The Good
Courtesy billing is when a client pays the full cost for their care upfront, and the therapist files a claim on the client’s behalf for the insurance company to reimburse the client. Practitioners offer this service as a courtesy, so that the client doesn’t have to be burdened with the paperwork. The reimbursement then goes to the client, once it is processed.
The Bad
Courtesy billing is a wonderful offering. However, it is a big task that requires a lot of manual effort on the therapist’s behalf. Outlined below are a few of the steps your therapist takes to offer courtesy billing.
- Collect Client’s Insurance Information
- Verify Mental Health Eligibility and Insurance Benefits
- Verify Claims Submission Requirements (Figure out Where Claims Need to Go)
- Follow up with Pending Claims
- Handle Rejections, Denials, Appeals & Submit Corrected Claims
When you factor in the high rate of rejection for psychotherapy insurance claims (since many therapists don't take insurance, most clients have to file for reimbursement through their out-of-network [OON] benefits) courtesy billing can end up being an extremely tiresome process, one that's a lot more involved than a simple courtesy, in many cases.
The Hopeful
Providers spend a lot of time and energy ensuring that courtesy billing runs smoothly. If you're a therapist or any healthcare provider who offers courtesy billing, you already know how tedious it can be. Our aim is to take the burden off of you so that you can spend your time and energy doing what you do best: treating your clients. SuperBill will do all of the work necessary to file and track claims, and get clients reimbursed. SuperBill is totally FREE, and HIPAA-compliant. Let us do the work for you.
