This is new to me. How does this work?

First, potential consultees (that’s you), reach out to decide if there is a good fit between what their practice needs and what we can offer. After gathering consent, we move forward together with whichever services are a fit.

Whether you write it with us or others, advanced services (locum tenens, long-term file custody, transitional care), require the existence of an appropriate professional will and contingency plan.

May I have your consent form?

Certainly, yes! Please email the office and we will send you one to read.

office@rocklaketeam.com

FAQ is organized into sections from this point on.

(1) Professional Will / Contingency Plan

(2) Locum tenens Services

(3) Transitional Care

(4) Long-term file custody

(1) Professional Will / Contingency Plan Development

What do I need to bring to our online meeting to develop the plan?

Just yourself. We will provide a checklist for people who want to DIY, or we can work through everything together step-by-step.

Do I need a lawyer?

We recommend communicating with your lawyer about the written plan that will emerge from our meeting(s). Lawyers have different strategies for taking your professional instructions into consideration. If you are feeling overwhelmed at the mention of this question alone, we will have your back and can walk you through everything at your pace.

(2) Locum Tenens Services

What does Locus Tenens mean?

Locum Tenens means something along the lines of 'to act in place of / to fill in as substitute’. If you are a solo practitioner who needs to step back, we may be able to temporarily fill in as your substitute.

Can you provide locum tenens services in-person?

Unfortunately… probably not. I aim to provide my services online to be able to help all geographic locations within Alberta. . If I can make it work to meet your clients in person at the beginning of a long-term coverage agreement, I am sure that could be rewarding for all parties.

I need to be able to support both practitioners who have hired me at the same time, and we would have to negotiate a fee that makes business sense. It is my typical practice to limit myself to two locum contracts at any one time.

Are there limits to your services as locum tenens?

Yes. They are all relatively straightforward limitations. (EAP, 24 hour DBT services, play therapy, formal assessments, some long-term disability files)

Safety files do not scare us.

We would discuss limitations before undertaking the role of locum tenens.

What happens if a client wants to work with you longer than the duration of our agreement?

We will not agree to work with them beyond the agreement we have in place. Even if you were to be, for example, tragically incapacitated during a long vacation, we would refer the clients onward. We do not have the personnel/capacity to take. on clients beyond the agreements in place.

When the responsibility for a client’s care has been returned to you, their access to booking meetings will be disabled.

How much do your locum/tenens services cost?

Consultation to set it all up: Your top rate + GST / 60 min hour

Locum tenens:

It depends on number of clients and your time away.

Your client is responsible for the cost of services. However, in general, my fee for client meetings is whatever you charge that client.

We generally only take on a small number of practices at a time (1-2 maximum per practitioner), this way we can be responsive in a timely manner. Typically, we only expect a small handful of your clients to utilize the service, but we restrict the number of concurrent businesses in anticipation of needing to meet their needs.

To book our time, we require a modest fee per month of absence. This is like a deductible if something goes wrong with billing clients - whether it gets used or not, we agree to not pester you about a client owing us money or unforeseens that come at our expense.

Does your team support multiple languages?

Our lead psychologist is fully bilingual in English and French. We continue to add to the team. Multiple languages are an asset in hiring.

What are your values?

In our work, we stay true to the task of promoting safety and creating change.

Is this a low-quality EAP in fancy window dressing?

No. This is a premium service. You are hiring us to provide continuity of care. We am responsible for upholding our professional standards. If we lack competency for a file, you will know and we will not take on that file.

Are you going to outsource this to cheaper, less experienced professionals?

No. You are hiring team: Vincent Mireau, our lead Registered Psychologist in the Province of Alberta has a number of specialized trainings. As this business grows, we will hire for character and competency alone because all who represent us need to represent our commitment to character and competency.

(3) Continuity of Care Services

How much do your continuity of care services cost?

It really depends on the size of what you are asking us to do.

Professional Representative upon death or incapacitation: 220+ GST / 60 min hour, minimum amount required for engagement.

How do I find the money for that?

If you are young, there are insurance products that can protect you. If you are in the advanced years of your career, there are different strategies available to you. We are happy to refer you to personal finance specialists / a few life insurance professionals who can equip you with cost mitigation alternatives (no kick-backs or incentive for us other than satisfaction of helping).

(4) Long-term file custody

What does this involve?

If you want to conclude your work as a psychologist, someone must ensure your clients’ information is safe.  We have a duty to protect our past clients information. A trusted psychologist should handle file releases with appropriate consent gathering. A trusted psychologist should handle subpoenas. We can do all of this for a fee.

How will the physical files be handled?

Once we have a contractual arrangement, we will retrieve your physical files, and then store them. We will not manipulate the files or alter them in any way. We require physical files be sorted by year of destruction. We require files governed by the limitations act be set aside beforehand.

What needs to be in place before you provide long-term file custody?

Before agreeing to provide stewardship for your practice, you must have the following in place, as well as other requirements:

(We can help with all of this.)

-initial consultation(s)

-a professional will with a designated professional personal representative

-a signed agreement with us

What happens if your whole team dies/ is incapacitated?

It is important that we practice what we preach. A plan was put in place before I started any of this. A restrictive instruction is in place to protect your files against sale or careless transfer, and a robust financial plan is in place to ensure continuity of service. Redundancies are in place to ensure stability of professional services.