Discussions

I have worked with the books of a small outpatient psychiatric clinic in the Northeast for the last three years, and the revenue sources of rejected claims continue to accumulate. The most recent thorn in the flesh is getting the documentation right for time-based codes, particularly when you are adding extended services or apportioning psychotherapy minutes over a number of sessions. Last quarter had a stretch of refusals due to the lack of clarity of the progress notes to justify the total time billed. Restriction of our note templates did assist somewhat, but it’s costing me hours that I can better spend on other things. Has somebody taken on psychiatric billing services to replace the headache? Wondered whether it actually reduced denials, quickened payments, or merely introduced one more hassle. Forget your thoughts--real victories, traps, everything!