Psycotherapy Billing

[mcneil.karen]

Hello team,
To bill for a psychotherapist, is a special PM software needed to do their billing?

Thank you.

[Michele]

Any medical billing software will work.  There are specialty softwares available but I don't know any myself.  There are softwares available from free to several thousand.  We have used Lytec for the past 23 years.  But that may be a little more than a solo therapist wants to spend.  It runs around $3000 for a single user.  There are other posts about softwares if you search the forum.

[mcneil.karen]

Thank you Michele.  Are there any free software you could recommend?

[rdmoore2003]

Stay away from Therapynotes..unless your provider only does therapy and nothing else.

[PMRNC]

I've worked on a few different mental health only PM systems... There isn't even ONE I would recommend. If they have a system already in place can you not access their system and work within it? Or if they are looking for a PM system, I wouldn't look for a specialty related system.

[Michele]

Do you work directly for the provider?  Or is he outsourcing his work to you?

The only free one I am familiar with is Practice Mate by Office Ally.  I personally do not like that system at all, but I do know people who use it and like it just fine.  www.officeally.com

[mcneil.karen]

Thank you guys for all the feedback.
This is a provider with a small practice with no EHR/PM.  The provider is outsourcing the billing to me and I am looking into a free EHR with PM that I can recommend to the provider and I can use for the billing.

Kind regards.

[PMRNC]

As Michele mentioned there are a limited amount of free systems and they are very limited and sub-standard at best. If you are working outsourced, why not have the provider incur the costs of software/pm system? Do they have a system in place currently? If so your best bet is to look for an EHR that may work with his existing PM system. Of course if none is in place I'd still say to have the provider incur the costs and you access the system. Saves you on overhead.

[kristin]

Since you say the provider has no EMR/PM in place, one option could having the provider sign up for Practice Fusion(it is free) for the EMR, and that is also where the provider would generate superbills, and then having the provider pay for one of the cloud based PM systems that Practice Fusion integrates with, such as Kareo or NueMD. Kareo is better than NueMd, but NueMD is cheaper, I think.

You get what you pay for, and I don't know that I would go completely "free" on this if I was the provider. You, as the outsourced biller, should really not be eating the cost on any of this, also.

[Michele]

I agree completely.  You should not incur the cost for the PM.  Unless you plan on getting other providers to outsource to you as well and you want to use one software for those providers as well.  If you are just going to bill for this one provider then you should have them purchase the PM system.  I agree with the Practice Fusion (free) if the provider is looking to do EMR too.  How small is he?  If he is part time, very small then convincing him to incur cost of a PM might be an issue.  If purchasing (or paying the fee to use) a PM system is out of the question then I would go with Practice Mate.  However, you do get what you pay for, and with Practice Mate you are paying nothing, so you will see limitations and 'clunkiness' that better systems don't have. 

[mcneil.karen]

Thank you ladies.  All great points and recommendation.  The provider is part time and investing in a PM would be an issue.  I have looked at Practice Fusion or iSalus as a free EHR and using Practice Mate as the PM. 

Kind regards and have a blessed day!