One Month Recap

How in the world has it already been one month since I opened the doors here at Wellful Psychiatry!?! It has been a whirlwind, that's for dang sure. Here are a few things I've learned in the past month...

First, private practice ownership is not for the faint of heart. It has been a LOT of work. I was prepared for the workload to be different (heavier), but I'll be honest that I was not prepared for just how heavy the load would actually be. No matter how much you think you're ready, I can assure you there are things that will come up that you did not prepare for.

For example, billing. Billing has been much more time-consuming than I ever imagined. Mind you, I did a TONNNNNN of research prior to opening the doors, and yet still the billing has been much more of a challenge than I expected. Co-pays, deductibles, co-insurance, out-of-pocket maximums, etc. is a lot of information to learn on top of all the other business things I'm learning. Am I figuring it out? Absolutely! Will I be hiring a biller to take over so I can focus my attention elsewhere? 1000% YES!!

The other thing I was not prepared for was that every patient, no matter how much information they complete online prior to the appointment, is still a new patient within the electronic health record and a lot of information still needs to be entered manually. Was I naive to think that because of the automatizations I have set up for patients to complete prior to their appointment that I wouldn't have to input much information? Probably! I'm just thankful that I allotted extra time into each person's scheduled appointment to allow myself some time to complete this necessary step. If you have scheduled with me and filled out your online consent forms and history/intake paperwork prior to your appointment, I greatly appreciate it!

Okay-okay, enough about all the things that are stressing me out. Here are the things that I have absolutely loved thus far about private practice ownership. I have loved the support from all the new patients and all the patients that followed me from my former practice! The overwhelming support fills my heart with joy and pride. I am overjoyed that you all trust me with your mental health care needs. I will never be able to convey how appreciative I am of that level of support from this community.

I have also been loving the ability to adjust my schedule to meet the needs to my patients while also providing some flexibility for myself and my family. HUGE WIN! I love that I'm able to schedule people in as needed while also being able to block off time when I might need extra time to make phone calls, leave early, or come in a little later due to my kids' schedules. Family comes first and boundaries are important, but I love being able to adjust things easily within my electronic health record.

I am also appreciating the extra time I get to spend with patients. I don't feel as though I am having to rush appointments because someone else is waiting. I see on average 6-7 patients per day right now instead of the 10-15 I was previously seeing. This allows me more time with each patient while also providing time to return phone calls and catch up on office work outside of appointment times. Don't get me wrong, I'm still taking a lot more work home than I'd like, but I think that's "normal" when first starting any business.

I've shed a lot of tears this past month, but I am so very thankful that I get to wake up and do what I do every day. Although I've been stressing, I have so much support around me and so much to be thankful for. For example, Mondays off again. YAY!! So, THANK YOU to all of my friends, family, and clients for my first month open at Wellful Psychiatry. Things will only improve from here on out thanks to all of you!