Joan
"That's when I decided to open my own office and treat patients in crisis from the general population. I hung out my shingle and was immediately deluged with patients that felt like a tidal wave I couldn't turn back. I didn't even have a receptionist. I worked 16 hours a day, six days a week, and tried to organize my case notes and billing on the seventh without much success. Things got quickly out of control, and I had to close down after three months."
The Sole Practitioner
The impulse to go it alone resides quietly but surely in every sole practitioner. It's a curious combination of leadership and rebellion that blends in the independent psyche, often leading to ill-advised heroics. "Taking on more than I can handle has been one of the themes of my life, " Joan reported during our interview. "I think it's caused by enthusiasm, not ambition. I am touched by need and vulnerability and immediately want to help. And, I admit, I don't want anyone to interfere. I guess that's why I go it alone."
The First Step
After Joan closed her office, she consulted with case management software providers to discover a platform that she could use to manage the complex paperwork needed to document cases, coordinate providers, follow-up referrals, develop a treatment plan, schedule appointments, and bill insurance companies and appropriate government agencies. She had no illusions of being able to afford clerical or office help at this stage. She still wanted to "go-it-alone". Most of the providers she researched were either too expensive, too complex, too rigid, or too agency-centric for her to utilize in her daily practice.
Joan
"I needed a consultant. I wasn't going to be able to buy something right out of the box that would work for me. So, I contacted a friend of mine who had already set up case management software for her practice and seemed to be doing fine. She recommended that I talk to someone at GVT and that's how I ended up meeting you guys."
Consider This
"No one I talked to advised me to select GVT or FAMCare as my platform. I must say, that impressed me. Rather, our discussions centered around the following considerations:"
Joan
"I ended up reopening my office and going it alone. This time, however, the case management software I selected saved me from myself."
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You can read more about how our case management software, FAMCare, has made a difference for other agencies under Case Studies in The FAMCare blog.