Q: I’m a bit confused and hope you can help me. I just opened a private practice at the start of the month and will begin seeing fee-for-service (private pay) clients beginning this week. I just found out about NPI (National Provider Identifier) numbers yesterday when ordering my imprinted HCFA
Category: Private Practice in Counseling
We have received several questions related to billing insurance companies recently, including the following two inquiries. Q: I have left a social service agency to start a private practice. I have been accepted by a few insurance and managed care companies as a provider. But, with all the recent changes
It wasn’t very long ago that counselors were not considered eligible for any insurance or managed care reimbursements. The hard work by the American Counseling Association and state counseling organizations has changed that. Now managed care companies are coming to ACA and asking that its members consider becoming providers on
Q: I have a very limited practice of about five clients per week. I use paper claims for insurance and managed care billing and do not use a computer for any client-related business. Why should I have to be compliant with HIPAA? A: Right now, you don’t have to be
Q: I need some advice regarding collections. I have a few former clients who have outstanding balances. They are not responding to my statements. The amounts are not great, but I realize these clients may not be the only ones, so I am looking for a reputable collections person/company. I
Q: I read in the private practice resource newsletter, Psychotherapy Finances (September 2006), that managed care and insurance rates are being reduced. What can the American Counseling Association do to help? What should we do? Drop all managed care contracts? Go for client fee for service? HELP! A: Dropping all
Q: My goal for 2007 is to establish my own private practice. What do I need to do first to succeed in my goal? A: Many of us entertain the notion of being in private practice, but few of us realize this notion for a variety of reasons. For instance,
Q: I purchased your book after being in private practice for 20 years and find it helpful, even now. You give an example of a bill sent to an insurance company. It shows an “amount waived.” You recommend against using a “sliding fee scale.” You also advise billing the full
Q: I am interested in a cost-effective way to market/expand my private practice. I have a small practice and an even smaller referral base. A: Several marketing strategies can be found on the American Counseling Association website by clicking on “Private Practice Pointers” (www.counseling.org/ Counselors/). We’ll cite one here that
Q: As a counselor in private practice, am I mandated to inform the client’s primary care physician of my treatment of the client? A: The short answer is no, you are not required to inform the primary care physician (PCP) of your treatment of the client. However, you may be