Things to Know Before Speaking with a Consultant
When asked by parents what the value-add is of a consultant, unless you do understand some of the nuts and bolts of what a consultant does/doesn’t do, then that’s hard to briefly answer. Our job is not to convince you to hire us. If you are finding yourself overwhelmed and in need of a guide through the treatment process, that is part of our value-add. Before being able to formulate and understand that fully, here are other things that are important to know.
Independent consultants are paid by the families, not by programs.
Insurance companies do not pay for our services. In the one instance that insurance does cover our fee, it’s because the consultant you’re working with is a Licensed Clinical Professional in the same state as you, and they are providing insurance codes for “Case Management.” This will only cover hourly support and not a full consulting fee. Programs who pay referents for patients are unethical. This is called patient brokering, and/or fee-splitting. Any consultant who says they are free to hire for families, it’s because the programs they refer to are paying their wages. Be mindful to only hire someone who identifies as independent. Some consultants require payment in full before services begin. Some do payment plans. Some will have specific payment methods. Just know that it’s the parent who is hiring the Consultant.
2. Consulting fees are not covered by insurance.
Insurance companies are medically-minded. That’s why you may see resistance to coverage for many mental-health-only treatments. Insurance companies will not validate that our services need to be covered by insurance. The same goes for EAP providers. They will only cover licensed mental health providers or certified life coaches that are pre-approved. If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) you can use that to cover a consulting fee. If you don’t have an HSA, then you can keep the bill for the consulting service and share it with your CPA for your tax return.
3. Consultants do not “just” provide names of programs.
Working with a consultant is so much more than just getting a list of program names. In fact, giving names of programs without all information and assessing the situation of a client runs the risk of recommending inappropriate treatment recommendations. When a parent pushes to just get names of programs, it begs the question that they may not understand that timing can be everything. Just because a program was good for one client, doesn’t mean that the milieu has shifted significantly and may no longer be a fit. There’s a lot that goes into identifying what’s an appropriate recommendation at the exact time that treatment is being sought out.
4. If you are looking for in-network treatment options only, then you may not want to consider working with a consultant.
Consultants are constantly on the road touring programs. We do tour in-network and out-of-network programs. If a parent is only available to consider in-network treatment programs, then the best course of action is to pull a list of programs through your insurance portal. From there, parents need to pay attention to fit, clinical match, milieu, and any shifts in ownership to just name a few factors to consider. It is often when parents have accessed programs through their insurance and not had success that their scope of what they’re willing to support programmatically can expand to include resources that only consultants may know of. Sometimes consultants will work with parents on an hourly basis to review their in-network options. Be mindful that often consultants do not prefer to work hourly, so their hourly rate will represent their time and limitation to this level of service.
5. No consultant is alike.
We are all trained and certified differently. We all have different employment and life experiences. We all came into being a consultant through our own, unique path. We have expertise in who we work well with, and who we don’t. We have different consulting fees and timelines. We have different processes for how quickly we can onboard a client, or how quickly we can find program recommendations. We don’t always have space on our caseload. Some consultants work alone, and some work in a large practice. Some are a part of some national organizations, and some are unaffiliated by choice. Similar to finding appropriate treatment, it’s important to understand that you will want to explore different consultants to know who you will work well with.
The value-add sometimes is not tangible or understood right out of the gate, but it’s when you’re in the thick of looking for treatment options and needing support while navigating a rather messy healthcare system that their value is priceless.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
