How To Hire Billers and Admin Staff for Your Therapy Practice

Are you thinking about hiring administrative staff for your therapy practice? Are you feeling unsure of where to start or what to look for?

Whether you're hiring for the first time or seeking better results this time around, this guide is for you.

Running a therapy practice is incredibly rewarding. However, the day-to-day administrative tasks can be overwhelming. If you struggle with scheduling appointments and handling payments, it's time to hire some help. A skilled admin can lighten your workload and keep your practice running smoothly. Finding the right people for these roles can be a challenge.

When I started my psychotherapy career, I managed all the admin tasks myself. When I was able to hire some help, it proved to be a game changer for my practice. I was able to bring on more therapists and carve out more personal time. It even freed up mental space for me to focus on building the practice. 

In this blog post, I'm going to go over what I looked for when hiring admin and billers. We'll take a look at how to screen candidates and identify qualities that will benefit your practice. 

What to Look For When Hiring Therapy Practice Admin Staff 

Reliability and Trustworthiness

It's crucial for administrative staff to be trustworthy and reliable. These employees will manage sensitive patient information and handle financial transactions. You will need to be confident in their integrity. During the hiring process, ask for references and conduct background checks. This way you can verify that your candidates have a solid track record. This will help you ensure they're dependable and right for your practice.

Understanding of Mental Health Practices

Admin staff and billers who have a basic understanding of mental health practices may be better equipped to navigate the unique aspects of working in a therapy practice, even if they don’t hold formal qualifications in psychology or counseling. Although it's not necessarily a requirement, candidates that demonstrate an interest in mental health and have some knowledge of the field may have an easier time adapting to the unique work environment. 

Attention to Detail

If you've ever filled out insurance forms yourself, you know that every little detail matters. Even a tiny mistake in scheduling appointments or filing insurance claims can cause big problems that take a lot of time and money to fix. To make sure you hire someone who pays close attention to details, you can ask them specific questions during the interview. For example, you might ask about a time they dealt with a complicated task and how they handled it. This helps you see if they're careful and thorough with their work.

Strong Professional Communication Skills

Talking clearly and kindly is important not just for you as a therapist, but also for the people who work on your admin and billing team. Everyone in your therapy practice will need to talk with patients and other team members often. When you're looking to hire someone, find people who can express themselves well, both when they're writing and when they're speaking. They should be able to talk in a caring and professional way. It’s also good to check if they can handle tricky talks and fix problems well.

Technological Proficiency with Therapy EHR Systems

Today's therapy offices use a lot of technology to schedule appointments, keep records, and handle billing. Make sure the people you might hire are okay using software for managing the practice, keeping electronic health records (EHR), and billing. Ask them how much they've used these tools before and how good they are at learning new technologies.

Problem-Solving Abilities

In the fast-paced environment of a therapy practice, problems and unexpected challenges will arise. Seek candidates who have strong problem-solving skills and can think on their feet. Ask about situations where they've had to troubleshoot or find creative solutions.

Knowledge of Insurance and Billing Procedures

Billing can be tricky. Billers need to really understand how insurance and billing work. Look for people who have experience and training in medical or mental health billing. Ask them how well they know different insurance plans, codes, and rules.

Empathy and Patience

Billing can be tricky. Billers need to really understand how insurance and billing work. Look for people who have experience and training in medical or mental health billing. Ask them how well they know different insurance plans, codes, and rules.

Alternative: Hire a Virtual Assistant

If you’re just starting to play around with the idea of hiring in-house admin staff and are unsure if you want an assistant for your therapy practice, a virtual assistant could be a great way to test it out. A virtual assistant can take care of tasks like responding to emails, booking appointments, creating content, and organizing your bookkeeping. 

Focus on What Matters By Hiring Therapy Practice Admin Staff 

Hiring the right admin staff and billers for your therapy practice can help it run better and be more successful. You should look for people who are dependable and know a bit about mental health. Other important skills include attention to detail, communication, and understanding billing and insurance. These qualities will help your team support you and your patients well.

It's very important to carefully choose the right people for these important jobs. This means doing interviews, checking references, and doing background checks. With a great team around you, you can focus on what you do best—helping your patients through therapy.

To connect with a community of other therapists and mental health professionals, check out our community forum, and try out our Pro membership free for two weeks to access all of our resources.