structure and fees

[Guest guest]

Hello all,I have just begun a private practice in Virginia.  I have started slowly and have had several clients, and I have some questions about fees and structures.  I would appreciate any feedback on my situation.

I have started very slowly, because I currently work for the health department, and that job takes up a large majority of my time.  What I am used to doing in that job (I am a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor) is doing a home visit and providing a mother with unlimited follow-up via phone and or return visits, as needed by the mother.  So now, as a PPLC, I need to shift my thinking a bit to ensure that what I am doing in private practice will remain economically feasible.  I will be doing home visits as I do not have an office.

Do you include a follow-up visit in the cost of your initial fee?  I am finding that almost everyone needs a follow-up visit, but I am not sure that someone would pay for that and do it if I didn't offer that as part of the package with the initial home visit.  What kind of follow-up are you including with that initial visit?

Thanks for any whoa re able to share how you handle charging for follow-up needs.Best,Sonya Shaver, BS, CHES, IBCLC

[Guest guest]

Hello, Sonya.

I do charge a fee for follow-up consultations. They take considerable time to do them, and you also have to make reports to doctors after the follow-ups. My fee is less for a follow-up, like a doctor's initial office visit is more expensive than any following visits. It is not your responsibility if the mother refuses to make a follow-up consultation. I do include follow-up phone calls for free in the cost of the initial consultation, but I will tell mothers during those phone calls if whatever she is concerned about cannot be adequately answered without seeing what is going on.

Dee Kassing

Hello all,

I have just begun a private practice in Virginia. I have started slowly and have had several clients, and I have some questions about fees and structures. I would appreciate any feedback on my situation.

I have started very slowly, because I currently work for the health department, and that job takes up a large majority of my time. What I am used to doing in that job (I am a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor) is doing a home visit and providing a mother with unlimited follow-up via phone and or return visits, as needed by the mother. So now, as a PPLC, I need to shift my thinking a bit to ensure that what I am doing in private practice will remain economically feasible. I will be doing home visits as I do not have an office.

Do you include a follow-up visit in the cost of your initial fee? I am finding that almost everyone needs a follow-up visit, but I am not sure that someone would pay for that and do it if I didn't offer that as part of the package with the initial home visit. What kind of follow-up are you including with that initial visit?

Thanks for any whoa re able to share how you handle charging for follow-up needs.

Best,

Sonya Shaver, BS, CHES, IBCLC