Inside look: How we work with insurance plans for you
Discover how Headway advocates for mental health providers by negotiating top insurance rates, streamlining credentialing, and ensuring fast, reliable payments so you can focus on delivering care.
Olivia DavisChief Commercial Officer at Headway
Much of the important work we do for providers at Headway happens behind the scenes. We engage directly with insurance companies to negotiate the terms that make your practice possible — from the rates they’ll reimburse to the speed at which you’re credentialed.
As Headway’s Chief Commercial Officer, I lead a team of more than 30 individuals dedicated to this work. Our primary mission is to secure the best possible terms with insurance companies for our providers.
Because you may not interact with us directly, I want to share how our team operates — and more importantly, how our efforts show up in your day-to-day practice.
About the team advocating for you with health plans
We’ve built partnerships with over 55 insurance plans — from national commercial carriers to government programs like Medicare Advantage and Medicaid — because we know many of you take insurance to make care more accessible.
To keep those partnerships strong, we’ve structured our team so that each plan has dedicated people building relationships, strategically working towards new terms and expanded networks, tracking policy changes, and advocating for you. These are real, ongoing partnerships — not just one-time negotiations.
Even between contract renewals, we’re continually working with plans to smooth out credentialing processes, solve claims hiccups, and push for improvements.
Our goal is to make sure you get the support and competitive payment you deserve, without the uncertainty.
When we negotiate with insurance companies, we prioritize competitive provider compensation above all else. It’s why we’re proud to have the strongest rates for providers and lowest take rate compared to competitors. You are the most scarce and critical asset in mental healthcare, and our business model reflects this reality.
What we prioritize when we negotiate
Our team partners with health plan leaders to understand what is most important to them (like network diversity, availability, or specialties). From there, we work to demonstrate how our network reflects those values so that when the time comes for us to renegotiate, we can clearly illustrate our contribution.
Based on what we offer, plans either offer us standard or enhanced rates.
Enhanced rates are higher than standard, allowing us to reimburse you at a competitive rate and keep a varied percentage to power our business.
Our goal? To have as many plans with enhanced rates as possible.
How this shows up in your practice
Our advocacy efforts translate into tangible benefits for your practice:
Rates that reflect your value: We advocate for rates that vary appropriately by market, service, and plan — not one-size-fits-all flat rates.
Fast and free credentialing: We manage the credentialing from start to finish, and expedite your approval whenever possible.
Reliable payments: You get paid every two weeks, regardless of when insurers pay us.
No payment risk: Even if a claim is delayed or denied, we work with the insurer — so you don’t have to.
No membership fees: Or upfront costs to join our network. You don't pay to be part of Headway.
Efficiency that protects your time: Our tools and operations allow us to work more efficiently than other platforms — and that efficiency flows back to you in the form of fewer headaches and better support.
The model behind it
Many of our plan relationships, especially those with enhanced rates, are contingent on factors like speed to care and outcomes. This incentivizes us to provide you with the tools and support you need to deliver exceptional care efficiently.
At Headway, we work directly with insurance companies to negotiate the best possible rates. When we’re able to secure above-market rates from a health plan, we can offer competitive payouts to our providers and keep a small percentage of each session payment to sustain our business.
There are times when we’re not able to get higher rates. In those cases, we may not earn anything from those sessions. But no matter what, we make sure you’re paid on time every two weeks — even if we haven’t been paid yet.
We’re built on a simple idea: when you do well, so do we.
Why this matters for your practice
Whether you’re building a full caseload or just starting to accept insurance, our team’s work supports your practice in lasting ways by allowing you to:
See patients across many insurance types, all on one platform
Focus on clinical work, while our tools handle credentialing, eligibility checks, and claims
Build a more sustainable practice with reliable payment and competitive rates
Continue refining your skills as a clinician through free CE/CMEs and clinical support
It all works together: when providers like you join Headway, it strengthens our entire network, meaning we can keep negotiating for better rates, smoother processes, and more support for your work.
To summarize: We’re in your corner
My team and I are constantly working to expand our health plan relationships and improve our terms and your experience. We view ourselves as true partners in your private practice, from scheduling and documentation to eligibility checks and insurance credentialing.
Headway exists to support you — not just financially, but professionally.
Thank you for choosing us as your partner. We’re proud to advocate for you every day.
If the journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step, then the journey to starting or streamlining your insurance practice begins with a single call.
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