Planning for death or incapacity

What could you need to cover your practice in the case of your death or incapacity? There’s plenty of options with Time Well Spent, but you can also set up your own plans and guidance. We have some recommendations for what to include when you’re making a plan for this scenario.

You’ll want to choose a Professional Administrator who can do the following:

• Manage all client communication about the death event, provide referrals to clients as needed, provide guidance to clients of the practice about accessing records, take custody of the patient records and store them for the legally required amount of time.

• Support additional professionals associated with the deceased therapist (group practice members, contract staff, interns/associates, office-mates), begin the process of contacting the board, assist trainees in locating a new supervisor, and guide those trainees through client retention issues while supervision is on hold.

• Notify insurance companies, contract holders, and the state board (upon receipt of signed death certificate).

• Clean and close physical office spaces, arrange for final bills to be paid, and other duties as needed by the estate of the deceased therapist.

• Manage digital and written communication (emails, social media, websites) to reflect the closure of the practice.

• Possibly act as an authorized entity on practice bank accounts.

• Coordinate with legal and financial professionals (eg accountants, tax professionals, payroll providers).

• Provide peace of mind that clients are cared for, records are secure, and family and friends will not face the difficult emotional work of securely closing a practice while also grieving a significant loss.