Medical Billing Companies & Consultants in Clovis, CA

Psychotherapy Billing Systems is a Clovis, California firm that handles patient and insurance billing solely for behavioral health providers. Its clients are psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and social workers, and it works with both solo clinicians and group practices of different sizes. The company was founded in 2004 and has spent about two decades on the claims, authorizations and payer rules specific to mental health care. It does not spread its attention across many medical specialties.

The company sees itself as a partner to each practice. Its goals are to raise collections, make sure clinicians are paid for the sessions they deliver, and take paperwork off the provider's desk so more of the workday can go to clients. Besides billing, it also offers practice management support.

Services

• Checking new patients' benefits before the first appointment
• Prior authorization requests and weekly authorization status reports
• New patient registration
• Electronic claim submission
• Finding out why claims were denied and filing appeals
• Patient billing
• Monthly income reports and annual income totals
• Custom reports on request, such as past-due accounts
• Credentialing

Its process starts before a client is ever seen. Practices are encouraged to have new callers contact Psychotherapy Billing Systems directly so the team can check their coverage. It then faxes the results back so the office knows what amount to collect at the visit.

If the plan requires authorization, the team files the request during that same contact, which helps avoid unpaid sessions later. Each week, the practice gets a report listing patients on managed care plans and where each authorization stands.

Day-to-day work relies on simple recap forms. Providers who see more than four patients daily are asked to send information every day, while part-time or smaller offices can use a weekly version. The forms record copayments and procedure codes, and the daily form has space to log insurance checks that arrive by mail.

The firm also posts treatment plan forms for many insurers on its website. The company notes that claim rejections happen routinely in behavioral health. When one occurs, clinicians are asked to report it right away so staff can find the cause and start an appeal.

For reporting, clients get monthly income summaries and a yearly total. The firm will also build as many extra reports as needed, tailored to whatever the practice wants to track. Its blog lists its main strengths as regulatory compliance, insurance verification and coding. It also points to current billing software, regular claim recaps and ongoing status updates.

Finally, it says it can take on more volume as a practice grows, so the provider does not need to hire in-house billing staff.

For buyers comparing medical billing vendors, the main differences are the firm's sole focus on mental health, its history going back to 2004, and its practice of checking benefits and securing authorizations before treatment begins. Practices in the Fresno and Clovis area may also like having the company's office nearby.