Breaking Free of Managed Care: A Step-by-Step Guide to Regaining Control of Your Practice [Hardcover]

Dana C. Ackley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1572301058 | ISBN-13: 978-1572301054 | Publication Date: February 7, 1997

Providing therapists practical solutions to managed care's erosion of their freedom to practice, this book presents a working blueprint for a private-pay psychotherapy practice. Dana C. Ackley casts out the distortions that have crept into many clinicians' thinking as a result of reliance on third-party reimbursement. Based on his own experience, he shows how therapists can better serve clients--and themselves--by developing real alternatives to the pressures and bureaucracy of managed care. In clear step-by-step detail, including practical exercises and checklists, sample marketing materials, and payment plans, the volume shows readers how to:

*Rediscover the economic and clinical value of therapeutic work
*Learn about the needs of potential clients
*Market and sell private-pay services effectively
*Develop ethical, reasonable business-of-practice skills
*Diversify into the rewarding area of psychological consultation to businesses

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I converted a heavily managed care-dependent pracitice to one that is 90% managed care-free in one year, using principles from Dr. Ackley's book." --Robin Sesan, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Wilmington, Delaware

"A unique contribution for mental health practitioners inundated by scares of managed care. Dr. Ackley begins with an excellent reminder of why we are in the helping professions and how we have gotten embroiled in the health-care morass. He is careful to not assume his solutions will automatically work for others and provides tools for self-assessment and customizing a plan for any clinician. Finally, in this thoroughly readable and enjoyable work, he provides enough 'nuts and bolts' to actually build a practice." --Richard F. Small, PhD, Director, Spring Psychological Associates; Past President of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association; Author, Maximizing Insurance Reimbursement in your Mental Health Practice

"Finally--a worthwhile marketing book for psychotherapists! With deep commitment to his calling, Ackley documents the tremendous value of psychotherapy. Then in a very readable and no-nonsense style, he leads psychotherapists step-by-step through the process of liberation from third parties. The therapy marketing information is excellent. The application of mental health expertise to the American workplace is inspiring. Every psychotherapist who is weary of third-party interference should read this very practical book, and every clinical training program should include it in its curriculum." --Janet E. Pipal, PhD, PC

"I especially enjoyed reading Dr. Ackley's book, Building A Managed Care-Free Practice. This is a much needed breath of fresh air to counter the doom and gloom psychotherapists have been feeling. The book is loaded with real life examples showing the need for and benefit of a managed care free practice. Ackley provides numerous charts, exercises, and worksheets to guide the reader through developing such a practice. I teach his model to our doctoral students and I have been using Dr. Ackley's model in my own practice. It works just as he suggests in his book." --Marc I. Oster, PsyD, ABPH, Adler School of Professional Psychology

"Dr. Ackley's book comes to our rescue with absolutely crucial 'tools' to enable psychotherapists to flourish in an era dominated by the irrational and nonclinical constraints imposed by managed care. Like the best psychotherapy, he offers new information, an example of success (his own practice), and practical advice and guidance based on his extensive experience in adapting and helping others to adapt to the current environment....If you feel the need to take your independent practice into the future, there is no better guide to that journey than this book." --From the Foreword by Edward L. Zuckerman, Ph.D., Series Editor, The Clinician's Toolbox

"Reading Building A Managed Care-Free Practice, by Dana Ackley, is like sitting with 'the Carl Rogers of the year 2000 A.D.' Wisdom, clarity, and respect abound, along with a compendium of 'killer-resources' for marketing that fits like an 'old, worn shoe.' No jargon, no 'snake oil' --not even the word 'mindfulness' appears in this cutting-edge, mindful book. Get ready to simply 'be where the client is,' the most reliable indicator of a good therapist we have ever known. And get ready to see your practice grow and to feel your professional self-esteem rise, as you see that 'you have all that it takes', with Ackley's book to guide you." --Monda Sue Freeman, LICSW, Vice-President, Massachusetts Academy of Clinical Social Work

About the Author

Dana C. Ackley, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in independent practice in Roanoke, Virginia. Unwilling to join managed care panels, he has developed a model for practicing outside third party reimbursement. His approach has been featured in the Family Therapy Networker, the National Psychologist, and Practice Strategies. His workshop has been sponsored by APA's Division 42, the Colorado Psychological Association, the Ohio Psychological Association, and NCS Assessments, as well as by therapist groups in Maine and Idaho.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press (February 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572301058
• ISBN-13: 978-1572301054
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,676,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Psychologists Sick of Managed Care, April 25, 2000

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Don (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking Free of Managed Care: A Step-by-Step Guide to Regaining Control of Your Practice (Paperback)

Dr. Ackley addresses basic issues facing the realities of being a psychologist in today's world: Managed care lowering income, managed care dictating service limits, and the largely ineffective response of the field. He first addresses what managed care's actions have been and how this has changed the field of psychology. He then relates what the field's response has been and why the interaction between the two has left psychologists on the losing side. In explaining this, he does a great job of identifying the thoughts and behaviors of practitioners that keep them trapped under managed care's control. The most important and useful aspects of the text are his chapters on the proof that psychology is valuable, how it can control it's own destiny, and how a psychologist can go about doing it. His suggestions are realistic and practical. Overall, I found this book energizing and useful.