Private Practice 101
Make sure you will get paid!
I offer this list of questions to my clients on my website www.thethrivingmama.com/services/counseling/ in order to empower them to learn about their benefits. On occasion, I verify benefits myself, or have my billing specialist confirm coverage, copay, deductible etc, in order to insure that I do get paid and avoid the unpleasant surprise after several sessions that for some reason their specific plan does not cover me, LPC’s or that they had a large deductible that they were not aware of.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY:
If you do want to utilize your insurance benefits I recommend that you call the customer service number on the back of your card, and ask the following:
What mental health benefits are covered by my plan?
Are Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) covered by my plan? (Or what ever your licensure)
Does the counselor need to be in network?
Can you verify if a specific counselor will be covered?
Can you look up Rachel Starck, LPC on your provider list (or whom ever you will be seeing)?
Do I have a deductible, how much?
What will my co-pay be?
Do I need pre-authorization for mental health services to be covered?
What do I need to do to obtain pre-authorization?
Is there a limit to how many sessions will be covered?
(This quick check with your health insurance customer service dept should clarify what mental health coverage you have, what services are covered and which providers are covered, as well as what your co-pay and/or deductible will be).
~Feel free to copy and paste this list to your own site or send it to clients. I feel that if clients have insurance coverage and want to use it, they should be empowered with information on what their coverage actually is!!!
Rachel Starck, LPC
www.thethrivingmama.com/services/counseling/
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