Private Pay Neuropsychology
Welcome! This page is for Neuropsychologists, and other providers, who are considering starting private practices with a private pay (or cash pay, or Direct Care) model. It is important to know that this is quite possible, and that it comes with some significant benefits for both neuropsychologists and the patients and families they serve. It is also challenging, and so collaboration and sharing of resources are important. It is hoped that this page will promote discussions among neuropsychologists who seek to establish private pay neuropsychology practices.
Below are resources that may be helpful for specific questions. Please evaluate them for appropriate relevance to your own situation (they are not necessarily endorsed, just listed). Please contact us if there are resources missing that should be here.
You will notice that much of what is listed here pertains to Direct Primary Care (DPC), which is a physician-led movement to move away from insurance that goes back about a decade. More recently, physician specialists (e.g. neurologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, etc.) are also moving away from insurance, and this area has come to be known as Direct Specialty Care (DSC). There is even a growing movement of independent surgery centers that run on the cash pay model (e.g. the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, which has operated for several decades on private pay, see https://surgerycenterok.com). So most of what this page will list was written for physicians, but there is much in the DPC and DSC literature that may be helpful to neuropsychologists and other psychology specialists who are seeking to function and thrive outside of the insurance payment model.
In the future, we may add a listing of private pay neuropsychology practices to allow for collaboration and sharing of information among Neuropsychologists who are pursuing this area. Contact us if you are interested in this possibility.
Best wishes in your journey toward private pay/cash only/Direct Care practices!
General Resources for Establishing a Private Practice in Neuropsychology:
Barisa, M. (2010). The Business of Neuropsychology: A practical guide. Oxford University Press.
Pepping, M. (2014). Successful Private Practice in Neuropsychology and Neuro-Rehabilitation: A scientist-practitioner model. Academic Press.
Peck, E.A. (2003). Business Aspects of Private Practice in Clinical Neuropsychology. In G.J. Lamberty, J.C. Courtney, & R.L. Heilbronner (Eds.), The Practice of Clinical Neuropsychology: A survey of practices and settings (pp. 53-90). Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers.
Resources for establishing a Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice:
Couch, J. (2024). Direct Primary Care for Medical Students and Residents: A Step-by-step Guide to Starting Your Own DPC Practice: (no publisher listed).
Farrago, D. and Farrago, D. (2016). The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice: Authentic Medicine.
Gunther, J. (2020). Sparks Start Fires: A Guide for Dreamers who are also Doctors: Independently published.
Jasper, B. (2024). Byja Blueprint: An Introductory Guide to Direct Primary Care for Doctors, Patients, and Businesses: Byja Health Systems.
Tackitt, M. & Tackitt, H. (2024). How to Open Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice: Independently published.
Tecco, H., Rahim, F.O., Lalwani, P., & Palakodeti, S. (2024). Direct Primary Care: Financial Analysis and Potential to Reshape the U.S. Healthcare Landscape. Journal of General Internal Medicine https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09038-5
Thomas, P. (2018). Direct Primary Care: The Cure for our Broken Healthcare System: Publisher 50995 (Amazon).
Tou, L.C., Prakash, N., Jeyakumar, S.J ., & Srekar, R. (2020). Investigating Social Determinants of Health in an Urban Direct Primary Care Clinic. Cureus 12(10). https://www.cureus.com/articles/37438-investigating-social-determinants-of-health-in-an-urban-direct-primary-care-clinic#!/
Resources for establishing a Direct Specialty Care (DSC) practice:
Girnita, D. (2021). The Emergence of Direct Specialty Care. KevinMD.com, September 6, 2021. https://kevinmd.com/2021/09/the-emergence-of-direct-specialty-care.html
Girnita, D. (2022). Direct Specialty Care: Concierge Service Without the Price Tag. Medscape, March 1, 2022. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/969129
Girnita, D. (2022). Ten Steps to Start Your Direct Specialty Care Practice. www.dscalliance.org, October 22, 2022. https://dscalliance.org/ten-steps-to-start-your-direct-specialty-care-practice/
Matta, D. & Starrett, K. (2023). The Cash Practice Field Manual: The Clinician's Guide to a Successful Cash Practice and Never Having to Deal with Insurance Companies again: Independently published, January 2, 2023.
Torres-Hodges, G. (2023). Private Practice Solution: Reclaiming Physician Autonomy and Restoring the Doctor-Patient Relationship: Grace Torres-Hodges (publisher).
Information on independent surgery centers (cash only):
Pflanzer, L.R. (2017). There’s a Growing Movement of Surgery Centers and Specialists that List Their Prices and Don’t Take Insurance. Business Insider, April 8, 2017. https://www.businessinsider.com/surgery-centers-and-specialists-that-take-cash-not-insurance-2017-3?op=1
Organizations and resources that support Direct Primary Care (DPC) and Direct Specialty Care (DSC)
Direct Primary Care Alliance
dpcalliance.org
DPC News
dpcnews.com
Direct Specialty Care Alliance
dscalliance.org
https://dscalliance.org/ten-steps-to-start-your-direct-specialty-care-practice/
https://dscalliance.org/free-resources/
Freedom Healthworks
freedomhealthworks.com
My DPC Story
mydpcstory.com
Marketplaces for cash medicine
Fair Market Health
www.fairmarkethealth.com
Free Market Medical Association
https://fmma.org
MD Save
https://www.mdsave.com/