INDUSTRY PULSE 

Your Monthly Briefing

for Private Practice Leaders

The mental health field shifts fast—policy changes, insurance trends, tech updates, compliance risks, and new opportunities come at you all at once. This page gives you the distilled version. No noise, no doom-scrolling, no digging through dense government PDFs.

Each month you’ll find a fresh, grounded breakdown of what’s changing in the industry, what it means for your practice, and how to stay one step ahead with clear, actionable guidance. Think of this as your private briefing room: a place to stay informed, anchored, and strategically prepared for whatever the next quarter brings.

I’ll update this space with new insights every time a newsletter lands in your inbox. You get the signal—without the static.

What Practice Owners Need to Know Heading Into 2026

The mental health industry is shifting again—quietly but significantly—and the practices that thrive next year will be the ones tuning in now. Here’s the distilled version of what’s happening behind the scenes and what it actually means for your business.

💊 Telehealth prescribing is still in limbo.
The DEA hasn’t finalized the permanent Ryan Haight rules yet, so we’re heading into 2026 with another stretch of “pending” guidance. The safest move for prescribers right now is simple: document decision-making clearly, verify state rules often, and keep workflows flexible so you’re not scrambling when the final rule drops.

🔏 Cybersecurity pressure is increasing.
Small and midsize practices are now prime targets for ransomware groups, and insurers/attorneys are cracking down on what counts as “reasonable security.” If you haven’t touched your HIPAA training, breach policy, security risk assessment, or BAAs since early 2025 (or ever)… it’s time.

🪛 Insurance companies are tightening the screws.
Expect more medical necessity audits, slower credentialing timelines, and more denials for anything that isn’t clean, crisp, and well-documented. If you rely heavily on insurance, this is the year to sharpen workflows—not hustle harder.

🔎 Scope-of-practice expansion is creating new opportunities.
Nurse practitioners are gaining more autonomy in more states, psychologists are inching toward prescribing in additional jurisdictions, and many associate-level clinicians have broader telehealth privileges. Translation: you can rethink your hiring strategy and delegate more intentionally in 2026, but you've got to stay on top of the agile legislation.

✂️ The macro trend: leaner, cleaner practices.
Everyone is burned out—clinicians, admin teams, owners. The only practices thriving right now are the ones unplugging from the “do more” mindset and tightening up their foundations. Smaller caseloads, higher session rates, thoughtful boundaries, automation, and capacity-based scheduling are becoming the new normal.

Your 2026 Prep List 

If you want to walk into the new year with steadiness instead of scramble, these are the essentials to tackle before January hits:

Fee schedule + service menu review

Annual policy refresh (HIPAA, cancellations, telehealth, emergencies)

Security Risk Assessment + updated breach plan

BAA check + vendor list audit

Contractor / employee agreements review

Website compliance check

Emergency + safety protocols

Referral workflows + onboarding tune-up

Annual goals mapped to your actual capacity