Quarterly Admin Retreat For Solo PMHNPs
A solo practice runs on your attention. If all of it goes to patient care, the back end wobbles. A quarterly admin retreat steadies the business in two quiet hours. Close the portal. Open your calendar, EHR reports, payment processor, and a notepad.
The three numbers to review
1) Weekly burn and buffer weeks
Add fixed costs, including the weekly portion of annual bills. That total is your weekly burn. Divide your bank balance by the burn to get buffer weeks.
Traffic light rule: Green 4+ weeks. Yellow 2 to 4. Red under 2. Green allows upgrades. Yellow pauses upgrades. Red triggers a short push for consults and collections.
2) Average revenue per clinical hour
Pull the last 12 weeks. Use clinical revenue, including collected late cancellation fees. Divide by total clinical hours scheduled, not only completed. If low, tighten visit lengths and enforce your cancel policy before raising rates.
3) Lead to eval conversion
Count inquiries, consults, and booked evaluations. Track inquiry to consult and consult to eval. Low consult to eval is usually a structure or messaging issue. Low inquiries is an awareness issue. Different problems need different fixes.
One system to fix
Rate each area for ease and impact from 1 to 5: intake and scheduling, charting and refills, payments and collections, messaging and boundaries, referrals and visibility. Pick the lowest score with the highest impact. That is your focus for 30 days.
Fix it without overwhelm
Write the outcome in one sentence. Example: “New patients complete intake 48 hours before the visit with card on file.”
Map the steps from inquiry to scheduled visit. Remove two clicks.
Add one tool if your EHR cannot do it. Only one.
Create one script or template that prevents the most common back and forth.
Admin rehearsal helps. Book a mock visit and time the steps. If rescheduling takes more than two clicks or rates are hard to find, fix that first.
One plan for the next 30 days
Week 1: Clarify and decide
Set two rules. Record a three-minute screen share of the new intake process as your SOP. Update your website and consult script.
Week 2: Implement one change per day
Turn on intake packets. Add a reschedule link to confirmations. Load a standard late cancel message with a two-part payment option. Set reminders at 72 hours, 24 hours, and 2 hours. Set portal auto reply windows and crisis instructions.
Week 3: Observe and adjust
Track time to schedule and intake completion rate. If completion is under 80 percent, add one reminder or trim forms. If no-shows persist, move vulnerable patients to daytime for a month and review.
Week 4: Lock it in
Delete old forms and scripts. Update the SOP video. Notify current patients with a brief message.
Small upgrades most people miss
Prime hour protection. Define high-demand hours and decide how you handle late cancellations there.
No show buyback block. Hold one weekly admin block to offer same-week makeups.
Two-click reschedule. If it takes more, patients cancel instead.
Tool audit. Cancel software you have not opened in 60 days.
Stop list. Remove one task that does not require your license or hand it to an assistant.
A two-hour agenda you can repeat
0–15 mins: Gather numbers and set your traffic light.
15–30 mins: Pick one system and write the outcome.
30–60 mins: Map steps, remove two clicks, write one script.
60–90 mins: Implement quick changes.
90–110 mins: Schedule the 30-day plan.
110–120 mins: Write your stop list and calendar for the next retreat.
Three numbers tell the truth. One system gets your focus. One 30-day plan makes it real.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck or unsure where to start, come join us inside Strong Roots Mentorship. We take you step by step from ground zero to seeing patients and beyond, without the overwhelm.