TL;DR:
You've built something special—a thriving solo integrative practice where clients see real results and keep coming back. But lately, you've been feeling the ceiling.
There are only so many clients you can see in a week. Only so many hours in your day. And as much as you'd love to help everyone who reaches out, your calendar is full and your waitlist keeps growing.
This is the moment many integrative practitioners face: do you stay solo and accept your current capacity, or do you build a team that can serve more people while delivering even better care?
If you're reading this, you probably already know the answer. Team-based care isn't just about seeing more clients—it's about offering the kind of comprehensive, coordinated support that gets real results. When your client works with both a dietitian and a therapist, or sees a chiropractor alongside their functional medicine doctor, they're not just getting more appointments. They're getting integrated care that addresses the whole person.
This guide walks you through exactly how to build a collaborative integrative care team—from hiring your first provider to creating the systems that keep everyone aligned and working together seamlessly.
Collaborative care (sometimes called team-based care or integrated care) means multiple healthcare providers working together on shared clients, actively coordinating treatment instead of working in silos.
Here's what sets collaborative care apart from the typical referral model:
Traditional Referral Model:
Collaborative Care Model:
What a Collaborative Care Team Might Look Like:
For a 5-10 person integrative clinic, you might have:
The key is that everyone brings a different lens to the same goal: helping clients thrive.
Why go through the complexity of building a team? Because the benefits far outweigh the effort:
Research consistently shows that team-based care improves health outcomes. When a client with IBS works with both a dietitian and a therapist, they're more likely to see lasting improvement because you're addressing both the gut-brain connection and their relationship with food.
One provider alone can't address every dimension of health. A team can.
Instead of sending clients out to three different practices across town, you can offer complete care within your clinic. Clients appreciate the convenience, but more importantly, they're far more likely to actually follow through when everything is coordinated under one roof.
A solo practitioner's income is capped by their available hours. With a team, your practice can generate revenue even when you're not personally seeing clients. Plus, collaborative care packages (like nutrition + therapy bundles) often command premium rates because of their comprehensive approach.
Solo practice can be isolating. When you're the only practitioner, there's no one to brainstorm tough cases with, no one to cover when you're sick, and no one who truly understands what you're dealing with.
A collaborative team provides peer support, shared learning, and the relief of knowing you're not carrying everything alone.
This is the big one: with a team, your practice can grow beyond your personal time constraints. You can take a vacation without closing the practice. You can focus on the aspects of care you love most while others handle areas where they excel.
Before you hire anyone, you need clarity on roles. Integrative care can get messy if providers are stepping on each other's toes or if clients are confused about who does what.
Questions to Answer for Each Role:
What is this provider's specialty and focus area?
"Dietitian" is too vague. "Dietitian specializing in PCOS and metabolic health" or "Sports dietitian focused on endurance athletes" gives clear differentiation.
What specific services will they deliver?
List it out: initial consultations, follow-ups, lab review appointments, group programs, meal planning services, supplement protocols, telehealth sessions, in-person visits.
Who is their ideal client?
Not everyone needs to serve the same population. This prevents internal competition and allows for meaningful specialization. One therapist might work with postpartum women while another focuses on anxiety in high-performers.
How do they collaborate with other team members?
Define the handoff process. For example: "Therapist identifies clients struggling with disordered eating patterns and offers a warm handoff to the dietitian. They meet monthly to discuss shared clients and coordinate treatment approaches."
What are their scope-of-practice boundaries?
Make sure everyone understands professional limits. Health coaches can't diagnose. Dietitians can't provide psychotherapy. Respect credentials and stay within legal and ethical boundaries.
Document all of this in a team handbook. When everyone knows their lane—and how to collaborate across lanes—you avoid confusion and create a better client experience.
Once you know what roles you need, it's time to find the right people.
Your job posting should include:
Make it clear what kind of culture you're building. Are you collaborative and mission-driven? Do you value continuing education? Do you prioritize work-life balance? The right candidates will self-select.
Skip the generic job boards and go where practitioners actually look:
Don't just check boxes on qualifications. Assess fit:
Clinical competence:
Collaboration style:
Culture fit:
Always check licenses, call references, and verify malpractice insurance before extending an offer.
This is where many practices drop the ball. A strong onboarding sets your new hire up for success.
Week 1: Foundations
Week 2: Clinical Preparation
Week 3: Supervised Client Work
Ongoing: Continuous Support
When you invest in onboarding, providers ramp up faster, feel more confident, and stick around longer. It's worth the time.
The right technology makes or breaks team-based care. You need systems that allow seamless collaboration without creating administrative chaos.
Multi-Provider Scheduling
Your scheduling system needs to support:
With Practice Better, each provider has their own calendar with unique availability rules, but you can also view the entire team's schedule at a glance—making coordination simple.
Shared Client Charts with Role-Based Access
When multiple providers see the same client, everyone needs visibility into what's happening:
This is where Practice Better's multi-user capabilities shine. Providers can see shared client information while respecting privacy boundaries, and everything stays HIPAA-compliant.
Secure Internal Communication
Your team needs to discuss clients without violating privacy:
Shared Resources and Templates
Consistency matters. Your team should use:
Store these in your practice management platform so everyone has access to current versions.
Coordinated Billing and Invoicing
When multiple providers see a client, billing needs to be crystal clear:
Practice Better handles all of this automatically, so you don't need separate systems for each provider.
Let's walk through what coordinated care actually looks like day-to-day.
Client: Maria, 42-year-old with chronic fatigue, gut issues, and stress
Your dietitian, Sarah, completes Maria's nutrition assessment. She identifies gut dysbiosis, inadequate protein intake, and erratic eating patterns due to work stress.
Sarah notes in Maria's shared chart: "Client reports significant work-related stress affecting eating consistency. Would benefit from stress management support alongside nutrition intervention. Recommending warm handoff to therapist."
Before Maria leaves, Sarah introduces her to Alex, one of your therapists, via a quick video call (or in-person if you're in the same location).
Sarah: "Maria, I'd love you to meet Alex, one of our therapists. From what you've shared about work stress, I think working with both of us together would be really powerful."
Alex spends five minutes chatting with Maria, explaining how therapy could support her nutrition goals. Maria books an intake appointment before leaving.
Alex reviews Sarah's notes in Practice Better before meeting with Maria. He already knows about her nutrition challenges, so he can focus the intake on stress, work-life balance, and coping mechanisms.
After the session, Alex documents in the shared chart: "Client experiencing burnout from overwork. Sleep quality poor. Using food as primary stress coping mechanism. Starting with stress management techniques and sleep hygiene. Coordinating with Sarah on meal timing strategies that support circadian rhythm."
At your team's monthly case consultation, Sarah and Alex discuss Maria's progress:
Sarah and Alex continue seeing Maria biweekly. When one of them notices something relevant:
After three months, Maria's energy is significantly better, her gut symptoms are resolving, and she's developing healthier stress responses. She tells friends: "It's amazing how my dietitian and therapist actually talk to each other. I don't have to repeat myself, and they're both on the same page about what I'm working on."
This level of coordination only works when you have the systems to support it.
How many practitioners should a small integrative clinic have?
Most integrative clinics start with 2-3 providers and grow to 5-10 over time. Start small—hire one complementary provider first (if you're a dietitian, maybe a therapist or health coach). Get your systems dialed in with a small team before scaling.
What's the difference between collaborative care and referral networks?
In a referral network, you send clients to external providers and hope they follow up (many don't). You rarely hear back about what happens.
In collaborative care, providers work within the same practice, actively communicate about shared clients, coordinate treatment plans, and document everything in shared charts. Client engagement and outcomes are dramatically better.
How do I share clients between providers safely and legally?
You need informed consent from clients to share their health information within your team. Include language in your intake consent forms that explains care coordination and allows internal information sharing.
Use a platform like Practice Better with role-based access controls—providers only see charts for clients they're actively treating, and all access is logged for HIPAA compliance.
Should I hire W-2 employees or 1099 contractors?
This depends on how much control you want:
W-2 employees: You set their schedule, control how they work, provide tools and training. You also pay payroll taxes, workers' comp, and potentially benefits. Good for building a cohesive team culture.
1099 contractors: They set their own hours, use their own methods, and handle their own taxes. You have less control but also less liability and cost. Good for providers who want autonomy.
Misclassification can lead to serious legal issues, so consult an employment attorney or HR specialist to determine the right structure for your situation.
How do I prevent competition between providers on my team?
Define clear specialties and ideal client profiles for each provider. When everyone has their own niche, there's less competition for the same clients.
Compensate fairly—if providers are earning well, they don't feel like they're fighting for scraps.
Foster a culture of abundance, not scarcity. Celebrate team wins and shared client successes. Make it clear that collaboration leads to better outcomes for everyone.
Ready to move from solo practitioner to collaborative care leader? Here's where to start:
If you're solo and hiring your first provider:
If you have a small team but lack coordination:
If you have an established team:
Building a collaborative care team is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a practice owner. Yes, it's more complex than solo practice. But when you get it right—when your team is truly working together to serve clients at the highest level—you create something that's bigger than any one person.
You create a practice that can scale, a team that supports each other, and most importantly, client outcomes that prove the power of integrative care.
Practice Better was built for collaborative practices. With multi-provider calendars, shared client charts, secure team messaging, and role-based permissions, your team can coordinate seamlessly—all in one HIPAA-compliant platform.
No more juggling separate systems. No more wondering what happened in your client's appointment with another provider. No more administrative chaos.
See how Practice Better supports team-based care with a free trial:
{{free-trial-simple-text}}
Note: This guide provides general operational guidance for building integrative care teams. For employment law, worker classification, or specific HR matters, consult with an attorney or HR specialist in your state.
TL;DR:
You've built something special—a thriving solo integrative practice where clients see real results and keep coming back. But lately, you've been feeling the ceiling.
There are only so many clients you can see in a week. Only so many hours in your day. And as much as you'd love to help everyone who reaches out, your calendar is full and your waitlist keeps growing.
This is the moment many integrative practitioners face: do you stay solo and accept your current capacity, or do you build a team that can serve more people while delivering even better care?
If you're reading this, you probably already know the answer. Team-based care isn't just about seeing more clients—it's about offering the kind of comprehensive, coordinated support that gets real results. When your client works with both a dietitian and a therapist, or sees a chiropractor alongside their functional medicine doctor, they're not just getting more appointments. They're getting integrated care that addresses the whole person.
This guide walks you through exactly how to build a collaborative integrative care team—from hiring your first provider to creating the systems that keep everyone aligned and working together seamlessly.
Collaborative care (sometimes called team-based care or integrated care) means multiple healthcare providers working together on shared clients, actively coordinating treatment instead of working in silos.
Here's what sets collaborative care apart from the typical referral model:
Traditional Referral Model:
Collaborative Care Model:
What a Collaborative Care Team Might Look Like:
For a 5-10 person integrative clinic, you might have:
The key is that everyone brings a different lens to the same goal: helping clients thrive.
Why go through the complexity of building a team? Because the benefits far outweigh the effort:
Research consistently shows that team-based care improves health outcomes. When a client with IBS works with both a dietitian and a therapist, they're more likely to see lasting improvement because you're addressing both the gut-brain connection and their relationship with food.
One provider alone can't address every dimension of health. A team can.
Instead of sending clients out to three different practices across town, you can offer complete care within your clinic. Clients appreciate the convenience, but more importantly, they're far more likely to actually follow through when everything is coordinated under one roof.
A solo practitioner's income is capped by their available hours. With a team, your practice can generate revenue even when you're not personally seeing clients. Plus, collaborative care packages (like nutrition + therapy bundles) often command premium rates because of their comprehensive approach.
Solo practice can be isolating. When you're the only practitioner, there's no one to brainstorm tough cases with, no one to cover when you're sick, and no one who truly understands what you're dealing with.
A collaborative team provides peer support, shared learning, and the relief of knowing you're not carrying everything alone.
This is the big one: with a team, your practice can grow beyond your personal time constraints. You can take a vacation without closing the practice. You can focus on the aspects of care you love most while others handle areas where they excel.
Before you hire anyone, you need clarity on roles. Integrative care can get messy if providers are stepping on each other's toes or if clients are confused about who does what.
Questions to Answer for Each Role:
What is this provider's specialty and focus area?
"Dietitian" is too vague. "Dietitian specializing in PCOS and metabolic health" or "Sports dietitian focused on endurance athletes" gives clear differentiation.
What specific services will they deliver?
List it out: initial consultations, follow-ups, lab review appointments, group programs, meal planning services, supplement protocols, telehealth sessions, in-person visits.
Who is their ideal client?
Not everyone needs to serve the same population. This prevents internal competition and allows for meaningful specialization. One therapist might work with postpartum women while another focuses on anxiety in high-performers.
How do they collaborate with other team members?
Define the handoff process. For example: "Therapist identifies clients struggling with disordered eating patterns and offers a warm handoff to the dietitian. They meet monthly to discuss shared clients and coordinate treatment approaches."
What are their scope-of-practice boundaries?
Make sure everyone understands professional limits. Health coaches can't diagnose. Dietitians can't provide psychotherapy. Respect credentials and stay within legal and ethical boundaries.
Document all of this in a team handbook. When everyone knows their lane—and how to collaborate across lanes—you avoid confusion and create a better client experience.
Once you know what roles you need, it's time to find the right people.
Your job posting should include:
Make it clear what kind of culture you're building. Are you collaborative and mission-driven? Do you value continuing education? Do you prioritize work-life balance? The right candidates will self-select.
Skip the generic job boards and go where practitioners actually look:
Don't just check boxes on qualifications. Assess fit:
Clinical competence:
Collaboration style:
Culture fit:
Always check licenses, call references, and verify malpractice insurance before extending an offer.
This is where many practices drop the ball. A strong onboarding sets your new hire up for success.
Week 1: Foundations
Week 2: Clinical Preparation
Week 3: Supervised Client Work
Ongoing: Continuous Support
When you invest in onboarding, providers ramp up faster, feel more confident, and stick around longer. It's worth the time.
The right technology makes or breaks team-based care. You need systems that allow seamless collaboration without creating administrative chaos.
Multi-Provider Scheduling
Your scheduling system needs to support:
With Practice Better, each provider has their own calendar with unique availability rules, but you can also view the entire team's schedule at a glance—making coordination simple.
Shared Client Charts with Role-Based Access
When multiple providers see the same client, everyone needs visibility into what's happening:
This is where Practice Better's multi-user capabilities shine. Providers can see shared client information while respecting privacy boundaries, and everything stays HIPAA-compliant.
Secure Internal Communication
Your team needs to discuss clients without violating privacy:
Shared Resources and Templates
Consistency matters. Your team should use:
Store these in your practice management platform so everyone has access to current versions.
Coordinated Billing and Invoicing
When multiple providers see a client, billing needs to be crystal clear:
Practice Better handles all of this automatically, so you don't need separate systems for each provider.
Let's walk through what coordinated care actually looks like day-to-day.
Client: Maria, 42-year-old with chronic fatigue, gut issues, and stress
Your dietitian, Sarah, completes Maria's nutrition assessment. She identifies gut dysbiosis, inadequate protein intake, and erratic eating patterns due to work stress.
Sarah notes in Maria's shared chart: "Client reports significant work-related stress affecting eating consistency. Would benefit from stress management support alongside nutrition intervention. Recommending warm handoff to therapist."
Before Maria leaves, Sarah introduces her to Alex, one of your therapists, via a quick video call (or in-person if you're in the same location).
Sarah: "Maria, I'd love you to meet Alex, one of our therapists. From what you've shared about work stress, I think working with both of us together would be really powerful."
Alex spends five minutes chatting with Maria, explaining how therapy could support her nutrition goals. Maria books an intake appointment before leaving.
Alex reviews Sarah's notes in Practice Better before meeting with Maria. He already knows about her nutrition challenges, so he can focus the intake on stress, work-life balance, and coping mechanisms.
After the session, Alex documents in the shared chart: "Client experiencing burnout from overwork. Sleep quality poor. Using food as primary stress coping mechanism. Starting with stress management techniques and sleep hygiene. Coordinating with Sarah on meal timing strategies that support circadian rhythm."
At your team's monthly case consultation, Sarah and Alex discuss Maria's progress:
Sarah and Alex continue seeing Maria biweekly. When one of them notices something relevant:
After three months, Maria's energy is significantly better, her gut symptoms are resolving, and she's developing healthier stress responses. She tells friends: "It's amazing how my dietitian and therapist actually talk to each other. I don't have to repeat myself, and they're both on the same page about what I'm working on."
This level of coordination only works when you have the systems to support it.
How many practitioners should a small integrative clinic have?
Most integrative clinics start with 2-3 providers and grow to 5-10 over time. Start small—hire one complementary provider first (if you're a dietitian, maybe a therapist or health coach). Get your systems dialed in with a small team before scaling.
What's the difference between collaborative care and referral networks?
In a referral network, you send clients to external providers and hope they follow up (many don't). You rarely hear back about what happens.
In collaborative care, providers work within the same practice, actively communicate about shared clients, coordinate treatment plans, and document everything in shared charts. Client engagement and outcomes are dramatically better.
How do I share clients between providers safely and legally?
You need informed consent from clients to share their health information within your team. Include language in your intake consent forms that explains care coordination and allows internal information sharing.
Use a platform like Practice Better with role-based access controls—providers only see charts for clients they're actively treating, and all access is logged for HIPAA compliance.
Should I hire W-2 employees or 1099 contractors?
This depends on how much control you want:
W-2 employees: You set their schedule, control how they work, provide tools and training. You also pay payroll taxes, workers' comp, and potentially benefits. Good for building a cohesive team culture.
1099 contractors: They set their own hours, use their own methods, and handle their own taxes. You have less control but also less liability and cost. Good for providers who want autonomy.
Misclassification can lead to serious legal issues, so consult an employment attorney or HR specialist to determine the right structure for your situation.
How do I prevent competition between providers on my team?
Define clear specialties and ideal client profiles for each provider. When everyone has their own niche, there's less competition for the same clients.
Compensate fairly—if providers are earning well, they don't feel like they're fighting for scraps.
Foster a culture of abundance, not scarcity. Celebrate team wins and shared client successes. Make it clear that collaboration leads to better outcomes for everyone.
Ready to move from solo practitioner to collaborative care leader? Here's where to start:
If you're solo and hiring your first provider:
If you have a small team but lack coordination:
If you have an established team:
Building a collaborative care team is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a practice owner. Yes, it's more complex than solo practice. But when you get it right—when your team is truly working together to serve clients at the highest level—you create something that's bigger than any one person.
You create a practice that can scale, a team that supports each other, and most importantly, client outcomes that prove the power of integrative care.
Practice Better was built for collaborative practices. With multi-provider calendars, shared client charts, secure team messaging, and role-based permissions, your team can coordinate seamlessly—all in one HIPAA-compliant platform.
No more juggling separate systems. No more wondering what happened in your client's appointment with another provider. No more administrative chaos.
See how Practice Better supports team-based care with a free trial:
{{free-trial-simple-text}}
Note: This guide provides general operational guidance for building integrative care teams. For employment law, worker classification, or specific HR matters, consult with an attorney or HR specialist in your state.
