First Hire at 5 Hours a Week
You don’t need a full-time admin to feel relief. Five focused hours a week and a clear task list are enough to give you evenings back!
The 5-minute readiness check
List your top three admin tasks and weekly time. Example: inbox triage 90 minutes. Scheduling 60 minutes. Intake packets 60 minutes.
Add them up. If you spend more than 3 hours on tasks that do not require your license, you are ready.
Do the math. Five hours at 25 dollars per hour is about 500 dollars per month. One eval and one follow up often cover this. Start at 3 hours if funds are tight. Grow to 5.
Onboarding in 7 days
Day 1: Orientation. Values, hours, tools, canned replies, and no clinical advice rule.
Day 2: Scheduling. Ten-minute screen share. Mock book and cancel.
Day 3: Intake packets. Send, check, one chase message.
Day 4: Portal triage. Practice tagging five old messages.
Day 5: Profiles and referrals. Update Google hours. Draft three outreach emails.
Day 6: Refill prep. Learn the form and your batching blocks.
Day 7: Review. Keep what worked. Remove what did not. Set one goal for next week.
Short videos beat manuals; if you change a process, record a new three-minute clip.
Measure success without micromanaging
Track three numbers weekly for a month.
Your inbox time. Aim to cut it in half.
Time to schedule. New consults get two options within one business day.
Intake completion. Complete at least 80 percent of the forms 48 hours before the visit.
What to add next
After two to four weeks, consider payment collection and card on file before the first visit. No show follow-up. A monthly report of referrals, consults, and bookings. First pass on superbills or claims if that fits your model. Add one new area at a time.
A mindset note
Getting help is not indulgent. It is responsible. Five hours a week buys attention for the work only you can do. If you want additional info on the nitty-gritty details, this is what we build inside Strong Roots.