health insurance

3 Secrets of Efficient Insurance Billing for Drug Rehabs

People in the behavioral health industry are usually passionate about helping others—but they’re not usually passionate about completing paperwork.

Very rarely do we hear our clients utter the words “I love medical billing!”

But the truth is, insurance billing is the lifeline of any behavioral health organization. Do it well, and your business has a chance to succeed. Do it poorly, and you definitely set yourself up for failure.

Insurance Is Supposed to Cover Addiction Treatment, But It's Still a Nightmare (Vice)

During an overdose epidemic so large that it is cutting overall life expectancy in the US, you’d think that insurance companies and the healthcare system would be bending over backwards to get people into evidence-based treatment—especially since we have two drugs that are proven to cut the death rate by at least half. In reality, they are doing the opposite. And the barriers they place in the way of treatment are killing people.

The SUPPORT Act and Healthcare Providers—A First Look

The newly enacted SUPPORT Act’s wide-ranging provisions take aim at the entire healthcare continuum, including providers, who will be on the front lines of change as the new law takes effect. The law includes amendments to Medicare and Medicaid, and changes affecting program integrity and transparency reporting of provider payments by drug and device manufacturers and the disposal of unused medication.

Denials:  The bane of every treatment center’s existence

Let’s face it, denials may be the absolute worst thing to find in the mail, especially if you’ve just opened.  It is discouraging and disheartening to find out you won’t be paid for someone’s treatment; even if it is only one date of service.

Verification of Benefits 101: who, what, where, when and why?

A verification of benefits is the first vital piece of admitting a patient to your facility.  If they don’t have benefits for the treatment they receive, there will be no reimbursement. There are a number of things that can be found out on a verification call; information about patient responsibility, what services are covered, etc.