There are several variables to consider when starting a group practice. The Plus plan is the only plan that supports group practices, and it includes access to all the robust features we offer. See Adding and managing team members to learn more about additional fees related to adding team members to a practice.
Below, we’ll answer:
- Is a group practice right for me?
- Who should be the Account Owner in my practice?
- Can clinicians share client profiles?
- What access levels will the clinicians in my group practice need?
- How should I plan on calculating payroll and paying other clinicians?
- How do I switch from a solo practice to a group practice for insurance billing?
Tip: If you're ready to set up your group practice, see Getting started as a group practice.
Is a group practice right for me?
A group practice typically consists of a group of clinicians billing under a single NPI, tax ID, and online payments account. Below you'll find a few questions you should be asking when considering if a group account is right for your practice:
| Factors | Solo vs. Group |
| What is my billing plan? | Both solo and group accounts will have their billing connected to one online payments account. |
| Will I be billing insurance? | Both solo and group accounts can file claims with solo or group billing information. Group practices can add billing profiles for clinicians or payers that require different sets of billing information. |
|
How many other clinicians are in my practice with me? |
If the answer is greater than one and you plan to bill insurance under an organization NPI, you may want to consider being part of a group account. |
Group accounts are designed to consist of multiple clinicians working as employees that are usually paid as contractors. Claims for group practices can be filed with the group’s billing information in boxes 25 and 33 and the individual clinician’s rendering provider information in box 24j. For an overview of entering these details in your account, see Entering group billing information.
If specific clinicians submit claims with different billing provider information, you can add billing profiles. For more information, see Managing billing profiles for insurance.
Who should be the Account Owner in my practice?
The structure of a group practice can vary greatly, depending on the size and needs of the practice. Some group practices choose to have a non-clinician office manager as the Account Owner, while others choose a lead clinician to fill the role.
In SimplePractice, the Account Owner is considered a clinician role, and includes full access to all clients, documentation, and reports. Additionally, the Account Owner has exclusive access to manage subscription information and the annual financial activity report for the account.
The practice manager role can be used to give a non-clinical team member access to all account settings, except for the Plan info page. Practice managers can also be granted additional permissions to view client documentation, complete data exports, and access financial reports for the entire practice. This role can be added in addition to other ones, so you can customize an individual's level of access.
To learn more about available team member roles, see Clinician roles available for team members and Administrative roles available for team members.
Note: We recommend reviewing our Terms of Service before selecting the Account Owner. In addition, make sure to consult with your local regulatory body and disclose any relevant legal information in your intake documents, as needed. If you need to transfer account ownership, please submit a help request.
Can clinicians share client profiles?
You have the option to share clients among clinicians within a group practice account. You can separate files for the same client, so that each clinician has their own record of the client.
In these types of situations, you’ll want to be most cautious of the following areas:
- Billing
- Payroll
- Invoices
- Diagnosis
Note: For best practices on sharing clients and additional considerations, see Sharing clients in a group practice.
What access levels will the clinicians in my group practice need?
Both the Account Owner and a practice manager can adjust the level of access granted to other clinicians in the practice.
To compare the permissions accompanying each clinician role, see Clinician roles available for team members.
Important: Each person logging into a SimplePractice account is required to use their own email and password, even within a group practice. Sharing account login credentials violates Section 6 of our Terms of Service, results in an inaccurate HIPAA Audit Log for compliance, and puts the security of client data at risk.
How should I plan on calculating payroll and paying other clinicians?
While there are several ways group practices can calculate their payroll, the most common methods are:
- By the hour, using the Appointment status report
- By service codes, using the Appointment status report
- Based off of a percentage, using the Income allocation report
Note: Payments included the Income allocation report are based on the date they were made, not than the appointment date. To learn more, see Calculating payroll for group practices.
How do I switch from a solo practice to a group practice for insurance billing?
If you're switching from a solo practice to a group practice, you’ll want to update your insurance information in SimplePractice. To do this, you can update your billing information and enrollments.
Updating your billing information
Before entering your new group's billing information in SimplePractice, we recommend contacting the insurance payers you work with to ensure they have your updated information. Then, you can enter the information in your account following the steps outlined in Entering group billing information.
Updating your enrollments
If you have claim filing or Payment Report enrollments, you can resubmit them using your new group’s billing information. For an overview of this process, see How do I update my enrollment information? and Enrollment FAQs.