TL;DR
Renew a psychiatry directory placement only after reviewing what it actually delivered, the administrative relevance of resulting inquiries and the complete cost of keeping the entry accurate. Separate evaluation requests from therapy inquiries, established-patient contacts and visits outside the verified service area. Unknown attribution stays unknown; a directory profile view is not an appointment.
Define the product at renewal
Ask what payment buys now: a profile, placement prominence, additional categories, a link or another stated deliverable. Retain the actual entry, terms and quote. Do not assume that last year's inclusion, correction rights or cancellation process remains unchanged.
GetPatients has a commercial interest in healthcare visibility services. Apply the same evidence review to any proposal it makes. This worksheet supplies no directory ranking, market benchmark or claim that a named publisher works for every practice.
A paid directory can be worth considering for its defined service and audience. A promise of AI recommendation needs separate support. The directory offer guide covers that initial purchase question. This article addresses the later renewal decision using the psychiatry practice's actual administrative inquiry evidence.
Keep the evidence streams separate
Publisher profile views, measured referral visits, optional source responses and practice-verified appointment states are different observations. Request definitions, reporting periods and limitations for each. An unspecified “contact” can include a button click, unanswered call or received request; find out which before comparing fees.
Have staff classify relevant operational records within approved practice systems. Use aggregate administrative categories for management, with the actual report reviewed for its recipient and purpose. Do not call an extract anonymous merely because names were removed. For U.S. HIPAA covered entities, HHS de-identification guidance describes formal methods that consider more than names. Have the responsible reviewer assess the actual summary and intended use; do not send medication histories and therapy narratives to a seller to prove its value.
| Inquiry disposition | Meaning for the renewal question | Boundary to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| New-evaluation information requested | Interest in the promoted administrative pathway | Request is not a confirmed or attended evaluation |
| Outside transfer inquiry | Possible new-to-practice service interest | No assumed continuation of a prescription or acceptance into ongoing care |
| Therapy-only inquiry where therapy is not offered | Potential service-description or category mismatch | Not a clinical judgment about the person |
| Existing-patient contact | Administrative workload for the current relationship | Exclude from new acquisition while preserving its service importance |
| Payment misunderstanding | Entry may not explain the actual arrangement | No assumption about affordability or individual insurance benefits |
| Location or telehealth boundary mismatch | Profile wording or targeting needs inspection | Remote care does not imply universal access |
| Duplicate or source unknown | Evidence cannot support distinct directory attribution | Do not assign the record to the directory for convenience |
These are proposed management categories. Qualified practice staff decide clinical suitability through the normal process. Keep a separate record of missing information rather than treating every unresolved inquiry as irrelevant.
Complete the renewal worksheet with real inputs
Record the quoted renewal fee, any agency management fee, staff maintenance effort, implementation costs and the actual term. Keep currency and billing period explicit. A profile that requires repeated corrections carries different work from a stable entry, even if the headline listing fee is unchanged.
Complete the blank review: purchased placement ___; current service and professional-role accuracy ___; verified administrative inquiry evidence ___; attribution limits ___; correction workload ___; full renewal commitment ___; alternatives with actual quotes ___; decision owner ___; next review condition ___.
If calculating a cost per verified directory-associated inquiry, use compatible included costs and the same defined inquiry group. Document how association was established and how duplicates were handled. If no qualifying inquiry or reliable source link exists, show the measure as unavailable. Do not estimate a return by multiplying inquiries by an assumed duration of psychiatric care.
Use the measurement dictionary to preserve the event definitions. Keep clinical appropriateness, attendance and collected revenue out of labels that only establish an administrative inquiry.
Require evidence for the seller's renewed performance promise
For U.S. advertising, FTC guidance requires a reasonable basis for advertising claims before they run. The FTC's substantiation explanation does not establish the value of this particular placement. Ask the seller for the evidence behind the exact claim rather than accepting a traffic screenshot as a forecast of evaluations.
If the seller supplies a general psychiatry success story, inspect whether its service, payment arrangement and new-versus-established event match your decision. If the directory refuses to correct an inaccurate professional role or availability claim, treat that as a material deliverable problem rather than an inconvenience offset by a large view total.
Keep the factual entry accurate even while deciding whether to renew. Arrange the actual correction or removal process and verify where old links lead. Ending payment does not by itself establish what remains public under the publisher's terms.
Choose renew, revise or end against the evidence
Consider renewal when the actual placement is accurate, its defined evidence is useful and the full commitment fits the practice's chosen acquisition scope. Request revised terms or a smaller scope when the placement has value but attribution, maintenance or service categories remain problematic. End or defer when the offer depends on unsupported outcomes or a factual mismatch the publisher cannot resolve.
Record which finding would change the decision. This avoids an endless renewal justified by “being everywhere,” while also avoiding a premature conclusion that an unmeasured appointment means the placement had no useful role.
Frequently asked questions
Is cost per inquiry enough to choose a directory?
Only when the definition and evidence are understood, and even then it is a limited measure. Review administrative relevance, current capacity, maintenance work and commercial terms alongside it.
Can a directory claim credit when a person later searches our name?
Keep the actual attribution method and uncertainty visible. A reported influence may add context; it does not prove that the placement caused the appointment or should receive exclusive credit.
Should we compare directory fees with advertising spend directly?
Compare defined work and compatible evidence, using actual full costs. A profile fee, managed campaign and website repair purchase different obligations and should not be judged from an unexplained headline price alone.