What Hiring an Associate Actually Costs You
The fee split is not the cost of an associate. It is one line in a stack that also includes payroll burden of roughly 15 to 25 percent on top of wages, your own supervision time at its opportunity cost, two to four months of credentialing before a single claim pays, and a ramp period where the caseload is not full. Most owners I coach are surprised by the total, and it is the surprise — not the number — that causes the damage.
Private Pay vs. Insurance (and Medicaid vs. Private): Choosing Your Payer Mix
Your payer mix — private pay, commercial insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, or a blend — is one of the biggest decisions you'll make, because it shapes both your revenue and who can access your care. In short: private pay usually pays the most per session and is simplest to run, insurance reaches far more clients but pays less and adds admin, and Medicaid reaches the people with the fewest options. Here's how to weigh them.
W-2 vs. 1099 for Group Practices: How to Classify Your Therapists
Whether a therapist is a W-2 employee or a 1099 contractor is a legal classification, not a preference — and it comes down to control. In general, if you control how, when, and where the work is done (set schedules, require your systems, supervise the work), the person is likely an employee, not a contractor. Most group practices that want an integrated team end up with W-2 employees. Here's how to think about it.
How Much Should You Pay an Associate Therapist? (Fee Splits Explained)
Most group practices pay associate therapists through a fee split, and a competitive share is often 55–65% to the clinician when the practice covers admin, billing, marketing, and space. But the percentage alone doesn't tell you whether a deal is fair or sustainable — that depends on what your share actually pays for and whether the math works for both sides. Here's how to think about it clearly, so you land on a number you can stand behind.