Mental Health Practice News & Notes
Mona Ruback/CSS
Associated Billing Center, LLC
Exclusively Serving Mental Health Providers
mentalhealthbillers.com
Missed Sessions Can Be Costly
One of the most challenging aspects in managing your practice is formulating a policy for missed sessions. Therapists, by nature, are compassionate individuals who struggle at times with charging a patient for a missed session. Let’s do the math:
If you collect on two missed sessions per week at $80 per session, that adds up to $640 per month or $7,680 per year. Yes, your relationship with your patient will help determine your cancellation policy given a specific event. Reminder: Have a clearly stated cancellation policy, establish exceptions, charge the full insurance contracted rate, and clearly explain to your patient (if the cancellation in your opinion is not warranted) that you lost income because you will not have ample time to reschedule the hour. You may be surprised. The patient keeps the appointment!
Hardship Waivers
Some patients find themselves with high deductibles/max out of pockets and you may be considering waiving co-pays. Providers must keep a Hardship Waiver on file for patients utilizing insurance benefits. Contact us with any questions.
Managing Your Online Reputation
Most of your prospective patients will immediately go online to read “all about it”. In this instance, the all about it refers to all about you. Checking your average star rating on Google and your Google reviews is of paramount importance. Whether your feedback is positive or negative, it is a good idea to respond and engage. A super majority of prospective patients will trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations. You can always ask satisfied clients to write a Google review.
Disclaimer: Please note: The editorial content of this page is in no way intended to be professional advice. It should be considered informational and a venue for entertainment purposes. Read and utilize at your own discretion. Content may not be published without the expressed consent of Associated Billing Center, LLC.