FAQ Regarding Mental Health Billing

You have a choice to spend hours a week logging procedures, visits, receipts, sending out statements, creating reports, following up with insurance, verifying insurance, collecting unpaid balances, etc. – OR – You can spend your time focusing on what you do best… counseling and let MHMI take care of all your billing needs.

Billing companies bill their clients in different ways. They could charge an hourly fee, a percentage of fees collected, a basic monthly fee, or an average rate of service. At MHMI we want to keep it simple. You don’t pay anything until you receive money from the patient or the insurance company. Then you pay only a set percentage determined by the level of service you choose.

• Insurance and patient billing.
• Insurance claims submitted within 48 hours of the appointment.
• Easy-to-use procedure and receipt submission.
• Prompt follow-up on unpaid insurance claims.
• Monthly patient statements.
• Collection calls to patients with past due balances.
• Complete patient set up and insurance benefits verification.
• Credit card services including online bill pay.
• Account receivable management.
• Detailed monthly reports including patient aging.

Your patient can use the patient link on mhmi.net. If they’re more comfortable speaking with a representative, they can call us at our office and make their payment over the phone.

There is no software to buy. Whether you decide to process everything electronically or by hand, all the software needed is included in the simple monthly fee.

When you sign up for the MHMI services we will discuss with you (at no charge) the different insurance company options. Then (for a reasonable fee) we will help you with the paperwork and process to get you credentialed with the companies you choose.

For the past 20 years, MHMI has specialized in the mental health market. It is our expertise. We know and understand it and if new questions arise we have the resources and contacts to get the current answers.

Every month we send statements to your patients who have a balance remaining. We then follow up to collect all past due balances.

If you do it yourself, it can be very cumbersome and time-consuming. If you let us do the work for you, you shouldn’t have to spend more than minutes per day. You simply send us profile information, procedures, and receipts, and we do the rest.

Credentialing is the process of applying to an insurance company for inclusion in their network of providers.

If you participate in-network, insurance companies pay at an in-network rate. Meaning they pay a larger portion of your charge, lowering the cost to the patient, creating customer loyalty, and deeper relationships.

The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) database is a national database that most Insurance companies utilize to access provider information. CAQH profiles include information such as personal information, licenses, certifications, education, work history, etc.

Credentialing is the process of an insurance company vetting your personal and professional information.

 Contracting is the process of establishing a contract between an insurance company and you. The contracting portion determines the terms of agreement and the reimbursement rates.

While each insurance panel may have different requirements, there is some information that is requested universally including: 

• Provider demographics

• Practice Information

• Licensure Information

• Liability Insurance

• Education

• Postgraduate Training

• Certifications

• Work History

• References

No. While you can apply to as many insurance panels as you would like, they will determine if you are contracted.

Fee schedules are typically included in the insurance contract. Insurances will list how much they allow for specific services. Amounts vary by company, services, license type, and geographical area.

MHMI can recommend popular companies in your area. MHMI also advises consulting colleagues and/or auditing your current clientele to observe what markets you serve.