psychology Today article “How to Get Along With Your Coworkers.”

The trick is how to avoid (or at least survive) interpersonal conflict well enough to benefit from the differences of opinions.

Tips for Getting Along with Co-Workers

Recognize your co-workers’ strengths. Begin by putting your ego on the backburner and be willing to look at characteristics and behaviors that bother you. Then, challenge yourself to see what’s beneficial about these things. The third step is to compliment or thank the employee for these contributions. This is not the same as shallow lip service or flattery. It needs to be sincere. “When you help others identify their strengths, it will give them the confidence to use those strengths more. They'll want to be around you and further show off those strengths to you,” Dr. Boyes writes.

Be a better communicator. Guess what? Being a better communicator is not primarily about sharing your ideas and instructions more clearly, though that’s certainly helpful. The bigger goal is to be a better listener, in particular listening to different perspectives. You may gain valuable new ideas you wouldn’t have considered on your own. And, just as importantly, you’ll establish a company culture of respect and open-mindedness that will, in turn, lead to less conflict.

Respect others. Yes, this should go without saying. However, it can be easy to lose sight of individual contributions or to become overly fixated on negative things about an employee. The truth is, each employee is a necessary component to the overall success of the team. If one person was sufficient to run your company, your payroll would be a whole lot shorter. In fact, each employee has something unique and valuable to contribute to your company.

One way to increase feelings of respect for others is to find common ground. The Indeed Editorial board has some great advice on this: “No matter how different your coworkers might be, you have at least one thing in common. After all, you work for the same company, which means you are contributing to the same overall objectives. Even if you disagree about how to accomplish a task or how to divide responsibilities, remember you have shared goals—use your unity as an advantage.”

Be professional. This can mean a variety of things, from how you converse with co-workers and clients to how you dress. But the simplest understanding of it is to have a clear boundary between work and personal life. That means that, even when we feel close to our co-workers, employees and clients, we need to maintain professional boundaries. Don’t talk about overly personal topics at work, particularly contentious ones, and remember that our relationships are – first and foremost – professional ones, not friendships.

Improve Your Relationships by Improving Yourself

This may seem counterintuitive. In any case, it’s certainly very difficult, but working to improve your own professional skills not only improves you, it encourages others to adopt a self-improvement mindset. Additionally, as a supervisor, your flaws and weaknesses can have a greater impact on the overall efficacy of the company in part because employees look to you for instruction and example. A single employee cutting corners on some paperwork might not cause much of a disturbance but a company full of incomplete paperwork won’t perform well.

Make an effort to understand how you’re perceived, including habits and characteristics that might rub people the wrong way. As supervisors, our most important role is to influence others in a positive way, and we can’t do that without recognizing how we impact others. Even seemingly-innocuous things – like loudly picking our nails or the tendency to read your phone during conversations – can affect how an individual responds to you. And wider-reaching factors like having a pessimistic mindset or a chronic sense of overwhelm and hecticness can alter the entire atmosphere.

Share your tips and experiences with getting along with co-workers!

*This article is based on the assumption that the co-worker or employee we don’t like is competent and is meeting their employment expectations. If they’re falling down on the job, no amount of effort to get along with them will change an inadequate professional performance.

Whatever the source of stress, chronic stress can “impair our physical and mental health,” according to the American Psychological Association. While it can be tempting to fall back into unhealthy patterns of handling stress (many learned at a very young age), there are healthy options for handling stress that are less likely to cause collateral damage. As a supervisor, having a healthy, positive, proactive response to tackling the dreaded Stress Problem, doesn’t just benefit you. It also provides a real-life example that your employees can learn from.

Symptoms of Chronic Stress

‘Chronic stress’ is stress that does not let up – as opposed to ‘acute stress’ which is short-lasting, though often intense, such as a car accident. The ongoing wear and tear of chronic stress strains the body and mind and can cause physical symptoms. We all experience stress from time to time but chronic stress becomes the Stress Problem. Signs of chronic stress include:

• Unremitting fatigue

• Decreased ability to concentrate

• Headaches and digestive difficulties

• People with autoimmune disorders and conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome report their symptoms are worsened by stress

• Emotional responses such as anxiety, ongoing negativity, irritability, sadness or sense of overwhelm

Healthy Tips for Chronic Stress: You Can Solve (or Improve) the Stress Problem

Cultivate small, healthy habits. We’re all familiar with the lament “I don’t have time to work out!” Though one of our first responses to stress is often to give up extracurricular things like hobbies or social activities, this is counterproductive. These are the things that help make us more resilient to chronic stress. Ideas for small, but effective, stress reducers include:

• Five-minute meditation. You can do it anywhere! Fortunately, numerous programs are available, both free and paid, for guided meditations.

• A mindfulness break in appreciation of nature. A few minutes of breathing deeply while running your fingers through the grass at a park can work wonders.

• Eating regularly (though it’s so easy to skip meals when we’re busy), ideally focusing on good nutrition

• Daily workouts

• Cultivate strong social support. Both receiving emotional support as well as offering it to others have incredible psychological benefits.

• Protect your sleep. Sleep is regenerative for the physical body and essential for mental functioning. It’s also one of the first casualties of chronic stress. Though it can be tempting to stay up late and binge-watch your favorite shows, you will feel better and perform better if you prioritize sleep.

Eliminate extraneous stressors. While it may not be possible to avoid or eliminate some sources of stress, evaluate the things in your life that drain your time and emotional energy. Then decide which ones you can get away with offloading. Maybe a grocery delivery service would take a big weight off your shoulders. Perhaps unsubscribing from all marketing emails will make your inbox more manageable. Maybe turning off all cell phone and computer notifications will improve that feeling that people are always nagging you. Only you can decide which stresses you can afford to dump, but the feeling of “slacking” (in an appropriate way) can be incredibly liberating!

Reframe your thinking. Therapy modalities like Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are not just helpful for addressing addiction and mental illnesses. The most important point to remember is that our thoughts influence our feelings, so if we can reframe how we think about stress, it may not have as much of a negative effect on our emotions.

Seek help. We’re in the business of helping others, but that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes need to receive help too. If your efforts at handling chronic stress in a healthy way are not helping you feel better, find a psychologist, psychiatrist, spiritual advisor or someone else who can provide you with deep emotional support and guidance.

Most managers deal with burnout – both their own and their employees – with some degree of frequency. Burnout, which generally refers to feelings of chronic stress at work and a resulting decrease in performance, can occur in any profession or position (even management). However, there are certain professions with greater likelihood for burnout, including EMTs, mental health professionals and drug and alcohol counselors among others.

While employee burnout is usually the result of a combination of overwork and not enough appreciation, jobs that make greater emotional demands on employees may increase their sense of burnout. Working to help addicts recover in the face of a daunting drug abuse and overdose epidemic is certainly one of the more emotionally-charged fields, placing rehab owners and managers in a unique and important role of supporting their employees (and themselves) in overcoming or preventing professional burnout.

Why should managers care about employee burnout?

After all, an employee’s mental health and personal satisfaction are their own issue, right? Wrong! Managing employee burnout has benefits above and beyond helping individuals feel more satisfied and appreciated in their jobs. Employee burnout can have a huge negative impact on the productivity and efficacy of their work, as well as the bottom line for the company. Managers should care about employee burnout to help:

• Reduce employee turnover rate

• Reduce absenteeism

• Maintain or improve levels of production

• Foster high-quality work

• Encourage a work environment that prioritizes the health and happiness of employees

• Create a positive work experience

• Strengthen morale

What are the symptoms of employee burnout?

By the time employee burnout results in demonstrable changes in work performance that a manager would notice, the employee is probably feeling (and possibly demonstrating) other signs much earlier. Symptoms of burnout include:

• Negative feelings about work

• Mental disconnect from tasks

• Exhaustion

• Lack of enthusiasm for work that was once rewarding

• Reduced productivity

• Decrease in work quality

• Sleeping too much or not enough

• Irritability, short temper and increased reactivity to stressors

• Continuous feelings of stress

How can managers prevent employee burnout?

One of the great things about making a goal to prevent employee burnout is that you can – and should – include yourself in your efforts. Rehab center owners and managers are not immune to burnout. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Everything a rehab center owner or manager does to combat professional burnout should start first with themself.

Raise awareness about burnout, what causes it and how it can manifest.

Encourage honest discussion about burnout, reducing stigma and judgement and letting employees know they can speak confidentially with their manager or HR director about problems with burnout.

Assess workload and expectations. Make sure managers and employees both have realistic expectations of what they can do. If necessary, redistribute tasks to achieve more balance between employees and, at times, to temporarily lighten workloads when employees are particularly susceptible to burnout (when facing major medical or personal life challenges).

Encourage employees to take time off and establish feasible boundaries between personal and professional life. While most professionals are guilty of checking their email at home, nobody should be “on-duty” all the time. You can help by leading by example.

Empower employees. Let employees know their insight and even their constructive criticism are welcome. Let them know you value their input, will consider their suggestions and that they have power in their workplace.

Show appreciation. Parties, donut day and employee reward programs are all fun ways to show appreciation and improve workplace morale. Activities that foster mutual support and light-heartedness are also ways to combat burnout and workplace stress. And don’t underestimate the impact of complimenting a job well done or publicly acknowledging an employee’s contributions.

Share

Managing your time can be challenging, but doing so effectively can help you feel more positive and productive. Implementing time management hacks into your personal and professional life can help you make the most of your time.

Time management hacks

Here are some tips to help you manage your time more effectively to increase your productivity: 

Determine the dollar amount of your time

Assigning a value to your time can help you conceptualize and measure time wasted. Try to track how you spend your time and reduce the time wasters in your day by calculating their cost. For instance, if your time is worth $300 per hour, then checking social media for 30 minutes in the middle of the day just “cost” $150.

Delegate when you can

Once you have determined how much your time is worth, assess which tasks you should spend your time on. Write all the tasks that you perform and decide which are worth your rate per hour. Delegate the ones that are not. Describe the task and deadline and ask to be kept informed.

Aim for four hours of real work in a day

There will be meetings, phone calls, and distractions throughout your day. You can use your time most effectively if you plan four hours of real work in a day. Scheduling the most important tasks in the morning can help ensure they get completed on time.

Reduce unnecessary notifications

Notifications can be extremely distracting, interrupting the time you need to work on important tasks. Evaluate the notifications you receive and only opt into the ones that are really important. For instance, social media and email notifications are typically much more of a distraction than they are worth. Try turning off your notifications and then set aside time to check your emails daily.

Schedule blank spaces in your calendar

Resist the urge to fill your calendar with meetings and tasks. By scheduling empty spaces in your calendar, you can better adjust to unexpected events. These blanks will help you adjust to impromptu meetings, unexpected phone calls, and tasks that last longer than you anticipated. If nothing fills those spaces, spend the time thinking about your priorities and planning your tasks.

Have a priority for every moment

Creating a to-do list and prioritizing your tasks can help you complete the most important ones each day. When you aren’t sure what to do, think about what is the most important thing that needs to get done.

Resist perfectionism

Nothing is perfect, and oftentimes “good enough” is good enough. Trying to make things perfect is often unachievable and a waste of time. Set deadlines for yourself and do the best you can within those limits.

“Eat that frog”

Your prioritized to-do list likely has something that you don’t want to do or that you have been avoiding for a while. Do it first! This will help you feel accomplished, guarantee that it gets done, and set the pace for the rest of the day.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

Working while travelling sounds great, but there are many challenges you may face when you are away. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance can help you enjoy your trip while also ensuring your business is operating smoothly in your absence.

Tips to help you manage your business while you are travelling

Here is a list of step you can take to help manage your rehab center next time you travel:

Share news of your travel as soon as possible

Informing your team of your planned absence can help them prepare. They can plan their work flow, incorporate any additional tasks as needed, and ensure they have all they need while you are gone.

Delegate tasks and have trust

Before you leave on your trip, delegate important tasks to competent employees and trust that it will get done. Be sure to assign tasks to staff who are already familiar with the work to help ease the process. You can also create a list of what needs to be completed while you are away to help clarify expectations. Consider also creating a list of goals for yourself to help ensure you accomplish necessary tasks during your time away.

Consider work styles and hierarchies

Before you leave on your trip, consider the employees that need a bit more guidance in their work, and those who are leaders in your team. Ensure that the employees that need more help have someone they can contact when needed. You can also pair up these two types of employees to help with workflow.

Keep open lines of communication

Have a list of ways that your team can contact you to help ease their mind while you are gone. You can also consider implementing set communication times where you are available to chat online or over the phone. Ensure you consider any time zone changes you might encounter and the internet connectivity available. You can also set up call forwarding so that you are able to handle your voice mail and receive any important calls while you are away.

Create a schedule

It can be easy to get caught up in what is happening around you and want to explore the new location. Having a set schedule ahead of your trip can help you remain focused and productive. It can also help you balance work and leisure time so that you feel accomplished and can relax and have fun at the same time. This will help you batch your work, catch up on communications, be available for people at home, and then free your mind of work while you sightsee.

Automate where possible

Try to automate as many of your tasks as possible before your trip. This can help ensure everything is set up to function while you are away. Then, the time you do spend on work while away will be on tasks of higher importance.

Learn to say no

You know what is important to your business and what is not. When you are planning to be away for a while, ensure you and your team are spending your efforts on what is truly important to the functioning of your business. The rest can wait until your return. Conversely, when you are travelling, there are likely to be many temptations. Be sure to prioritize the essential tasks and communications while you are away so that you can make the best of your trip and support the operations of your business at the same time.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

Franchising your rehab center can provide you with opportunities to expand your business and increase profits. The Federal Trade Commission defines a franchise as a business relationship with three primary components:

• use of a common name or trademark

• presence of significant operating assistance or control

• required payment by the franchisee

Starting a franchise has many benefits, including increased capital, and reduced risk and time to expand.

How to franchise your rehab center

If you are interested in franchising your drug and alcohol rehab center, here are several steps and considerations you can make:

Assess your business

Try to determine if your business is ready to be franchised. You can assess your profitability and a number of other factors, including:

• Concept: Most successful franchises have a unique approach to a familiar service. Try to identify what makes your rehab facility unique and how that can translate into an identifier for your franchise. This also means your unique aspect should be something that can be systematized and replicated, without your presence necessary.

• Finances: Having a couple locations is important before you try to franchise your business. This shows that you have the financial standing to expand and that your concept can be duplicated.

• Research: Try to conduct market research to gain evidence that expanding is a good idea. Assess whether there is enough demand, where that demand is, and how you might do in the marketplace among competitors.

• Role: Once you franchise your business, your role will change from the leader of a business to selling and supporting franchise owners. This means you will largely move into a teaching, support, and sales role. Be aware that for each franchise that opens, things will be done a little differently and you will no longer have complete control over it.

Determine legal requirements

In order to legally sell franchises anywhere in the United States, your business must complete and successfully register a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) with the Federal Trade Commission. This process requires you to provide information about your business.

Your FDD must be prepared and issued to comply with federal and state franchise laws, be specific to your business, and competitively position the franchise that you are offering.

Certain states also have their own guidelines to follow, with California and Illinois among the most strict. To help you navigate the process, you can consider hiring an experienced franchise consultant or franchise attorney.

Make important decisions

There are many decisions you will make as you fill out required paperwork to become a franchise. Some considerations include:

• Franchise fee and royalty percentage

• Term of your franchise agreement

• Size of the territory you will award each franchisee

• Geographic area where you are willing to offer franchises

• Type and length of training program you will offer

• Business experience and net worth franchisees need

• Marketing plan

• Whether you want an owner-operator for each unit or area/master franchisees who will develop multiple units

Create your operations manual and register your trademarks

You will need to prepare a franchise operations manual that you will provide your franchisees. It should include:

• Your brand purpose, goals, and vision

• How to prepare to open the franchise location

• Product and service requirements

• Designated suppliers and inventory requirements

• Operations standards

• Marketing and administration requirements

Because your entire franchise system will revolve around your brand’s trademarks, including licensing them to franchisees, registering your trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office is an important part of the franchising process.

Register and prepare

Once your paperwork is ready, you can submit it. Prepare to wait as your application is processed. You may also receive a request for more information. Once the FTC receives your paperwork, it must also be approved by your state. In total, the process can take several months to complete. FDDs are not registered at the federal level. Rather, they must be registered within the franchise registration states at the state-specific level.

While you wait, you can hire additional staff that will be needed for the processes to follow. There are a number of services and aspects of support you will need to provide your franchisees, including:

• training

• guidance

• encouragement

• ongoing advertising support

• access to approved suppliers with purchasing discounts

• variety of “back room” services

Create Your Franchise Sales Strategy and Budget

When budgeting, consider costs associated with building your franchise sales website, building your franchise brand story, franchise PR that will validate your brand story, training and supporting franchisees, and your franchise sales goals. Your costs will directly reflect your franchise sales goals and whether or not your brand has organic reach with customers.

Once you qualify to sell franchises, you will need to find buyers. Consider attending franchise fairs or hiring independent franchise marketing firms to help locate investors.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

The importance of employee happiness extends beyond the environment of your workplace. It can lead to more productivity, increased client satisfaction, and overall improved processes for your business. There are many ways you can encourage, contribute to, and measure employee happiness in your rehab center.

Why is employee happiness important?

There are a number of benefits to employee happiness, including:

• Improves employee retention: If your employees are unhappy, they are more likely to leave your company to find a new job. This leads to more stress on your HR teams and drains money and time resources.

• Encourages productivity: Happy employees are more likely to be productive. Both their mood and their feelings towards the company promote better performance.

• Leads to better customer service: Staff happiness typically means that your clients are interacting with employees who are friendly and positive. This leads to higher client satisfaction.

• Increases creativity: Happy employees typically are more creative and work smarter than employees who are unhappy. When employee morale is high, employees take educated risks compared to stressed-out workers, who tend to be more distracted. This is due to increased confidence, a forward-thinking mindset, and excitement about contributing to the company.

How to measure employee happiness

Here is a list of methods you can use to assess the overall happiness of your staff:

• Surveys- You can create staff surveys to assess their feelings and help understand the overall morale of your team. Consider adding room for staff to make suggestions on how to improve.

• Feedback platforms- Consider utilizing a feedback platform to streamline the data collection process and asses the levels of happiness and satisfaction among your team.

• One-on-one meetings- Invite members of your staff for brief meetings to help learn more about their feelings and opinions of the business. This can help develop a connection with employees and encourage them to share their feeling in a private setting.

How to keep employees happy

Here is a list of ways you can help keep your employees happy:

Promote a positive work environment

Creating a positive work environment is one of the best ways to keep employees happy. Acknowledge successes, treat your team to a paid lunch, and help them develop in their role and as professionals.

Set an example

As a leader in your rehab center, be the one to enter work with a smile on your face and help make everyone feel valued and important in their role. By setting the tone and energy of the workplace, you also encourage others to have positivity. Consider your words, behavior, and body language.

Encourage breaks

By encouraging your staff to take regular breaks, you can help avoid burnout and unhappiness. It can also encourage your team to work hard when it counts. Watch your team and if you notice someone getting stressed or overwhelmed, encourage them to take a moment for themselves. They can go for a walk, get a snack, or engage in a conversation with someone else who could use a moment away from their duties.

Don’t micromanage and don’t over calculate

Providing direction and oversight of your employees is important, but make sure you aren’t overstepping. Employees thrive when they can approach tasks in their own way; micromanagement can stifle creativity and foster resentment. Focus on encouraging and guiding, rather than monitoring every move they make. If there is a project or task that an employee is particularly motivated by, encourage them to pursue it. Likewise, let go of “keeping tabs” on what is being done around your rehab facility. Losing the “if I do this, they should do this in return” mentality will help you stay focused on doing what is right, and will in turn encourage your employees to do the same.

Give thanks

Showing appreciation or gratitude can help your staff feel like they are appreciated, can help build your relationships with each member, and can encourage them to continue doing good work. Be sure to give praise when it is warranted.

Encourage sleep and exercise

Both sleep and exercise help boost staff concentration, creativity, energy, and mood. Encourage your staff to get enough sleep and exercise. You can even create a friendly challenge among the group with a prize for the winner.

Learn more about your team

Ask questions and engage in conversation with your team members to learn more about them and stay engaged in what is going on in their lives. By maintaining rapport with each staff member, you can develop connections that will help keep your employees happier and more loyal to the company.

Create a career pathway

Engage in frequent career planning conversations with your staff to remind them that you value their presence and are motivated to help them succeed. Offer training and identify advancement opportunities that are available in your company. If there is no clear outline of their next goal, employees may lose motivation and feel that there is no point in their hard work.

Prioritize work-life balance

Work to ensure that your employees’ experience with your company is part of a larger picture of an enriching life. By acknowledging and supporting a healthy work-life balance, they are more likely to feel connected to the organization and appreciate its role in their life.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

Working with a recruiter to fill positions at your rehab center can be costly, but can help you streamline the process and add effective people to your team, faster. There are a number of different methods of payment, hiring options, and benefits to consider.

How are recruiters paid?

Average recruitment fees vary depending on the position, agency, and contract. They typically range from 15%-25% of the employee’s first-year salary. Here are a few ways that recruiters structure their fees:

• Contract- Contracts are typically structured so that the employee is integrated into the payroll of the agency, which charges the wages back to the client. 

• Contingency- Payments for this type of work are contingent on hiring an employee, and the payment is not made until the task is completed. This is typically a percentage of the first-year salary for the position.

• Retainer- Retainers create an exclusive contract for the agency's services. Part of the fee is paid upfront, while the remainder is paid at varying points in the process. For instance, if a recruiter charges 30% of the salary for the role, they might request 10% at the beginning of the search, another 10% when a shortlist has been compiled, and the final 10% when the role has been filled.

• Percentage- This is typically a percentage of the first year salary of the employee.

Benefits of using a recruitment agency

While utilizing a recruiter can be costly, there are a number of benefits to doing so, including:

• Connections- Recruitment agencies typically have access to a large network of professionals with a variety of backgrounds and expertise. Working with a recruiter can help you find someone suited to the role and your company, faster.

• Time- Utilizing a recruiter can help save tons of time that your HR department probably doesn’t have.

• Expertise- When hiring for a specialized role, it can be challenging to find suitable candidates. By working with a recruiter, you can streamline the process and gain access to a pool of candidates that suit your specifications.

Different hiring options to consider

Here is a list of different ways you can approach hiring a new employee, along with the role that a recruitment agency can play in the process:

Direct hire

Doing the work on your own for a direct hire can save money, but it is typically the most time-intensive approach. Utilizing a recruiter can help you find better candidates that are delivered pre-screened and ready to interview.

Direct hires are useful when you have a specialized position that requires unique skills. When working with recruiters, this typically involves a flat fee paid upon placement. Agencies typically guarantee at least a partial refund in the first 60-90 days if a candidate does not work out, but be sure to confirm their policy.

Managed services

Managed services are duties outside the typical scope of work for your business. For instance, this might include janitorial services or help desk services. The positions can range from short- to long-term. This approach is helpful when you need support but want to keep the employee off of your permanent payroll. Be sure to have clearly outlined responsibilities and expectations for these roles.

Temp-to-hire

Temp-to-hire approaches to staffing can help you evaluate an employee’s skills and suitability for your company beyond the interview. If the employee is up to your expectations, you can move them from a temp to a permanent position. Until you hire them permanently, they are employed by the staffing agency, so be sure to have a clear outline of what is required to hire them officially.

Temporary staffing

Temporary staffing can provide you with added help during busy or specific times. Working with an agency is a great approach for filling these positions, and most agencies bill these positions as a markup on the employee’s hourly rate.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

Customer relationship management (CRM) software can help you organize information for all your client-facing teams, including tracking contacts and leads, interactions, client histories, and notes. This can help your team access, assess, and track all important information to help you gain more clients. This can also help everyone stay informed, monitor client pipelines, avoid miscommunications or misunderstandings, streamline processes, and assess marketing efforts.

CRMs to consider for your drug and alcohol rehab center

Here is a list of CRM platforms to review if you are considering implementing one for your rehab center:

Zoho CRM

The Zoho CRM is affordable and has many capabilities and extensive customization.

Pros

• Large set of features

• Almost complete customizability

• Gamification features

Cons

• Challenging to learn

• Many advanced features only accessible at the higher-priced tiers

Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM is very affordable and offers flexibility and many features.

Pros

• Intuitive interface

• Many help and support options

• Excellent mobile website implementation

Cons

• Only offers basic reporting features

Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional

Salesforce offers an impressive feature set and continues to develop.

Pros

• Many advanced features and customizations

• Effective social collaboration options and third-party app marketplace

• Excellent workflows and performance

Cons

• Challenging to learn

• Higher price compared to other platforms

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot offers many advanced features, but many of them are only available at higher price tiers. The free version offers powerful tools to engage customers and manage CRM-related operations. The platform is easy to use and it can integrate with other business systems.

Pros

• Impressive feature set

• Free version available

• New support for integrated payment processing

Cons

• Some features only available at higher pricing tiers

• Some features are challenging to learn

• Relatively expensive at higher tiers

Zendesk Sell

Zendesk Sell is suitable for SMBs and offers an easy-to-use CRM. It also provides help desk integrations and user-friendly tools.

Pros

• Useful reporting options

• Easy onboarding and team-creation features

• Useful smart lists

Cons

• Pricey when moving beyond the lowest tier

• Limited pipelines, even at the highest-priced tiers

• Only a basic email and template editor

Act! CRM

The Act! platform is a full-featured CRM that offers digital marketing features. The user interface of this platform can be challenging if you are not familiar with it.

Pros

• Integrated email marketing features

• Easy-to-use dashboard designer

• Marketing automation workflow builder

Cons

• UI is challenging and outdated

• Email integration requires an external email client

• Data entry can be confusing

Freshsales CRM

Freshsales CRM is suitable for SMBs that want an easy and quick setup. It offers sensible pricing tiers, AI assistance, and customization options.

Pros

• Extensive customization options

• Proactive AI assistant

• Various integrations to extended functionality

Cons

• No reports available in the free plan

Sales Creatio

Sales Creatio is suitable for mid-sized businesses. It offers improved analytics and marketing automation capabilities.

Pros

• Multifaceted and highly customizable

• Strong CRM functionality

• Can help with processes from lead management to closing

Cons

• Short trial period

• Customization can be challenging and time-consuming

Insightly CRM

Insightly has an easy-to-use interface, customization, and fluid data importation.

Pros

• Smooth data input and sharing

• User-friendly interface that's consistent and easy to learn

• Highly customizable

Cons

• Expensive high-end tiers

• Lacks advanced features like custom workflows

Pipedrive CRM

Pipeline CRM offers advanced capabilities, chatbot creation for websites, and efficient reporting. The platform is very easy to use.

Pros

• Intuitive interface and deal-driven workflow

• Mobile apps with call and email synchronization

Cons

• Limited functionality for the price

• No separation between lists of new leads and contacts

Apptivo CRM

Apptivo CRM offers powerful features, affordable pricing, and an intuitive interface.

Pros

• Comprehensive feature set with various customization options

• Outstanding mobile applications, granular security controls, and 24-hour support

Cons

• Performance can feel slow

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

EMR (electronic medical records) systems can be incredibly beneficial to your rehab center as they automate work processes and streamline communication between patients and clinicians, saving time and money. They can help you digitally store patient treatment records, charts, and test results, allowing for easy access, management, and retrieval of patient data. These systems also can provide comprehensive patient history, reduce charting errors and paperwork costs, and enhance the operations of your facility.

Things to consider before implementing an EMR

Before you choose an EMR for your business, consider your needs and the offerings and requirements of each system. Here is a list of questions you can ask to help ensure you make an informed decision:

• What does the system cost?

• Are there customized plans?

• Does the offering meet your needs?

• Does the application provide secure cloud storage?

• What are the compatibility requirements?

• Does the app function without an internet connection?

• What data encryption level does the solution offer?

• Is the platform mobile-friendly?

• Does the software fulfill HIPAA regulatory requirements?

EMR providers to consider

Here is a list of EMR providers for you to consider for your drug and alcohol rehab center:

TheraNest

The TheraNest platform can help you streamline daily operations through management, scheduling, billing, and reporting modules. Clients can submit and sign forms electronically and files are saved on a secure server, reducing the risk of data breaches. 

Benefits

• Mobile: Create treatment plans and view appointments, access and pre-select DSM-5 and ICD-10 diagnostic codes, and sign documents electronically.

• Notes Management: Create and store therapy notes, approve, deny, and co-sign forms, and export documents to PDFs.

• Unlimited User Accounts: Add infinite users, such as therapists, students, educators, interns, front-desk staff, and billers.

• Deploy in the Cloud: Store and access documents and automatically perform multiple data backups to avoid losing essential files.

• Send Appointment Reminders: Send appointment reminders through voice calls, SMS, or email, and set up automatic reminders to notify employees about client responses.

• Receive Payments: Patients can pay online using debit or credit cards and save card information.

• Store Document Drafts: Documents not saved or exported get moved to the draft folder.

• Reduce Medication Errors: Access clinical documentation through patient charts.

CounSol

The Counsol platform provides tools and features to aid workflows, reporting, and analytics. Medical records and documents can be accessed remotely and patients can look up their medical information, receive updates, and communicate in real-time with their clinicians.

Benefits

• Customize Forms: Create intake forms, practice terms, and policy agreements, and allow clients to fill them online.

• Synchronize Calendars: Calendar integration with your own device.

• Hold Group Sessions: Schedule sessions and set the duration, location, time, and size of the group. Patients can view and register for meetings.

• Deliver Birthday Notifications: Keep track of upcoming birthdays and create and send custom birthday messages to clients through email.

• Send Appointment Reminders: Automatically notify clients 24, 48, or 72 hours prior to their appointment through text, email, or phone.

• Simplify Communication: Send messages to clients about their sessions or payment statuses.

TherapyNotes

Some features of TherapyNotes include scheduling and to-do notes, billing, claims management, documentation, patient portal, and technical support. You can also track clinician schedules, patient appointments, and billing. TherapyNotes comes with 24/7, unlimited technical support.

Benefits

• Deliver Appointment Reminders: Notify patients about upcoming sessions through text, email, or phone call.

• Access Automated Modifier Codes: Set default modifier codes for services, multiple practice locations, and billing setting override.

• Create a Paperless Environment: Automatically scan information for claim generation. Track claim statuses and receive alerts through a to-do list.

• Regulate Health Submission Compliance: Helps you comply with regulations and state-organized health information exchanges.

• Customize Brand Appearance: Customize the client portal with your own logo, welcome message, and color scheme.

• Record Diagnoses Quickly: Enter DSM-5 or ICD codes into the search box to see a list of suggested matches.

• Speed Up Note-Taking: Pre-built notes templates to record information. When you start a session, the application generates a to-do list item to create corresponding progress notes.

Kipu 

Kipu offers chart management, physician dashboard, patient portal, report management, tracking, and workflows. Charts, forms, and notes are stored at a centralized location, which can be accessed from anywhere with customized user access permissions. Any access and change to all data points are tracked to ensure complete accountability. The software also keeps track of pending items and to-do lists.

You can easily integrate medical and administrative models and reliably manage all aspects of care. The platform also offers lab integration, HIPAA compliance, elimination of paperwork, document management, occupancy management, data entry optimization, and signature capture.

SimplePractice

This platform helps in handling scheduling, patient rooming, reporting, e-claim filing, and patient messaging. Send intake forms via the client portal and use customizable templates to record patient notes and create treatment plans to help assess, diagnose, and monitor the severity of a disorder.

Benefits

• Deliver Patient-Centered Care: Clients can check availability and request appointments directly and submit intake and consent forms via the patient portal.

• Remain Mobile: Compatible with iPhone and Android devices.

• Send Reminders: Send reminders to clients through text, voice, or email. Patients can reschedule or cancel appointments with just a few clicks.

• Streamline Daily Tasks: Manage all your operations from a single system and access a built-in library of over 1,000 treatment plans to avoid diagnostic errors.

• Receive Paperless Payments: Clients can make quick payments using credit card processing functionality and enroll in autopay to help speed up financial processes.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

Most businesses a vulnerable to cyber attacks. Anyone who collects data as part of their business operations is at risk. There are many ways a cybercriminal can access your information. Computers, phones, gaming systems, and smart devices are all potentially susceptible to a cyber attack. These attacks can cause significant losses in a variety of ways, including data loss, business disruption, lost productivity, regulatory fines, and brand or reputation damage.

Cybersecurity insurance or cyber liability insurance helps protects against losses caused by cyber attacks. This typically includes first-party, third-party, and cyber extortion. Depending on the provider and plan, you may also have access to policy add-ons, such as crime policies (i.e. workplace theft) and device cover (i.e. protecting cell phones).

Who needs cyber security insurance?

Businesses need cyber insurance if they handle or store:

• personally identifiable information (PII) such as social security numbers

• customer or internal financial/payment data

• medical information

A business is vulnerable to cyberattacks whenever it:

• accepts payments online

• accepts credit card transactions

• communicates with customers online or via voice over internet protocol (VoIP)

• stores personal information electronically

• transfers documents electronically

• would be harmed from ransomware and a business interruption event

To learn more about protecting your rehab center from cyber attacks, click here.

What does cyber security insurance cover?

Here is a list of the aspects typically covered by cyber security insurance:

• Remediation assistance: This refers to all legal fees associated with responding to threats and recovering lost funds, and any reputational damage because of poor security practices. 

• Business Interruption: Costs associated with interruption to standard operations, such as lost productivity from limited access to an integral computer system and the time investment for remediation and data recovery.

• Data breach notification: As soon as you learn there has been a compromise of sensitive customer information, you notify everyone involved immediately, including clients who might get hit with identity theft, banks, and government agencies if involving medical records. 

• Technology Errors and Omissions (E&O): This is third-party liability coverage for cyber risks introduced by your business to another business. 

• Breach containment: Breach containment helps limit the damage by quarantining affected computers and locking them down to prevent further intrusions. 

• Network security audit coverage: This addresses software vulnerabilities found during an audit, including patching and updating systems that hackers might exploit, data breaches, business email compromise, and ransomware.

• Third-party indemnification: If a hacker steals your data or malware infects your network and damages other entities, then your insurer would pay those victims on your behalf.

• Privacy Liability: This includes the costs of regulatory investigation and remediation following the leak of sensitive personal information.

• Credit monitoring: These monitoring services help in case compromised data makes its way into underground markets, like the dark web.

• Defense costs: An insurance policy will help cover recovery expenses after a hacker attacks your website or network for nefarious purposes, like ransomware.

What is not covered by cyber security insurance?

While each policy differs, here is a list of aspects that cyber security insurance typically won’t cover:

• Property damage

• Subsidiary out of your control, including any incident experienced by a subsidiary

• Intellectual property losses

• Business interruption from systems under the control of third parties

• Prior acts or knowledge, such as claims you had knowledge of before coverage

• Criminal proceedings, including criminal action, a criminal investigation, or grand jury proceeding.

• Preventative measures (ie. backup and recovery software)

• Intentional acts by your employees

Considerations for cyber security insurance

To help ensure you understand the policy you have and aspects of policies you are comparing, here is a list of considerations you can make:

• Coverage limits: Coverage limits for policies means that companies are responsible for the rest of the financial burden once it has been met. Understanding the financial realities of cyber risk can help you to assess coverage limits.

• Unprotected assets: Certain assets and types of attacks may not be covered by your policy. It is important to understand what events you are most at risk for to see which policy is best for you.

• Terms and definitions: Be sure to have a full understanding of what is included in coverage, and be sure to seek explanations for vague terms to accurately assess the level of protection of a policy.

• Third-party liability: Cybersecurity issues that affect your suppliers or partners can also affect you. Likewise, problems within your own network may spread to others. It is important to understand whether a policy covers you when the attack comes directly or indirectly.

• Exclusions: Be sure to have a full understanding of exclusions or terms that invalidate your coverage. Even minor details can compromise coverage.

• Security requirements: As a policyholder, you may be required to maintain a certain level of protection and maintain baseline levels of data security. Failing to do so can invalidate a claim. Taking the necessary precautions might also help you get cheaper rates.

What to do if you are compromised

If your computer or device is infected with ransomware, the FBI recommends the following:

• Isolate the device and remove it from your network to prevent it from attacking other computers, devices, and access points.

• Isolate or power-off devices and computers that have not yet been completely corrupted.

• Immediately secure your backup data or systems by taking them offline.

• Change all online account and network passwords after removing the system from the network.

• If available, collect and secure partial portions of the ransomed data.

• Delete registry values and files to stop the program from loading.

• Contact law enforcement, such as a field office of the FBI or U.S. Secret Service, to report a ransomware event and ask for assistance.

Consideration: The costs associated with meeting the mandatory data breach reporting requirements of GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA, and similar data security and privacy regulations alone make cyber coverage a priority for many businesses. Insurance will always be less expensive than what you’ll pay yourself in the event of a breach. Especially when you factor in business downtime.

Tip: Cybersecurity insurance is not a substitute for solid cybersecurity measures, as they only cover what you already have set up. Prioritize strong processes and procedures, then protect them with insurance.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

If you have more than 50 employees, your rehab center likely falls under the Family and Medical Leave Act. This Act outlines the entitlements of employees and obligations of employers for circumstances involving medical and care needs.

What is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is a United States labor law requiring covered employers to provide employees with job-protected, unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. The FMLA is administered by the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor.

What is the leave entitlement to employees under FMLA?

 Eligible employees are entitled to:

• Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:

  • the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;

  • the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;

  • to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;

  • a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job;

  • any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or

• Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness if the eligible employee is the service member’s spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin (military caregiver leave).

Who is covered under FMLA?

Here is a list of people who are eligible for coverage under FMLA, for both employees and employers:

Employees

Only eligible employees are entitled to take FMLA leave. An eligible employee is one who:

• Works for a covered employer;

• Has worked for the employer for at least 12 months;

• Has at least 1,250 hours of service for the employer during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave; and

• Works at a location where the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles.

Employers

The FMLA only applies to employers that meet certain criteria. A covered employer is a:

• Private-sector employer, with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year, including a joint employer or successor in interest to a covered employer;

• Public agency, including a local, state, or Federal government agency, regardless of the number of employees it employs; or

• Public or private elementary or secondary school, regardless of the number of employees it employs.

For more information, visit the US Department of Labor Fact Sheet here.

Common FAQs about FMLA

Here is a list of common questions you may have about FMLA and their answers:

What is considered a serious health condition?

The most common serious health conditions that qualify for FMLA leave are:

• conditions requiring an overnight stay in a hospital or other medical care facility;

• conditions that incapacitate you or your family member (for example, unable to work or attend school) for more than three consecutive days and have ongoing medical treatment (either multiple appointments with a health care provider, or a single appointment and follow-up care such as prescription medication);

• chronic conditions that cause occasional periods when you or your family member are incapacitated and require treatment by a health care provider at least twice a year; and

• pregnancy (including prenatal medical appointments, incapacity due to morning sickness, and medically required bed rest).

What and when do employees need to tell their employer if they plan to take FMLA leave?

Employees seeking to use FMLA leave are required to provide 30-day advance notice of the need to take leave when the need is foreseeable and such notice is practicable. If leave is foreseeable less than 30 days in advance, the employee must provide notice as soon as practicable – generally, either the same or next business day. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, the employee must provide notice to the employer as soon as practicable under the facts and circumstances of the particular case. Absent unusual circumstances, employees must comply with the employer’s usual and customary notice and procedural requirements for requesting leave.

Employees must provide sufficient information for an employer to reasonably determine whether the FMLA may apply to the leave request. Depending on the situation, such information may include that the employee is incapacitated due to pregnancy, has been hospitalized overnight, is unable to perform the functions of the job, and/or that the employee or employee’s qualifying family member is under the continuing care of a health care provider.

When an employee seeks leave for a FMLA-qualifying reason for the first time, the employee need not expressly assert FMLA rights or even mention the FMLA. When an employee seeks leave, however, due to a FMLA-qualifying reason for which the employer has previously provided the employee FMLA-protected leave, the employee must specifically reference either the qualifying reason for the leave or the need for FMLA leave.

Are employers required to tell their employees of the existence of FMLA and the employee’s right to take FMLA leave?

Every employer covered by the FMLA is required to post and keep posted on its premises, in conspicuous places where employees are employed, a notice explaining the FMLA’s provisions and providing information concerning the procedures for filing complaints of violations of the FMLA with the Wage and Hour Division. An employer that willfully violates this posting requirement may be subject to a civil money penalty for each separate offense. Additionally, employers must include this general notice in employee handbooks or other written guidance to employees concerning benefits, or, if no such materials exist, must distribute a copy of the notice to each new employee upon hiring.

When an employee requests FMLA leave or the employer acquires knowledge that leave may be for a FMLA purpose, the employer must notify the employee of his or her eligibility to take leave, and inform the employee of his or her rights and responsibilities under the FMLA. When the employer has enough information to determine that leave is being taken for a FMLA-qualifying reason, the employer must notify the employee that the leave is designated and will be counted as FMLA leave.

Does an employer have to provide employees with information regarding their specific rights and responsibilities under the FMLA?

At the same time an employer provides an employee notice of the employee’s eligibility to take FMLA leave, the employer must also notify the employee of the specific expectations and obligations associated with the leave. Among other information included in this notice, the employer must inform the employee whether the employee will be required to provide certification of the FMLA-qualifying reason for leave and the employee’s right to substitute paid leave (including any conditions related to such substitution, and the employee’s entitlement to unpaid FMLA leave if those conditions are not met). If the information included in the notice of rights and responsibilities changes, the employer must inform the employee of such changes within five business days of receipt of the employee’s first notice of the need for FMLA leave subsequent to any change. Employers are expected to responsively answer questions from employees concerning their rights and responsibilities.

How soon after an employee provides notice of the need for leave must an employer notify an employee that the leave will be designated and counted as FMLA leave?

Under the regulations, an employer must notify an employee whether leave will be designated as FMLA leave within five business days of learning that the leave is being taken for a FMLA-qualifying reason, absent extenuating circumstances. The designation notice must also state whether paid leave will be substituted for unpaid FMLA leave and whether the employer will require the employee to provide a fitness-for-duty certification to return to work (unless a handbook or other written document clearly provides that such certification will be required in specific circumstances, in which case the employer may provide oral notice of this requirement). Additionally, if the amount of leave needed is known, an employer must inform an employee of the number of hours, days or weeks that will be counted against the employee’s FMLA leave entitlement in the designation notice. Where it is not possible to provide the number of hours, days, or weeks that will be counted as FMLA leave in the designation notice (e.g., where the leave will be unscheduled), an employer must provide this information upon request by the employee, but no more often than every 30 days and only if leave was taken during that period.

For more answers to frequently asked questions, visit the FMLA Frequently Asked Questions page here.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z

Data breaches are when confidential, sensitive, or protected data moves to an untrusted and unsecured environment or person. They may happen intentionally or unintentionally but have major repercussions for businesses. Everyone and all businesses are at risk of a data breach. Learning more about how they occur and how to protect yourself can help protect you and minimize the damages if they do happen.

How do data breaches occur?

There are a few different ways that data breaches can occur, including:

• Accidental Insider. Employees may access information without authorization or take actions without malicious intent or awareness that can create risk for company data.

• Malicious Insider. Employees or vendors might purposely access or share company data. This includes people who are authorized to access the data, but that use it or share it in nefarious ways.

• Lost or Stolen Devices. Any devices that contain company data, such as cell phones, laptops, and tablets, can be the source of a data leak when lost.

• Malicious Outsider. Hackers who are not associated with the company can access data from a network or an individual.

Common targets of cyber attacks

Cyber attacks commonly seek certain types of information, including:

• Financial information, like credit card numbers

• Personal data like social security numbers to be used in identity theft

• Personally identifiable information (PII) like phone numbers and social media accounts

• General data that is valuable to your organization or your competitors, such as suppliers and key business relationships

Methods used by hackers

Data breaches typically occur through weaknesses in users or technology. Breeches and cyber-attacks come in different forms, each requiring different prevention and response tactics. Here is an explanation of some of the most common types:

Phishing

This social engineering strategy for cyber attacks involves a person posing as someone you know or someone affiliated with the company who convinces you to provide access to sensitive data or provide them with the data yourself.

Brute force attacks

By using software programs, hackers attempt to guess passwords. Weak passwords might only take a few minutes to guess correctly with the help of fast programs.

Malware

Malware utilizes security flaws to install programs. These spyware programs are often undetectable and steal sensitive data stored on the device.

Vulnerabilities for cyber attacks

Here is a list of vulnerabilities that may put your rehab center at risk for a cyber attack:

• Weak or stolen credentials: Most data breaches result from weak or stolen credentials. This means that your username and password are used to access data.

• Payment card fraud: This is when card skimmers are used to collect data. The people that install these skimmers then have access to account information and can use it for their own purposes.

• Compromised assets: This involves malicious malware attacks to override authentication steps on a device.

• Ransomware: This is a type of malware that threatens to publish personal data or block access to it unless a ransom is paid.

• Mobile devices: By downloading and installing apps with malware, companies are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

• Third-party access: This is when criminals utilize third-party vendors to access your information. This typically has effects regardless of the measures you take to protect your data.

• Data leaks: These occur when data is accidentally exposed, typically online.

Best practices for reducing cyber-attack risk

Here is a list of steps you can take to better protect your company and data from cyber attacks:

• Limiting access to data. The fewer people that have access to sensitive data, the fewer opportunities there are to compromise it.

• Patch and update software to keep it up to date. There are tools you can utilize that can help assess your programs to see if any need updates.

• Create strict third-party data compliance policies. Be sure to learn about your vendors and create policies for proper conduct. You can also do background checks on recurring visitors and limit the amount of information they access.

• Implement password guidelines. No two passwords should be the same, and they should not contain any personal information, like names or birthdays. For more tips on password best practices, click here.

• Enforcing BYOD security policies. Require all devices to use a business-grade VPN service and antivirus protection.

• Enforcing strong credentials and multi-factor authentication. You can encourage users to start using a password manager to help.

• Educate employees on best data security practices. Teach your team how to identify phishing attacks and other cyber-attack approaches. Hold regular training and refresher meetings to help keep cyber security best practices top of mind for employees.

If you are interested in joining the ROC community, please complete this form for consideration: https://tinyurl.com/5btxe39z