There are many different professionals falling under the umbrella term of behavioral health providers. These are typically considered to be professionals with a specific level of training and expertise who work with patients, often as part of the treatment team, and provide services directly to patients to assist in wellness goals and preventative health for specific conditions.
There are different behavioral health providers that are recognized by various insurance policies. In most cases, patients with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease requiring assistance to develop and follow wellness planning will work with one of these professionals.
Most of the insurance companies will recognize the services of behavioral health providers including professional counselors, certified psychiatric nurses, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.
Challenges with Coding and Billing
Most, but not all, behavioral health providers work as sole practitioners and may have a very small office staff. This support staff is rarely trained in medical coding and billing, which can create significant problems for the provider.
In general, to compensate behavioral health providers for services, most insurance companies will require a written referral from a medical doctor in order to cover the services. Additionally, the referral must be for specific reasons, and unless those are included in the coding and billing, it can result in complications to get compensation from the insurance company.
The Billing Company Solution
For qualified mental health professionals providing these services, working with a third-party billing service that is familiar with medical coding and billing is a time, energy and stress-saving factor.
These companies are able to not only ensure that the coding and billing are correct for the services provided, but they have the knowledge and experience in working with the various insurance companies as well as the doctors to ensure that claims are processed quickly and without complications.
With the use of billing services by specialized companies, behavioral health providers don’t have to spend their time in checking issues such as eligibility for services. They also don’t have to tie up their staff, or their own time, in verifying that treatment options for patients will be covered by the insurance policy.
These issues, and simply managing all the paperwork and documentation required for medical health coding and billing can be a very real challenge. For behavioral health providers, working with a medical billing company removes these obstacles and allows the providers to focus on working with their patients, not on dealing with the insurance companies.
At Omneity Billing, we understand the challenges and obstacles that behavioral health providers face when trying to complete their own coding and billing. To see how we can help, visit us online.
