it can be based on a percentage of the therapist’s gross income; or a combination of both. Consider establishing minimum and maximum amounts. If the therapist undergoes a slow period or takes a number of absences, they are still responsible for making the minimum payment. This helps you cover the fixed costs of having the RMT there, and helps protect you from the risk of spending resources on a therapist who is not fully committed to a long-term relationship. A maximum rate is beneficial to the therapist. As their practice grows, gross income will rise, but the fixed costs generated for the clinic will not increase substantially. A maximum rate ensures the therapist will receive the benefits of their hard work. The agreement should also cover details such as responsibility for supplies, linens, clinic access, tele-phone costs, advertising and any other administrative fees. Whatever the agreement includes, it helps if both parties remain flexible. No matter how well conceived an agreement may seem at the outset, if it does not work for both parties, it will not benefit ei-ther in the long term. What is fair “It would be wise to do some research about the therapist you are considering bringing into your clinic.” Establish a contract To avoid misunderstandings and conflict, creating a concise clinic/therapist agreement is very impor-tant. This agreement should clearly establish respon-sibility of each party for all details. I have seen agreements from other clinics that are several pages long and are more complicated than they need to be, but this is certainly preferable to a handshake. Start with the basics. How will you establish the rental fee? This can be a flat rate with built-in increases; www.canadianchiropractor.ca I have had many discussions with therapists about the rates and fees charged and what is and is not included. A great starting point is to re-search what others are doing. A colleague did just that several years ago. He canvassed a number of clinics that included chi-ropractic treatment and massage therapy. In addition to rental rates, he asked about who covers linen costs, yellow pages or other promo-tional advertising, computer software updates, telephones and stationery. I was happy to learn my clinic was well placed regarding these details. Some clinics offered a bit more for a bit less, but most clinics were charging far more than we did. Rates and responsibilities can vary widely, so be prepared to discuss this with your potential therapist. Just as I would not consider a therapist in my clinic to be simply a source of income, the RMT should not consider the clinic simply as a work address. There is an opportunity here for you to create a mutually beneficial long-term relationship. If a chiropractor helps the therapist build a practice and in turn, the RMT helps the doctor with his or her practice, then both will succeed. It is easy for me to refer my chiropractic pa-tients for massage therapy. Likewise, if their patient is suffering from back pain or a headache, and that person has never been to a chiropractor, the RMT can have them consult with me. October 2015 Canadian Chiropractor 25 Create an asset
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor October 2015: Page 25
