Mental Health America (MHA) presents these Fast Facts: ◊Research shows it can take 50 hours for someone you don’t know that well to turn into a true friend. [1] ◊During the week, Americans watch an average of 2.5 hours of TV pe...

Benefit verifications are done as expeditiously as possible. Wait times at insurance companies have grown exponentially. We do not obtain benefits from online sources. When checking benefits, our team asks specific questions related to c...

Individuals seeking mental health therapy are much like consumers of tangible products. When a prospective client calls, think about the questions they ask. How much do you charge for therapy, what is your availability, do you accept my ...

There are many actions to consider when attempting to streamline your practice and maintain its operating level at peak performance. The following are suggestions that may not be applicable to every office: *Give patients the opportunity...

What will the “new normal” look like for mental health professionals post the COVID-19 pandemic? The consensus is that therapy will take place through the hybrid venues of teletherapy and in office counseling. Thinking about refurbis...

While most mental health professionals have received great clinical training very few were offered courses in the “Business of your Business”. Yes, managing a successful practice does require the use and knowledge of fundamental busi...

The National Association of Social Workers recently reported on the U.S. Department of Defense, as part of an initiative to promote licensure portability for military spouses, has awarded a $500,000 grant for the development of an inters...

Associated Billing Center, LLC Exclusively Serving Mental Health Practices Mona Ruback, CSS CEO/Associated Billing Center, LLC * T e l e h e a l t h U p d a t e * New Legislation Proposed for Telehealth The Protecting Access to Post-Covi...

THERAPY ADVICE Patient to Therapist: I keep thinking I’m a bell. Therapist to Patient: Well, just go home and if the feeling persists, give me a ring. Patient to Therapist: No one believes a word I say. Therapist to Patient: Tell me th...

There are many factors that contribute to a mental health practice’s Patient Retention Rate (PRR). Retention refers to the number of patients who return for treatment. > The patient does not feel comfortable with their therapist. Resea...

Congress is beginning to focus on telehealth post-Covid19 with a sense of urgency. Recently, a hearing entitled, Telehealth: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic, examined which changes in regulations should be maintained, modified or reve...

President-Elect Joe Biden is expected to unwind many of the Trump administration’s healthcare regulations concerning the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. These changes are expected to make mental health care more readily available. Bi...

The National Association of Social Workers–NJ offers the following suggestions if you are seeing patients in your office. 1. Have a dialogue with your clients about not coming to an in-person session if they are feeling unwell or if th...

A Message From Mona Ruback, CSS CEO/Associated Billing Center, LLC-Your Mental Health Billing Specialist Web:  mentalhealthbillers.com Yes, you can help to nourish your patient’s mental hygiene while also concentrating on your practic...

I frequently have conversations with new clients about what I consider to be some of the key components in managing a successful mental health practice. In formulating my response, I reflect on my experience managing individual and group...

The First Lady of the United States says that she is no exception to the rule. Michelle Obama says she too is experiencing what more than one in three Americans reported in a recent pulse survey by the Census Bureau-they are feeling symp...

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll reports that four in ten adults say that stress related to covid-19 is having a negative impact on their mental health. The Well Being Trust reports that the pandemic could cause 75,000 deaths of de...

The Census Bureau recently released data from an emergency weekly survey conducted to measure the pandemic’s effects on employment, housing, finances, education and health. The Washington Post reports that New York, which had the worst...

One of five adults in America experiences a mental illness. Nearly one in twenty five adults in America lives with a serious mental illness (SMI). With the coronavirus permeating across this nation those numbers are growing. Nearly half ...

May is Mental Health Month and every year the goal is to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families. Mental Health Month has been observed since...

Most of us have experienced this phenomenon. You put a protective mask on when going in public and then it begins. You look for the defroster button you would use on your windshield to clear the fog-but it is not there. Why do your glass...

Q. If a patient cancels an appointment outside of the permissible window can I bill insurance for the missed session? A. No. While payers will not reimburse for no-shows, the provider can charge either a negotiated amount (in network) an...

A new study claims that labeling food with the amount of exercise needed to burn off its calorie content could cut about 200 calories from a person’s average daily intake. The study from Loughborough University found that people ate 65...

The most popular dream jobs kids want when they grow up according to a survey conducted by OnePoll: for male respondents becoming an athlete led the way while girls want to become teachers. Both sexes expressed high interest in becoming ...

In the UK and elsewhere the number of digital conversations has overtaken the intimacy of two people actually speaking face to face or on the phone. Texts and emails have affected relationships in many ways. LifeSearch reports that the n...

Science Alert reports that loudly yelling at your dog can produce a long term negative effect. Research indicates that pups criticized repetitively including leash jerking were found to be more stressed with increased levels of cortisol ...

Mental Health Providers Need to Know The new Medicare ID system went into effect on New Years Day. A beneficiary’s social security number will no longer be accepted by Medicare. Avoid delays in processing Medicare claims. The annual de...

January is known as “divorce month” in legal circles. It is the time of year when couples contemplating divorce decide that post holidays would be the best time to do it. Social media confirms the activity. According to Google Trends...

BUMPER STICKERS › I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory. › Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don’t have film. › When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty. › Seen it all, done it all, can’t remembe...

The National Alliance on Mental Illness in coordination with prominent mental health and addiction organizations recently launched Mental Health for US, a nonpartisan educational coalition aimed at elevating mental health issues on the 2...