My name is Ryan Gunton PhD and I am California psychologist that lives in Sacramento. I was first introduced to Consultative Examinations (CEs) and the work with the California Department of Disability Determinations Services (DDSD) in my post-doctoral internship where, amongst other things, part of our focus was getting clients through the process of applying for disability benefits.
It was in my first job as a licensed psychologist that I began performing these evaluations as a DDSD vendor. I quickly learned that the DDSD requires a simple snapshot of the Claimant’s current level of functioning and that the results of the evaluation are based on the minimal records provided, the in-person interview, and the results of the testing when applicable. I decided that doing this work would create a nice balance with individual therapy in my own private practice.
When I left my job to pursue private practice full time, I was under the impression that I would easily and quickly get contacted by the DDSD for appointment. I assumed that that appointments in my area were readily available. However, I was not aware that there were a number of other vendors in my immediate geographical area. Additionally, the company that I had just come from had been using an online scheduler to book CE appointments.
It seemed obvious that I would not get a consistent flow of appointments without a similar scheduler. My hope for a balance of testing and other work seemed dashed. I cannot count how many hours I spent searching for the perfect solution. Of course, the pressure was on as this work was intended to be a significant part of my livelihood and linked to my success in my new private practice. Unfortunately, at the time, while other schedulers were close nothing I came across met ALL of the requirements mandated by the DDSD. After checking in with colleagues it was obvious that I was not the only one experiencing similar challenges. After months searching, calling, and signing up for free trials I realized that the best solution was to have a developer build me my own scheduler based on the DDSD requirements.
With a copious amount of time, effort, and money MyCeScheduler was complete. Of course, starting anything new like this with both the commitment of time and money was nerve wracking! The DDSD took many months to approve the operation of the scheduler. I crossed my fingers that MyCeScheduler would net me the desired results. It was not until about two weeks after the implementation of my scheduler that the CE appointments being booked jumped from approximately three a week to over 10! I was thrilled! However, the best part came next. I added new open appointment slots and they continue to be filled! I was soon reducing the number of new therapy clients I was taking to accommodate the exponential flow of CEs.
The only thing that changed from having three appointment to 10+ in two weeks was the scheduler. Nothing else in my practice had changed; not location or availability. Simply having the scheduler promoted me to a new level. Since that time, while there are ebbs and flows in referrals like any similar work, my experience is that the appointment volume has increased with my availability.
Using MyCeScheduler to book CE appointments from the DDSD is the primary way to increase flow. When MyCeScheduler was complete I realized that other individual vendors, like myself, would like to use a scheduler in order to compete in their area; even with large companies.
An additional benefit of MyCeScheduler is that I have actually used and refined it in my own practice. Throughout the years of doing this work and using MyCeScheduler I have found what works and what does not. Having a scheduler that meets the needs of both the vendor and the DDSD staff is only something that can be understood by someone who uses it every day. I have taken particular care to ensure that MyCeScheduler is operating optimally.
MyCeScheduler is the end result of this painstaking development and focus on detail. I invite you to ask any questions you have and to let me know if you would like to try a demo