Building your caseload and getting clients into care

There are two main paths to building your caseload on Headway: clients matched to you through Headway's marketplace, and clients you bring in from other sources.

Clients from the Headway marketplace

How client matching works

Clients trust Headway to match them with a provider who accepts their insurance while also fitting their needs and understanding their experiences. We know the many roadblocks clients can face when searching for treatment, so we've put a few steps in place to make sure finding the right fit is a smooth process for both clients and providers:

• Clients fill out a questionnaire when searching for a provider that includes demographic, age, and location preferences.
• They can then self-report why they are seeking treatment
• We use these and other signals to present providers who might be a good fit for the client, making sure to show providers who match their preferences, take their insurance, and have availability
• Clients can choose to book a session with any of the matched providers

Building your caseload with Headway

Your profile

Your profile (found in the Profile tab of your provider portal settings) represents you on Headway. Clients see it when booking with you to learn more about your practice and approach, and your unique URL lets them view your available time slots and book with you directly. Be sure to add your photo, bio, and specialties. See our profile checklist for tips.

Add your working hours

Prospective clients will only be able to book with you if you have open appointment times on your calendar. Make sure to set your working hours to accurately reflect your availability. Tip: Turn on Google Calendar sync to manage availability from your own calendar.

New client preferences

Your provider portal settings include a section for New client preferences. Some of the preferences you can set include how much notice you need between a client booking a session and the session itself, whether existing clients can re-book with you themselves, and whether you allow urgent bookings.

In this section, you can also offer phone consults.

Please note that if you previously required consults at intake, this setting is changing from something you can require to something you can offer. Clients who start with a full session get into care at a rate that is over 35% greater than those who start with a phone consultation. Going forward, how a client begins care will be up to them. If you offer consults, clients will be able to choose between a consult or a full session for their first meeting with you.

Some tips if you still prefer a short introduction to assess fit:

• Set your minimum lead time for new client matches in your Settings to allow time to reach out to a client between booking and their appointment for a consult-style conversation if you want one.
• A new sidebar on your provider dashboard gives you a snapshot of each incoming client, so you still get a read on fit even without a required call. If you decide a client isn't a fit, you can cancel the session, and we'll give the client options to meet with other providers. Note that frequent cancellations on new client matches may indicate that you are not showing up in the most relevant search results, and your ability to receive future matches may be  impacted.
• If a client books a full session and you decide during the session that you and the client aren't a match, you can change the session to unbilled.

Staying eligible for marketplace matches

Headway sends new clients from the marketplace to providers who are ready to see them.

When an account shows a pattern of cancelling or missing first appointments with new clients, we'll temporarily pause new marketplace matches to that account. Some things that can contribute to matches being paused are provider no-shows and indefinitely unactioned sessions. We'll let you know if that happens to you, and you'll be able to turn matching back on in Settings when you're ready.

This affects a small number of providers. Most providers on Headway will never see a pause.

Turning matching back on

1. In your provider portal, go to Settings.
2. Open the New client preferences tab.
3. Turn new client matching back on.

You'll be eligible to receive new marketplace matches again right away.

Habits that keep matches coming

• Attend the appointments on your calendar. New clients are counting on starting care at the time they booked.
• Keep your availability current. Sync your external calendar so the openings clients see are real, and set your session lead time if you want more notice before a new client books.
• Review new client details within 48 hours. Logging in regularly, ideally daily, is the most reliable way to stay on top of new clients from Headway.
• Keep your specialties up to date. Headway matches clients to you based on the specialties you select in your profile, so choose only the conditions you actually treat. More isn't better here. You can use your bio to add context for clients reading your profile, including who you don't work with, though that text doesn't affect matching.
• Reschedule the session directly instead of cancelling. When something comes up, you can reschedule so the client stays on a path into care.
• Confirm your sessions after they happen. Each session has a confirmation deadline of 30 days.

If a pause doesn't look right to you

We'll tell you which appointments we're referring to when we let you know about a pause. If something looks incorrect, reach out to us and we'll take a look.

Next steps after match

Once you receive a match:

1. You can see new matches in your provider portal in the 'New clients' section of the homepage or by clicking the client icon (a person with a plus sign) on your calendar.
2. From here, you can see the name, age, and session type for the client alongside additional relevant information, as well as message your clients.

We'll notify you anytime you have a new client match.

While you're not required to confirm matches, we do ask that if you're not able to see the client, you cancel and message them as soon as you're able to.

Referring clients to another provider

You can refer clients to another in-network Headway provider directly from your portal. To send a referral:

1. From your provider portal, go to Clients and select the client you'd like to refer.
2. In their Clinical tab, find Care referrals and select Refer client.
3. Fill out the required information and click Submit.

Client experience once the referral is submitted

Your client receives an email and text with a list of recommended Headway providers based on the information you provided. Once they receive that information, they can choose a provider and book an appointment directly.

You can track the referral status in your portal, and we'll notify you once they book. 

Things to remember

• This is a referral, not a formal transition. Be sure to let your client know they'll get an email/text from Headway.
• If your client hasn't matched with a provider after a few days, you can follow up with them directly to ensure continuity of care.
• The referral goes to a list of recommended providers rather than one you choose, and it doesn't include your clinical notes.
• Referrals are currently available for clients with insurance coverage through Headway.

Clients from other sources

You can share your profile link anywhere you're listed online, including your Psychology Today profile and on Zocdoc, to direct more prospective clients to book with you.

To copy and share your link:

1. Visit your profile settings.
2. Next to your profile URL, click "copy."
3. Paste your link anywhere you'd like clients to find you. Many providers add it to other online profiles, like Psychology Today, or share it with colleagues so they can easily refer a client to you.

Insurance plans to list on Zocdoc

Generally, we can advise picking the following plans for all insurance carriers you're credentialed with when creating a Zocdoc account:

• HMO
• PPO
• EPO
• POS
• Indemnity
• ASO (if listed for carrier)
• HCA marketplace

Reminder: If you're still unsure whether a client's plan is in-network, they can add their insurance information to their Headway account, and we'll verify their benefits for them.

Psychology Today

Your Psychology Today profile is one of the most common ways clients find providers outside the Headway marketplace, and a few small tweaks can make a big difference in how many of those clients book with you. Check out our Headway Academy course, Optimize Your Psychology Today Profile, for a quick walkthrough and an incentive for completing it. Enroll here.

Looking for more support?

Our onboarding team hosts weekly webinars that cover marketing best practices, tips for turning interest into booked sessions, and a live demo on how to add, schedule, and confirm clients on Headway. These sessions also have dedicated Q&A so you can get your specific questions answered in real time.

Sign up for a session here: Introduction to Headway's EHR.