Why Medical Necessity is Important to Private Pay Therapists
May 04, 2014
In a previous blog I talked about the term Medical Necessity. Most of you are probably thinking, “Well, that only applies to people who work with insurance companies.” While it’s definitely crucial for people billing to insurance to understand those aspects, I think every therapist needs to have a good understanding of medical necessity. Here’s why:
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If your client has insurance and eventually wants to use that insurance for treatment, they will need to show they meet medical necessity. You can never predict if your client may choose to use their insurance. Even if you don’t plan to bill for them or continue services at that point, it will help them tremendously if you can give them (and maybe, their new therapist) an idea of how they meet medical necessity.
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Medical necessity is a term used in medical circles. As mental health professionals, it is important we are able to use the same terminology as medical professionals. We need to be able to speak the same language as physicians if we want to work with them in providing quality care and use them as a resource for referrals.
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Using the key points of medical necessity is a great way to conceptualize cases! Ethically, we need a clear understanding of our client’s needs and how we can help them. We also need a way to determine if treatment is effective and when it is no longer necessary. Additionally, if you have difficulty conceptualizing a complicated case, try using the medical necessity formula. It will help you narrow your focus. You can see the formula in my previous blog, What is medical necessity and why do I care?
Although private practice therapists are able to have a lot more flexibility in their documentation, using the concepts of medical necessity can help us to use consistent language as a profession and improve our communication with other practitioners, such as physicians. Rather than seeing the term as a box within which we are stuck, we can simply add the concept of medical necessity to our toolbox and resources list.
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