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Co-ops and Co-operative business models / Alternatives to traditional healthcare or mental healthcare business models

I'm interested in alternatives to traditional models of mental-health which use: - charge by the session or charge by time - utilizing insurance or HMO - utilizing diagnoses or "medical necessity" - relying on hiring employees or staff - having big packages - making the simple seem complex or dragging out treatment - "sickness" model

Please don't reply to this with an answer that just proposes one of the above non-solutions to this question (only saying this because people have responded this way when I asked them before).

My perspective (I'm not wanting to change this perspective) is that the current system of therapy of charging by the session or for time, or pay associated with diagnostic codes, is that this creates a vested interest, however unconscious or unintentional, for the therapist or therapy company to be rewarded for retaining clients a longer period of time, treating them more frequently, spending more time in treatment, and in the provider and the client viewing the client as more sick and/or documenting it this way also, or of perceiving part of the value of session in terms of the number of minutes, or (I know BetterHelp has done this) measuring value in word-count or frequency of contact.

This is problematic if we accept (I think the Freakonomics guys have this assumption / axiom / postulate) that incentives influence behavior. My goal is truly to run a sustainable solo-practitioner or equal-ownership-equal-voice democratic business that is profit-sustainable but where the incentives are aligned with clients getting better faster, clients and providers tending to view clients from a strengths-based and solution-focused and point-positive and point-to-possibility / growth-mindset POV, and with clients spending less time in session and in treatment, or being able to have conversations that are like "sit somewhere where we couldn't see a clock", and which support autonomy (see Thomas Szasz' book on Ethics) and which support real longitudinal lifetime ROI.

I am interested in those who have experience trying this, or who are interested in dialoging on these ideas, or who know who I might talk to about this.

Thank you for your time, interest, and perspective!

Asked on April 7, 2023, 5:33 p.m. in Sustainability, Health/Wellness/Fitness/Bodywork

7 answers

Hello Peter,

I have worked with co/ops and cooperative business models as a volunteer advisor. They are permitted in most states, but I am sure you are aware that they are subject to state and local laws.

Your detailed explanation of a "Holistic" business philosophy rather than time driven services billing is presented admirably in your question. In my experience your concept involves breaking many of the capitalistic practices that have grown into health services fields of endeavor that directly impact on the profit motives you criticize.

As a volunteer at MicroMentor for many years I have seen a trend among my clients who are entering the counseling field. I believe there are reasons for that and they are not all economic in nature. Social networking has driven a great deal of the movement in that direction, fostering advanced ideas beyond the "Almighty Buck" in terms of how we can help each other professionally with our businesses.

You web site is an excellent presentation of your philosophy and business proposition. Perhaps a search on related topics here at MicroMentor would place you in contact with Mentors and Entrepreneurs who would be willing to further discuss your concepts with you.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss your concepts further.

Best wishes with your enterprise.

April 8, 2023, 10:59 a.m.

Report Kenneth's answer

Holistic Health of Citizens when perceived as Vital to Overall Economic & Social well-being also ( other than Altruistm as Chief purpose of Health services) should facilitate Quicker recovery Procedures; thus Education / Awareness on this, helps .

Audits and Stringency towards ensuring that the Unhealthy are not being exploited are Compulsory.

Health, Welfare and Safety are Rights of all Citizens : thus, Moral syllabi, Medical, Education, Justice,& basics of Health , Safety & Welfare are to be actually served free of cost by Government ( via their Earnings, Contributions and Donations from Industrialists & Philanthropists).

Tried to answer based upon understanding your concern to best of my knowledge