WHAT EVERY THERAPIST SHOULD KNOW ABOUT INSURANCE
By Barbara Griswold, LMFT
Author, Navigating the Insurance Maze
Aug 7, 2023
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Hi everyone,
You've probably already heard that counselors and MFTs will be able to enroll in Medicare and start providing services in 2024. But how does Medicare work, and how do you enroll? NBCC and a consortium of therapists groups are offering FREE CE webinars on these topics! Sign up for the next one on August 17th -- click here. To get links to the past webinar recordings and slides, click here.
Why do you need to come to Saturday's Telehealth Law, Ethics, Insurance, and Technology Webinar? For Master's level California therapists, a 3-hourtelehealth course is required before your next license renewal. For everyone else, it is all the stuff you never had time to learn -- that pesky HIPAA compliance stuff you've been avoiding, new laws you missed, how to deal with emails and texts, the latest in insurance coverage, interstate therapy, and much more! Hurry -- registration closes 9:30 am Saturday August 12th. To find out more, click here.
Plus, later this month I'll be presenting "What's Missing From Your Charts: Writing Great Notes" for the Zur Institute -- join us! Click here for info. And next month join me at my new webinar called "Show Me the Money! Understanding Reimbursement Rates, Raises, and Resigning" -- To find out more, click here.
Do you have insurance questions, or could you use some feedback on your notes and treatment plans, or a little business or clinical coaching? Schedule your consultation now -- click here.
Take care,
Barbara
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HURRY! Registration Closes
Saturday at 9:30 am!
"Telehealth: Law & Ethics, Insurance, and Technology Update"
Saturday, August 12, 2023
10am - 1:15 pm PDT / 11am - 2:15pm MDT / 12 - 3:15pm CDT / 1 - 4:15pm EST
Can't make it live? Register and the recording will be sent to you
You've been doing telehealth for 3 years. Why do you need this webinar? While aimed at a nationwide audience, this webinar fulfills the new California Board of Behavioral Sciences mandate for 3 hours of telehealth training for all California Master's level therapists -- even if you don’t provide telehealth! Counts as 3 CE credits and 2.5 Legal and Ethical credits. We'll discuss legal and ethical issues you may not be aware of, common myths about seeing clients in another state, 4 things your licensing board may require at the start of treatment, 3 things you may need to document at each telehealth session, common billing mistakes, insurance coverage issues, HIPAA issues and email and texting with clients. For more info, click here
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"I Can't Resign from My Insurance Plan!"
Fed up? Ending your contract with your health plan should be pretty easy, right? Well, I'm hearing more and more stories lately that this doesn't seem to be the case.
In fact, I was recently interviewed by Jeanne Pinder of ClearHealthCosts, a journalism company based in New York that helps bring transparency to health care costs. A former New York Times reporter and editor, Pinder was doing a deep-dive investigative report on the difficulty many New York therapists are having ending their contracts with their Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield. This led to a larger conversation about problems therapists are having nationwide when resigning from a health plan. Read her in-depth article, that includes our conversation -- click here
Want to learn more about raises and important things to think about before resigning? Join me at my live webinar "Show Me The Money! Understanding Reimbursement Rates, Raises, and Resigning" -- find out more -- click here
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Biden Takes Aim At Insurance Companies
President Biden last week took steps to address problems getting insurance plans to cover mental health care, and the inequities between medical and mental health coverage.
His proposed new regulations would:
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close loopholes in the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act; Now state and federal health plans will have to follow federal parity laws, which require health plans to apply the same coverage rules for mental health coverage as they would for medical services (this could affect up to 90,000 Americans)
- address "ghost networks," where health plan networks appear more robust than they actually are
- address preauthorization hurdles that exist for mental health care, but not medical care
Read the NPR article that gives more details - click here
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WEBINAR: "WHAT'S MISSING FROM YOUR CHARTS: WRITING GREAT NOTES"
This recorded webinar is for all therapists, since we all can have charts reviewed by insurance, disability, licensing boards, and courts. Includes 8 note examples, 3 downloadable templates, and telehealth note requirements. For info, click here
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PRACTICE FORMS PACKET
Need forms for your practice? Get 20 essential forms including telehealth consent, couples consent, and Good Faith Estimates. Easy to customize. Designed to meet common legal, ethical, and insurance expectations. For info, click here
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WEBINAR: "THE FIRST SESSION: Juggling Clinical and Administrative Tasks"
This recorded webinar gives tips on juggling intake tasks -- to build rapport and take a history, while handling paperwork, payment and insurance issues. For more info, click here
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WEBINAR: "ARE YOU COMMITTING INSURANCE FRAUD?"
This recorded webinar answers all your questions about fraud and contract violations, including whether it is ethical to bill two insurance plans for a couples session, ethical sliding fees, waiving copayments, and how to avoid common types of fraud. For info, click here
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WEBINAR: "AUDITS AND RECORDS REQUESTS: WHAT EVERY THERAPIST SHOULD KNOW"
This recorded webinar is for all therapists, since even out-of-network therapists can have their notes requested by an insurance plan or other agency -- and can be asked to pay back monies already collected. Learn to prevent this. For info, click here
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WEBINAR: "HOW TO WRITE A 10-MINUTE TREATMENT PLAN"
This recorded webinar is for you if you hate writing treatment plans, worry about the ones you write, or don't write them at all. Learn how to write brief plans that satisfy legal, ethical, and insurance expectations, so you feel confident if you receive a records request, and won't have to pay money back if audited. For info, click here.
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WEBINAR: "WHAT OUT-OF-NETWORK THERAPISTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BILLING"
This recorded webinar covers thorny issues and common mistakes made when working with couples. It will challenge myths, clarify areas of confusion, and invite you to think about your policies. Find out more -- click here
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Order the NEW 9th edition of
Navigating the Insurance Maze:The Therapist's Complete Guide to Working With Insurance --
And Whether You Should
Click here for info (buy from us - Amazon keeps 55% of profits!)
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UPCOMING LIVE WEBINARS / WORKSHOPS
"Telehealth: Law & Ethics, Insurance, and Technology Issues"
Saturday August 12, 2023
10-1:15 PDT | 11 - 2:15 MDT | 12 - 3:15 CDT | 1 - 4:15 EDT
Can't make it live? Recording sent to all registrants
Applicable nationwide; meets new California BBS requirement for 3-hour telehealth course before your next license renewal; counts as 2.5 Legal and Ethical Hours for CA BBS licensed therapists
“What’s Missing From Your Charts: Writing Great Notes”
Friday, August 25, 2023
11 am- 1:30 pm PDT | 12-2:30 pm MDT | 1-3:30 pm CDT | 2 -4:30 pm EDT
Can’t make it live? All registrants get the recording!
Sponsored by the Zur Institute (all welcome!)
Watch my short video plus GET INFO OR REGISTER — click here
“Show Me the Money! Understanding Reimbursement Rates, Raises, and Resigning”
Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023
11 am- 12:30 pm PDT | 12 - 1:30 pm MDT | 1-2:30 pm CDT | 2-3:30 pm EDT
Can’t make it live? All registrants get the recording!
This webinar will answer your questions about how insurance plans figure out what to pay, how to get more money from them, and how to ethically exit your insurance contract if you get fed up with the low pay.
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NEED INSURANCE ANSWERS?
- Considering whether taking insurance is right for you?
- Need help fighting a claim denial?
- Need help dealing with a records request?
- Want to build your practice, or discuss a case?
I CAN HELP. Schedule your consultation now-- click here
($150 for 50 min; $85 for 30 min.)
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Barbara Griswold, LMFT
Author, Navigating the Insurance Maze: The Therapist's Complete Guide to Navigating Insurance -- And Whether You Should
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