Leaving Rula: What Therapists Need to Know
Rula has faced significant instability over the past year, including layoffs and changes to provider terms that have left many therapists looking for a more stable path forward. If you are considering leaving Rula, you are not alone, and the transition to independent credentialing is more manageable than it might feel right now.
How Rula Credentialing Is Structured
Rula credentials providers under its own group billing structure, which means your payer contracts are held by Rula rather than by you. Sessions you bill go through Rula's group NPI and tax ID, and Rula takes a percentage before remitting the remainder to you.
This structure gives Rula control over your payer relationships for as long as you remain on the platform.
What Happens When You Leave Rula
When you terminate your relationship with Rula, your access to billing under Rula's payer contracts ends. Your insurance panels do not transfer to you automatically. You would need to apply to each payer as an independent provider to establish your own contracts.
The one piece of good news is that your credentialing history counts. Payers can see that you have been actively practicing and billing, even if it was under a group billing entity. This can sometimes work in your favor during the independent application process.
How Rula's Instability Affects You
Platform instability creates real risk for providers. If Rula were to lose contracts with major payers, restructure its provider terms, or exit certain markets, the providers on the platform absorb the consequences with limited notice and no recourse.
When you hold your own payer contracts, changes to any platform's relationship with payers do not affect you. Your contract is directly with the payer and remains in place regardless of what happens to any third party.
How Quickly Can You Get Your Own Contracts
Most major commercial payers take 60 to 90 days to process an independent credentialing application. Some regional plans and Medicare Advantage plans move faster. Medicare itself can take longer.
If you begin your independent applications now while still active on Rula, you can have contracts in place before the end of the year and give notice on your own timeline rather than the platform's.
How TheraProfessional Supports the Rula Transition
We manage the full credentialing process for providers leaving Rula: reviewing your current payer mix, filing independent applications, handling all payer follow-up, and helping you time your departure to protect your income.
We are direct about what transfers and what requires a fresh application. Our job is to make sure you understand exactly what the process looks like before you take any action.
"Read our complete guide to leaving any therapist credentialing platform." →