This article was first published in the November 2020 Communiqué
Do you practise in a setting where an administrative staff-person bills clients or insurance providers for you? If your answer is yes, this information is for you. This situation often occurs for registrants who bill through the Health Claims for Auto Insurance (HCAI) system.
Registrants are required to issue accurate documentation at all times. Honest representation is expected when communicating with clients and third-party payors, even if the registrant is not the person who issued the invoice. This includes information about the date and cost of services provided, client name, type of service provided, registration category and any other information used in the billing process. Billing errors or inaccuracies made by staff are the responsibility of the registrant who provided the psychotherapy services.
There are serious consequences for issuing false or inaccurate documentation which could include a College investigation and possible discipline hearing. Registrants may be delisted from insurance providers thereby limiting clients’ access to services. Finally, your actions may diminish the public’s trust in the profession of psychotherapy.
Here are some recommendations to maintain clear, accurate and honest billing practices:
- Be very cautious about working for an employer who is not transparent about how your services are being billed.
- Provide extensive and ongoing training to staff about billing requirements. Training might include information from CRPO’s Professional Practice Standards or CRPO’s Financial Records Checklist.
- Review documentation before applying your signature. Registrants should never allow a staff person to apply their signature to a document the registrant has never seen.
- Check in often. Schedule time on a regular basis to review forms and invoices being issued.
- If you discover someone engaging in inaccurate, improper or unauthorized billing on your behalf, immediately take steps to correct errors, provide instruction and prevent the situation from recurring.