Behavioral Health Medical Billing Services

Time Based Coding and Prior Authorization Eat Behavioral Health Practices Alive

Behavioral health carries an administrative burden that is out of proportion to its reimbursement. Time based codes that have to match documented minutes exactly, prior authorization on ongoing treatment, and payers that manage behavioral benefits through separate carve outs with their own rules.

Practices in this specialty are frequently understaffed on the business side because the clinical work is the whole point. That is exactly where revenue leaks.

Where B Billing Goes Wrong

Psychotherapy codes tied to documented time

The 90832, 90834, and 90837 codes correspond to time ranges, and the note has to document actual time spent. Providers routinely round, estimate, or omit, and the resulting claim is not defensible.

Add on codes and E and M combinations

Psychotherapy provided alongside an evaluation and management service uses add on codes with their own documentation requirements. Prescribers often bill one when both were performed.

Prior authorization on continuing care

Many behavioral benefits require reauthorization at intervals during ongoing treatment. Miss the window and sessions already delivered are not payable. This is a tracking problem more than a clinical one.

Behavioral carve outs

A patient’s medical benefits and behavioral benefits are often administered by different entities with different networks, different rules, and different claim addresses. Sending to the wrong one produces a denial that looks like a coverage problem and is not.

Collaborative care and telehealth

Collaborative care management codes and telehealth delivery both have specific documentation and place of service requirements that changed substantially in recent years and continue to shift.

What We Handle

  • Charge entry and coding review against your documentation
  • Claim submission and clearinghouse rejection management
  • Denial classification by reason, source, and cause with actionable feedback to your team
  • Accounts receivable follow up and payer escalation
  • Payment posting and reconciliation
  • Patient billing inquiries through our dedicated toll free line
  • Monthly financial reporting so you can see what is actually happening

You keep your EHR and your workflow. We integrate with PrognoCIS, athenahealth, AdvancedMD, gGastro, Sevocity, eClinicalWorks, and Open Practice, among others.

Proof We Do This Work

We work with behavioral health practices as part of a broader commitment to independent providers who are carrying too much administrative load.

If your practice is spending clinical time on payer paperwork, that is the problem worth solving first.

Why Medicus

Cyndi Walker founded Medicus after decades inside medical billing, and holds Certified Medical Coder and Certified Healthcare Business Consultant credentials. Medicus carries corporate accreditation from HBMA and the National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants.

We are not a call center and we do not route your account offshore. You get people who know your specialty and answer the phone.

Common Questions

Our therapists round session times. Is that a problem?

Yes. Time based psychotherapy codes correspond to defined ranges and the documentation has to reflect actual time. Rounding produces claims that will not survive review, and in a high volume practice it produces a lot of them.

Why do claims go to a different address than medical?

Behavioral benefits are frequently carved out to a separate administrator with its own network and claim routing. Sending to the medical payer produces a denial that looks like non coverage and is actually a routing error.

Can prescribers bill psychotherapy and an E and M together?

Yes, using psychotherapy add on codes alongside the E and M, provided both services are documented distinctly. Many prescribers bill only one when they performed both.

Talk to Someone Who Knows Your Specialty

Schedule a billing review and we will tell you where the revenue is going.

Our Services Include

Initial Billing Processes Audit

We conduct a thorough audit of your billing processes to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.

Comprehensive Correction Plan

Our experts develop a tailored correction plan to address identified issues and optimize your billing operations.

Coding Training and Support

Our training programs enhance your team’s proficiency in medical coding, ensuring accuracy and compliance.

Training Best Billing Practices

We offer specialized training to help your staff navigate insurance provider requirements and maximize reimbursement.

Consulting

Our consulting services provide continuous support and guidance to help your practice adapt and thrive in a dynamic healthcare environment.

Systematic Solutions to Every Challenge

We deliver systematic, customized solutions to address and resolve every challenge your practice faces.

Rework Old Accounts Receivable to Collect Lost Billing

Our team reworks old accounts receivable to recover lost billing and improve your financial health.

Chart and Practice Reviews

Medicus can arrange quarterly chart reviews for coding and compliance. This improves revenue by identifying coding deficiencies.

Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

We assist with the integration and optimization of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems to streamline your practice and enhance patient care.

Revenue Management Support

Our expert team provides ongoing revenue management support to maximize your practice’s financial performance and optimize cash flow.

What Our Clients Are Saying

Quote Mark Icon

We’ve worked with Cyndi Walker and her team at Medicus since 2023 to enhance our RCM function and strategy. With 35 years of experience leading large hospitals and reorganizing RCM departments, I was initially against outsourcing RCM. However, Cyndi and her team’s expertise, transparency, and accessibility have taken our RCM to an unparalleled level of excellence. We highly value our partnership with Medicus and recommend them to anyone looking to improve their RCM performance. 

Gregory Corbett, CEO, Digestive Health Partners
Quote Mark Icon
I highly recommend Cyndi Walker and Medicus Billing and Consulting, Inc. Cyndi and her team are highly knowledgeable and responsive- my clients always enjoy working with them! And their commitment to compliance is important and valuable. I highly recommend Cyndi and her team!
Amanda Waesch, VP, BMD Gateway
Quote Mark Icon
Cyndi and her team at Medicus are one of the select billing companies that we refer our clients to because we trust them, and they take great care of our clients, and they boost profitability too! You can’t go wrong with Medicus.
David Zetter, President, Zetter Healthcare, LLC
Quote Mark Icon
I have been a client of Medicus since 2013. I am very pleased with the ongoing support and excellent service of the Medicus Team. It has been a relief to have a partner to handle the business side of medicine.
Manuel Gonzalez, MD, Vascular Surgeon
Quote Mark Icon
We have two clients, a Vascular Surgeon and OBGYN that have been using Medicus, and we are extremely happy with the service and attention to detail. I highly recommend Medicus for your practice and recommend them routinely to my clients.
Stanley Smith, CPA
Quote Mark Icon
I have been a client of Medicus for 7 years. I am very pleased with the ongoing support and excellent service of the Medicus Team. It has been a relief to have a partner to handle the business side of medicine.
Marissa Gonzalez, M.D.
Quote Mark Icon
Medicus took over my billing in 2017, and I have been extremely happy. They are available at all times to discuss a problem. My collections have dramatically improved. I would recommend them to anyone.
Joe Jacob M.D., Buena Vista Urgent Care
Quote Mark Icon
My experience with the team was wonderful. They do a great job and relieve you of managing the billing. I highly recommend them to any group struggling with billing issues.
Peter N. Brieloff DPM, FACFAS, FACFAOM

Contact Us Today

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Name*