Referring Your Colleagues to Alma

How it Works

If you’re enjoying Alma, there’s a good chance providers in your network will, too! If you have friends or colleagues who are also looking to grow their practice, refer them to Alma at any time. To do so, share your unique referral link with clinicians in your network. 

You can find your unique referral link by navigating to the Referrals page in your Alma portal:

• Log into the Alma portal
• Click on your Account icon > Refer a provider

On the Referrals page, you'll see your unique link to share. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a list of providers you've referred, as well as the status of any referral. 

For each successful referral, you’ll receive a $500* referral bonus two months after the provider’s start date, given that their profile is live in our directory, and they have submitted their first claim. For example, if a referred provider’s profile is live and membership begins on May 1, you can expect to receive your referral bonus in the second week of July. 

Providers must meet the following eligibility requirements for you to receive a referral bonus:

• Providers must join Alma within 90 days of being referred.
• Any clinician you refer must fill out the interest form using your unique referral link prior to speaking to our Growth team in order to qualify.

If all of these requirements are met, it has been 60 days or more after their membership start date, and their profile is live in the Alma directory and they have submitted their first claim, you will receive payment. The referral bonus is subject to change at any time.

FAQs

Q: Who is eligible to join Alma?

A: Any psychotherapist or prescriber who is licensed, and who is looking to join Alma’s insurance program. We are not looking for nutritionists or coaches at this time.

Q: Can I post my referral link anywhere?

A: Yes. Feel free to share directly with clinicians in your network or more broadly on forums, message boards, or social media. Anyone who fills out the interest form using your unique referral link will appear on your Referrals page.

Q: Can my referral expire?

A: To receive the bonus, your referral must join Alma within 90 days of filling out the interest form. If they decide to join Alma after this time period, were referred by another member first, or were already in contact with a member of our Growth team, you will not qualify for the referral bonus. If your referral expires, the status on your referral page will change to "Referral not successful."  

Q: How will I be paid?

A: If your referral meets the criteria below, you will receive a direct deposit to the same bank account you have on file for your Alma payouts.

Q: Will my referral bonus be applied towards my membership dues?

A: No, referral bonuses are paid out only via direct deposit and cannot be applied towards your membership dues.

Q: My referral told me they joined Alma. Why haven’t I received my bonus yet?

A: There are a few reasons why you may not have received your bonus yet: 

1. They haven’t been an active member at Alma for 60 days.
2. Their Alma profile isn’t live.
3. They haven’t submitted their first claim. 

Q: I referred someone, but they didn’t use my unique link. Can I still receive credit for the referral?

A: Unfortunately not. To receive the bonus, your referral must be submitted using your unique link. 

Q: Does my referral need to join the insurance program?

A: Yes. As of July 2022, all new members are required to join Alma’s insurance program. This change is in support of our mission to simplify access to high-quality, affordable mental health care. Offering in-network care is a vital step in achieving this goal. 

Q: Is there a limit to how many providers I can refer?

A: No! Refer as many clinicians as you’d like. 

Q: I invited someone to join Alma. Why are they not showing up on my list?

A: Only clinicians who book a call with our team using your unique link will show up on your tracker. Anyone who was referred before July 11, 2022 will not show up in your tracker. 

Q: Why can’t I see the full email address of the person I referred in my tracker?

A: To adhere to privacy laws in the United States, we obfuscate the email address of your referrals to protect their information. 

Q: I received a referral bonus payout. How can I tell which referral this is for?

A:  At this time, we will send a confirmation email when your referral has been successful and to confirm payment will be sent to the bank account you have on file for Alma payments.

Alma Referral Program Requirements

1. Program Overview

Alma’s Referral Program allows eligible Alma provider members to introduce licensed mental health clinicians to Alma. The program is designed to help clinicians learn about Alma’s platform, insurance program, and practice support services.

This is a provider-to-provider referral program only. It is not a patient referral program. Alma does not pay referral bonuses for referring patients, directing patient care, generating claims, increasing claim volume, or recommending any health care item or service.

Who may refer

Current Alma provider members may participate in the Referral Program. Alma may limit or deny participation if a person is not in good standing with Alma or if participation could raise legal, compliance, payer, licensing, or program integrity concerns.

Who may be referred

A referred provider must be a licensed mental health clinician or prescriber who is eligible to join Alma, participate in Alma’s insurance program where applicable, and meet Alma’s credentialing, contracting, and onboarding requirements. Alma is not currently accepting nutritionists or coaches through this program.

Program status

The Referral Program is ongoing unless Alma changes, pauses, or ends it. Alma may update the program at any time, including eligibility rules, bonus amounts, payment timing, referral windows, caps, or participating states.

2. Referral Mechanics

To make a referral, share your unique Alma referral link with the clinician you are referring. The referred clinician must complete Alma’s interest form using your unique link before speaking with Alma’s Growth team or otherwise entering Alma’s referral, recruiting, sales, or Growth pipeline.

A referral is tracked when the referred clinician submits the interest form through your unique link. Alma may use referral link data, submission timestamps, email addresses, application status, Growth team records, credentialing status, and other internal records to validate the referral.

A referral will generally be valid only if all of the following are true:

• The referred clinician used your unique referral link.
• The referred clinician was not already in Alma’s referral, recruiting, sales, or Growth pipeline.
• The referred clinician joins Alma within the applicable referral window, if one applies.
• The referred clinician meets Alma’s credentialing, contracting, and onboarding requirements.
• The referral complies with these Referral Program Requirements and applicable law.

If more than one person refers the same clinician, Alma will generally credit the referral to the person whose valid referral link was submitted first, based on Alma’s records.

3. Incentive Structure

For each successful referral, the referrer may be eligible to receive a $500 referral bonus after the referred provider successfully gets credentialed through Alma and meets all applicable program requirements.

The referred provider may be eligible to receive a $150 bonus after successfully getting credentialed through Alma and meeting all applicable program requirements.

Referral bonuses are typically paid within 60 days after Alma confirms eligibility. The 60-day period is for payment processing only. A referred provider does not need to submit claims, see patients, generate revenue, or remain active for any minimum patient-care period for the referral bonus to become payable.

Alma may set limits on referral bonuses, including limits by person, calendar year, state, provider type, campaign, or other program criteria. Alma may also decline to pay a bonus if payment would create legal, compliance, tax, payer, licensing, or program integrity concerns.

4. Compliance Requirements

Participants must follow all applicable federal and state laws, payer requirements, professional obligations, and Alma policies.

Anti-kickback compliance

Referral bonuses are not payment for patient referrals, claim volume, payer participation, clinical recommendations, prescribing, ordering, arranging, or recommending any health care item or service.

This means you may not use the Referral Program to influence where patients receive care, how providers make clinical decisions, or whether any provider orders, recommends, or arranges health care services. Referral bonuses are based on eligible clinician introductions and successful credentialing through Alma, not on patient care activity.

State referral and professional conduct rules

Some states have their own health care referral, fee-splitting, patient brokering, professional conduct, corporate practice of medicine, or licensing restrictions. These rules vary by state and provider type. Alma may limit, modify, or decline referral payments if Alma determines that a payment could conflict with state law, licensing rules, payer rules, or professional standards.

Provider independence

Providers remain solely responsible for their independent clinical judgment, patient relationships, treatment decisions, documentation, and professional obligations.

Nothing in the Referral Program requires or encourages any provider to refer patients to Alma, use Alma for any patient, change clinical decisions, or direct patients to any particular provider or service.

Privacy and confidentiality

Do not include patient information, protected health information, or other confidential information when sharing your referral link or communicating about the Referral Program.

For example, do not identify patients, describe patient needs, include patient contact information, share screenshots from patient records, or discuss clinical details in referral outreach or referral disputes.

Tax reporting

Referral bonuses may be taxable income. Alma may require a completed Form W-9 or other tax documentation before issuing payment. Alma may report referral payments to tax authorities when required. Participants are responsible for their own tax reporting and payment obligations.

5. Prohibited Conduct

Participants may not misuse the Referral Program. Prohibited conduct includes:

• Referring patients or prospective patients for a bonus.
• Offering, sharing, rebating, or passing through any portion of a referral bonus to induce someone to join Alma or take any health care-related action.
• Using patient information, protected health information, or confidential information in referral outreach.
• Making false, misleading, or exaggerated statements about Alma, Alma’s insurance program, credentialing, expected income, patient volume, payer participation, or guaranteed acceptance.
• Representing that Alma employs, supervises, controls, or directs a provider’s clinical care.
• Sending spam, bulk unsolicited messages, or referral link posts that violate platform rules, professional standards, or applicable law.
• Creating duplicate, fake, self-referred, or misleading referrals.
• Using referral links in paid advertising, search ads, lead-generation campaigns, or automated outreach unless Alma gives prior written approval.
• Referring clinicians who are already in Alma’s pipeline or asking them to resubmit information to trigger a bonus.
• Taking any action intended to manipulate tracking, attribution, credentialing status, payment timing, or bonus eligibility.

6. Disqualification, Withholding, and Clawback

Alma may disqualify a referral, withhold payment, suspend participation, or require repayment of a bonus if Alma determines that:

• The referral did not meet program requirements.
• The referral was submitted after the referred provider was already in contact with Alma.
• The referred provider did not meet credentialing, contracting, or onboarding requirements.
• The participant violated these Referral Program Requirements.
• The referral involved improper patient referrals, protected health information, misleading statements, spam, or gaming of the program.
• Payment would create legal, compliance, payer, licensing, tax, professional responsibility, or program integrity concerns.
• Payment was made in error.

If Alma requests repayment, the participant must promptly return the amount paid. Alma may offset amounts owed against future payments where permitted.

7. Modification and Termination Rights

Alma may change, suspend, or end the Referral Program at any time. Changes may include eligibility criteria, bonus amounts, payment timing, referral windows, caps, validation rules, documentation requirements, or participating states.

Unless Alma states otherwise, changes apply prospectively. Alma may apply changes immediately when needed to address legal, compliance, payer, tax, operational, or program integrity concerns.

Participation in the Referral Program does not create an employment relationship, agency relationship, partnership, or right to future payments.

8. Disputes About Referrals or Payments

If you believe a referral was not tracked or paid correctly, contact Alma within 30 days after the referral status or payment issue appears in your referral dashboard or after you reasonably should have known about the issue.

Include the following:

• Your name and email address.
• The referred provider’s name and email address.
• The date you shared your referral link, if known.
• Any non-confidential information supporting your request.

Do not include patient information, protected health information, or confidential clinical information in any dispute submission.

Alma will review the issue using its internal records, including referral link data, form submissions, timestamps, Growth team records, credentialing status, and payment history. Alma’s determination will be final for program administration purposes.