Couples Therapy Blunders: Common Mistakes When Billing, Documenting, and Handling Ethical Dilemmas

Course content available in video.

Working with couples is not only clinically challenging, but it can be difficult to navigate the added complexities in the areas of billing, documentation, and ethical practice. When can you ethically bill insurance? Who really is your client? Do you need two charts and treatment plans? What does insurance expect? When one member of the couple comes in alone, how do you handle confidentiality?

This 2.5 hour presentation will cover practical issues you deal with daily when working with couples, challenge myths you may have, clarify areas of confusion, and invite you to think more carefully about your current policies.

Best of all, you’ll get a chance to view a brief couples session note that would satisfy insurance, legal, and ethical expectations.

The webinar is applicable nationwide, for anyone who bills for — or works with — couples.

Educational Objectives

After attending this course, attendees will be able to:

Identify two common couples therapy billing practices that are actually fraud
Identify three criteria required to ethically bill insurance for couples therapy
Define how “identified patient” and “medical necessity for treatment” apply in couples therapy
Identify what ethics codes require from couples therapists
Identify what should be in an informed consent for couples therapy

Syllabus

Billing
- Will Insurance Cover Couples Therapy? The "Three Hoops" Required
- Must You Choose an Identified Patient?
- What if Neither Has a Diagnosis?
- How Are Couples Sessions Coded?
- Common Billing Mistakes When Billing For Couples
- Can You Refuse to Bill Insurance for Couples?
- Double Billing for the Same Session
- Billing For Longer Sessions
Documentation
- Do I Need to Keep Separate Charts?
- What Should Be in Your Couples Progress Note
- Sample Progress Note
- What Should Be in Your Couples Treatment Plan
- Sample Treatment Goals
- What Should Be in Your Informed Consent with Couples?
Telehealth With Couples: Considerations
Fraud and Couples Therapy
Ethical Issues
- Wearing Multiple Hats with the Same Couple
- Who is Your Client?

Bringing a Partner into Individual Work / Collaterals

WEB102123

August 16, 2023

Educational Objectives

After attending this course, attendees will be able to:

Identify two common couples therapy billing practices that are actually fraud
Identify three criteria required to ethically bill insurance for couples therapy
Define how “identified patient” and “medical necessity for treatment” apply in couples therapy
Identify what ethics codes require from couples therapists
Identify what should be in an informed consent for couples therapy

Syllabus

Billing
- Will Insurance Cover Couples Therapy? The "Three Hoops" Required
- Must You Choose an Identified Patient?
- What if Neither Has a Diagnosis?
- How Are Couples Sessions Coded?
- Common Billing Mistakes When Billing For Couples
- Can You Refuse to Bill Insurance for Couples?
- Double Billing for the Same Session
- Billing For Longer Sessions
Documentation
- Do I Need to Keep Separate Charts?
- What Should Be in Your Couples Progress Note
- Sample Progress Note
- What Should Be in Your Couples Treatment Plan
- Sample Treatment Goals
- What Should Be in Your Informed Consent with Couples?
Telehealth With Couples: Considerations
Fraud and Couples Therapy
Ethical Issues
- Wearing Multiple Hats with the Same Couple
- Who is Your Client?

Bringing a Partner into Individual Work / Collaterals