Payroll services for therapy group practices

Start with each person’s approved pay agreement

Start with how each person is supposed to be paid. A practice may use a salary, pay per completed session, hourly pay or pay based on money received. Follow the approved agreement for that person and period. The easiest report to download may not use the right rules.

List the work that should be paid, the rates and when they took effect, the pay-period dates and where each input comes from. Include approved nonclinical work, leave and other payable items. A completed-session total may be part of the calculation; it is not the entire pay agreement.

Cortexa carries that arrangement from original records through calculation, practice approval and the payroll run in the agreed setup. Your practice retains compensation decisions and approval authority. Our role is to do the administrative work and handle payroll questions with a clear record of the calculation and action.

Keep session dates, payment dates and pay periods clear

A session can happen in one pay period and be paid for in another. Which date matters depends on the approved pay agreement. If someone is paid for completed sessions, use those sessions. If their pay is based on money received, use the payment records the agreement calls for.

For example, Jane reports distinguish when a session happened, when a bill was issued, when money arrived and when it was matched to the bill. Those different dates can change which pay period includes an item. Check the report before using it to calculate pay.

Also account for changes after the cutoff: a corrected appointment, late payment, refund or rate change. Preserve the original approved result and record the subsequent correction through the authorized process. Silently replacing last period’s workbook makes the next question harder to resolve.

Calculate pay, get approval and run payroll

The workflow makes the calculation visible, brings genuine exceptions to the approver and carries the approved result into payroll. The owner should be able to review the decisions without rediscovering original records or reconstructing the logic at the deadline.

1. Gather the records

   Bring together the pay period, completed work and other approved pay items.

2. Calculate pay

   Apply each person’s approved rates, dates and rules.

3. Check the totals

   Compare with the source records and pay agreements.

4. Resolve questions

   Bring the facts and decision needed to the right person.

5. Get approval

   Present the totals and changes to the authorized approver.

6. Run payroll

   Use the agreed system and approved access.

7. Keep the record

   Check the run status and preserve the approved result.

See how the calculation works

Here is a simple example of part of a pay calculation. Suppose an approved completed session pays $70 and approved supervision work pays $40 an hour. Thirty eligible sessions and two supervision hours total $2,180: 30 × $70 + 2 × $40. These are invented example rates, not a pay recommendation.

The full payroll may include other work, leave, taxes, deductions and employer costs. The example only shows two components. Your approved agreements and professional payroll process determine the complete result.

The useful review shows the 30-session source, the two approved hours, the applicable rates and any exceptions. If a session was cancelled or a rate changed mid-period, the established rule determines the calculation or the specific question is escalated. Once the complete payroll is approved, Cortexa runs it within the agreed payroll setup. Guessing at the policy would create a compensation decision inside an administrative task.

Answer payroll questions without rebuilding the calculation

When a clinician asks about pay, the answer should connect to their pay period, work and agreement. Cortexa uses the calculation and payroll record to explain routine items and identify anything that needs correcting.

Questions that change pay policy still return to the practice’s authorized decision-maker. Questions about an already approved calculation should not require the owner to rebuild it. The distinction lets the service complete more of the work while keeping the practice in control of the decisions.

Keep a record when something changes

Set an input cutoff and a clear process for late information. Record which period the item relates to, why it changed, the source supporting it and the authorized handling. The person reviewing payroll should be able to see a correction without comparing several nearly identical spreadsheet files.

If pay is based on payments received, a later refund or a payment moved to a different bill may need attention. If pay is based on sessions, a corrected appointment may matter instead. Follow the approved correction process. Do not automatically put every difference into the next paycheck.

Fix repeated problems at the earlier step. Missing approval for supervision hours needs a reliable way to record that approval. An unclear rate start date needs an updated pay record. Reports that disagree need a check of the numbers, not the same unexplained adjustment every pay period.

Keep employment and tax decisions with the right people

Payroll support applies approved instructions; it does not independently decide worker classification, wage obligations, tax treatment or benefit eligibility. Those depend on the actual arrangement and applicable requirements and belong with the practice’s authorized professionals and payroll process.

The IRS’s employment-tax recordkeeping guidance identifies records such as wage payments, payment dates, employee information and tax records. A reviewable preparation process should fit the practice’s broader recordkeeping responsibilities rather than exist as an isolated spreadsheet.

The membership setup identifies the payroll system, permitted access, calculation and run responsibilities, and approval process. Cortexa executes payroll within that arrangement. The practice keeps authority over compensation and approval; an EHR report does not become legal payroll advice.

Connect payroll with the rest of the practice

Cortexa Analytics helps you review sessions, revenue, clients, clinician activity and filled appointment time. These give you a picture of the business. Payroll still follows each approved pay agreement and the records needed for that calculation.

Within Full Service Partner, calculating pay, running payroll and answering questions sit alongside the agreed intake, scheduling and billing work. If a pay question starts with an appointment error, a payment matched to the wrong service or a missing approval, the right part of the process can be corrected.

The owner reviews the decisions and exceptions that need authority, supported by a clear calculation and payroll record. Evaluate the service by accurate execution, traceable answers and the direct work plus checking time it removes. Sending a spreadsheet alone does not complete the payroll responsibility.