Re: Therapist pay based on billable charges

[Promised Land Consulting, Inc.]

I have worked and owned a business in South Fla for over 7 years.  Contract positions in OT/PT and ST are prevalent here.  Many therapists prefer the 50% rule to $40 per hour as a contract therapist.  You are not "working on commission" you simply get reimbursed better for the same work that your Company requires you do.    For exapmle:  You may work for $40-/hr and see 2 kids at 9, 1 at 10:00 and a Mom with triplets at 11:00.  At the end of your morning you make $120.  (not bad).    Now consider the 50%.  Your 2 kids at 9 are Private Pay @$75/hr each, your kid at 9 are Medicaid at $67.89, your triplets at 10 are insurance at @$33.75/hr each.  On the 50% rule you now make roughly $160.  Do you do the work any differently.  Your Code of Ethics probably states that you do the same professional level of treatment.    Thirdly, from the Company's point of view.  Lets say that your 2 kids at 9 are "scholarship" or "Grant funded kids" and the Company makes a total of $20 each/hour, the 10 is still Medicaid, and the 3 at 11:00 are insurance that does not compensate well at only $20/hr each.  Now, the Company makes $168, a $40/hr therapist makes $120, and a 50% therapist makes $84.  A company who supports materials, office space, office staff, etc would go out of business if they only made $16/hr on their therapists.   Many Companies who use the 50% rule also allow the contract therapist to fill their own caseload (or in essence, choose the best paying clients so they still make a decent wage and not $84 for 3 hours work as in the above example...)  In fact, by law, if you are a "contract" worker, your  Company can not force assignments on you.  If you have questions on Contract Law, there is a lot on the IRS web site.   So I hope I have presented all three sides for you to consider.  Professionally speaking, and ethically speaking, it's not about quality of service provided, but if you are appropriately reimbursed for the work you perform, and your Company stays in business for you to have a job.   Best of Luck is sorting this out for your own professional and ethical comfort.    Jennifer Nowak, M.S., CCC-SLP President Speech and Language Pathologist   Promised Land Consulting, Inc. Office- 305-255-9561 FAX- 305-255-2572 e-mail- [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Get Healthy the Natural Way! http://www.prime1.net/promisedland