Managing Mental Health Practice
By
Donald E. Wiger, PhD
Course Description
Target Audience: Social workers, counselor, and other mental health professionals.
Course Content Level: Advanced
Number of CE Hours: 8
Type of CE hours: General
Delivery format: Reading based asynchronous distance learning.
Course completion requirements:
How to Obtain Continuing Education Credit
Please follow the steps below to obtain the necessary contact hours of home study continuing
education credit:
1. Read course objectives.
2. Study the course text:
3. The questions for the final examination are attached here. Answer these questions by marking
your Scantron card:
Write your name on every Scantron card in the space provided. Also write the exam title
in the space marked “Subject”.
True/false examination Mark the Scantron card as follows: Use A for true answers, B for
false answers. Disregard C, D and E.
Multiple-choice questions Choose the letter of the correct answer and mark the Scantron
card accordingly.
Marking the Scantron card Use No. 2 pencil only. Make dark marks. Erase completely to
change.
4. Complete the licensure information on the examination sheet.
5. Return the scantron card, examination sheet and student evaluation of the course.
You’ll need 70% correct score on the post-test for successful completion of the course.
6. Retain a copy of the answers for your record.
Homestead Schools, Inc. is solely responsible for the quality and content of this CE
program and for the selection of its instructor/author, and receives no outside financial
support in the preparation, presentation or implementation of its CE activities.
The sponsor has no affiliation with companies whose products or services are mentioned
in this course material; they are mentioned only for their educational and
informational value. The sponsor’s sole source of revenue is the tuition paid by
participants like you in its CE program.
Instructor Credentials: N/A
ACE Provider Approval Statement: Homestead Schools, Inc., 1070, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Assoiciation of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses for continuing education credit.
ACE provider approval period: 4/2/2023-4/2/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 8 General continuing education credits.
ADA Accomodations: Homestead Schools, Inc. ensures that its facilities accommodate and are accessible according to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Cancellation/Refund Policy: Should you need to cancel your order or if you are not satisfied with the quality of our course material, you can return the course (before a certificate is issued) within 90 days and receive a prompt and full refund (less shipping and handling.)
Course last updated: June, 2024
Course Outline
The step-by-step guide to building and managing a profitable and successful practice or clinic
Beyond your training as a therapist, the skills required to create and build a practice and to supervise others are typically not taught as part of your clinical training. There are myriad decisions you must make, including financial, organizational, and marketing decisions, that will determine the success and profitability of your practice, group practice, or clinic.
The Well-Managed Mental Health Practice draws from author Donald Wiger’s vast experience as owner and manager of both small and large mental health practices and clinics. This helpful resource provides sound business practices, immediately useful insights into the accrediting process, and other critical information you will need to avoid legal trouble, ensure payment from individuals and third party payors, and create a thriving practice.
Designed for practices or clinics of any size and at any stage of development–from start-up through mature business–this easy-to-follow book looks at all the issues involved with starting and running a mental health practice and offers:
• Practical advice on how to increase business, develop your professional reputation, and set priorities, as well as helpful insights on customer service, employee relations, time management, and coping with stress
• Indispensable tools for developing business and management skills to ensure smooth operation and maximum profitability
• Useful tips for handling problems encountered by clinic directors and clinic decision-makers Numerous sample forms and procedural documents
A vital reference for a wide range of mental health professionals, The Well-Managed Mental Health Practice is an important guide that will equip you with the skills necessary to develop a financially successful practice that survives and thrives.
About the Authors
Donald E. Wiger, PhD, runs a large mental health clinic in St. Paul and is an adjunct professor at Argosy University School of Professional Psychology. He is the author of numerous books, includingEssentials of Crisis Counseling and Intervention and The Clinical Documentation Sourcebook, Third Edition, also from Wiley.
About Authors
Donald E. Wiger, PhD, runs a large mental health clinic in St. Paul and is an adjunct professor at Argosy University School of Professional Psychology. He is the author of numerous books, including essentials of Crisis Counseling and Intervention and The Clinical Documentation Sourcebook, Third Edition, also from Wiley.
Learning Objectives
Chapter 1: Basic Mental Health Care Management Principles
1. Compare a small mental health private practice a larger clinic.
2. List the three global skills necessary for the therapist/manager and describe each of their skills.
3. State the most difficult aspect of growing into management.
4. Describe how promotions should be handled.
5. Discuss why some managers view empowerment as threatening.
Chapter 2: Customer Service
6. List two reasons potential clients phone another clinic rather than wait for a callback.
7. State the value and positive attributes of the receptionist.
8. Discuss the survey of 40 mental health clinics.
9. Describe office location.
10. Compare a graduated lease and long-term lease.
Chapter 3: Obtaining Third-Party Contracts and Working with Managed Care
11. List negative and positive aspects of working with managed care.
12. Describe methods of research when obtaining benefits and drawbacks of third-party payers.
13. List several items that managed care companies may require.
14. Describe provisions for a nonprovider.
15. State why you should apply for Medicare and Medicaid prior to applying for managed care.
16. Describe how to remain a provider.
Chapter 4: Other Means of Obtaining Referrals
17. Describe what to include in a clinic brochure.
18. State what to do with brochures.
19. List the five main points when you receive referrals from fellow professionals and briefly describe each.
20. Describe advertising in “The Yellow Pages.”
21. Discuss creating a Web site.
Chapter 5: Hiring, Training, Paying, and Keeping Employees
22. Discuss consistency and problems that arise from inconsistency.
23. State the main point of job descriptions.
24. Describe the process of reference checks and methods of screening employees.
25. State the manager’s first business responsibility.
26. Discuss the options of billing.
Chapter 6: Developing a Positive Professional Reputation
27. Describe how to obtain continuing education approval when presenting a seminar.
28. Discuss printing costs when conducting a seminar.
29. Describe several benefits of teaching.
Chapter 7: Effective Time Management
30. Discuss writing progress notes.
31. Discuss when treatment plans should be written.
32. Describe dictation services available.
Chapter 8: Billing Procedures
33. List problems that occur when bills are excused.
34. Discuss payment contracts with clients.
35. State what you should do when an insurance claim is rejected.
Chapter 9: Administrative, Clinical, and Safety Policies and Procedures
36. Compare policies and procedures.
37. Describe a business plan.
38. Discuss delinquent accounts.
39. Describe a sliding fee.
40. Describe a clinic fee schedule.
41. State the policy for interns.
42. State the functions of a utilization review committee.
Chapter 10: Documentation Procedures
43. Discuss the OFAID procedure.
44. Describe sources from which to collect clinical data.
45. Compare essential and associated symptoms.
46. Describe the three-column treatment plan.
47. Describe the DAP progress note.
48. Describe the procedure if a client has a plan for suicide.
49. State how to survive an audit.
Course Contents
Introduction
- Basic Mental Health Care Management Principles
- Customer Service
- Obtaining Third-Party Contracts and Working with Managed Care
- Other Means of Obtaining Referrals
- Hiring, Training, Paying, and Keeping Employees
- Developing a Positive Professional Reputation
- Effective Time Management
- Billing Procedures
- Administrative, Clinical, and Safety Policies and Procedures
- Documentation Procedures
End-of-Book Humor
Index