As an ABA practitioner, you probably don’t have the time to handle all the responsibilities on your plate. But ABA therapy billing is simple enough for you to handle on top of everything else. Right? Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about ABA therapy billing that can lead to problems for many ABA practitioners.

We unpack ABA therapy billing so that we have a proper understanding of what it is and then look at the many misconceptions around the process.  

What is ABA therapy billing?

ABA therapy billing, on the surface, appears to be quite simple. It is the process of billing and collecting payments for the ABA therapy services that you provide. However, it is much more complicated and time-consuming than many ABA therapy providers first realize. In fact, this deceptive simplicity is just one of many misconceptions that people have about ABA therapy billing.

Join us as we take a look at some of the other myths that people believe when it comes to ABA therapy billing and ABA therapy billing providers.

Misconceptions about ABA therapy billing

Here are some misconceptions that people have about ABA therapy billing and ABA therapy billing services.

1. ABA therapy billing isn’t that hard or time-consuming

If you’ve ever needed to Google “how to bill insurance for ABA therapy,” you’ll immediately understand that ABA therapy billing is not easier than any other type of medical billing, which itself can be a very difficult or time-consuming process. This is due to the constantly shifting ABA therapy billing environment. Elements like ABA billing and coding rules, reimbursement rates, and authorization requirements change as federal and state legislation change, impacting how the billing process is done. As a result, dealing with ABA therapy billing becomes far more than just data entry. It can end up consuming hours of your day as you not only input and process the bills, but deal with any other issues that arise during the billing process.

2. It’s costly to outsource your ABA therapy billing

At a glance, you may look at the cost of ABA billing and think you can do it for less. However, while this may appear true on the surface, once you start to dig a little deeper, the true cost of doing your ABA therapy billing yourself or with an in-house team starts to add up. 

First, you’ll need to factor in the various software tools you’ll need to process your ABA billing correctly. Today, the majority of these tools run on individual licenses, meaning you’ll need to pay for each license that you need. While the monthly cost appears reasonable, you’ll end up spending thousands of dollars over time. 

This is particularly true as your practice grows, as some of these apps work off scaling pricing that gets more expensive the more clients you need to bill. Add in the possibility that you decide to purchase another license (or licenses) so that another member of your practice can assist with billing, and it’s easy for the cost of software to start to snowball quietly beyond your original expectations.

Then there’s the unspoken cost of only having a certain number of hours in your day, which we already touched on in our first myth. Even if you give your patients 100% of your attention during your business day, billing is still going to need to be done. That means precious hours that could be spent with friends, family, doing chores, or even just relaxing after a hard day’s work must instead be spent ensuring your billing is processed correctly. 

Alternatively, you could pencil in some time during your official business hours. Still, this then limits the amount of time you can dedicate to your clients, cutting into your potential earnings. Add in the additional hours addressing potential billing errors and denials, on the phone or sending emails to patients regarding billing-related matters, and the stress that all that entails, and outsourcing your ABA therapy billing starts to look far more affordable.  

3. An in-house billing staff member or team is the quickest and most cost-effective solution

If you’ve realized how complicated ABA therapy billing is and have decided to hire someone to exclusively deal with billing, or you’ve decided to put together a small team to help you manage billing for your practice, you’ll undoubtedly see an improvement over trying to handle billing for your practice on your own. 

However, there are many challenges and costs associated with running your own billing in-house as well. We discussed one of these issues in our previous misconception, which is the (potentially escalating) cost of the software needed to process billing in-house, either by you or your staff. Then you need to factor in other expenses like physical space for your team to work, the time and energy you’ll need to invest to quickly replace staff if someone resigns due to the vital role of billing in your practice, the possibility of hiring an underperforming or under-skilled employee, ensuring your team is given the time to remain up to speed on the latest billing practices, codes and legislation, and other issues.

Ultimately, it will be hard for your billing staff member or team to match the resources and expertise that a dedicated and quality ABA therapy billing provider has. 

The benefits of outsourcing your ABA therapy billing

Now that we’ve debunked some of the myths around medical and ABA therapy billing, it’s time to discuss the benefits of why you should outsource medical billing, including ABA therapy billing. Here are some of the reasons to outsource medical billing and why you might want to consider outsourcing this part of your ABA therapy practice:

• better access to the latest ABA therapy billing information
• faster payments thanks to a dedicated revenue collector
• better collection of payments thanks to a dedicated revenue collector
• no need to invest in expensive in-house billing tools
• allows you to focus your time on your patients

These are just a few of the benefits of outsourcing medical billing services like ABA therapy billing. The right provider will help you by offering much more value, but how do you choose the right ABA therapy billing partner?

How to choose the right ABA therapy billing provider

If you’ve decided you want to outsource your ABA therapy billing, you need to know how to choose the right provider. Here are some tips to help you find the right company to meet your practice’s needs.

• Check to see if they have extensive experience and a good reputation.
• Find out how many staff members the organization has.
• Ask to see their staff members’ qualifications.
• Enquire about a detailed breakdown of the cost of their service so that you know exactly what you are getting, such as denial management and deadline agreements.
• Make sure the company is using the latest billing software.
• Find out if they can scale to meet your needs as your practice grows and how quickly they can do that.
• Look for reviews from other ABA practitioners.

Simplify your ABA therapy billing with Your Missing Piece

As an ABA practitioner, your focus should be on providing your patients and their families with the best possible service rather than spending your time trying to figure out all the ins and outs of ABA therapy billing. Thankfully, Your Missing Piece can help. As a provider of turnkey ABA billing services, we handle a variety of different areas of billing, including ensuring that your billing is compliant, that you don’t have to worry about the administrative aspects of billing, and that you have access to the latest ABA therapy billing expertise.
Contact us to learn more about how Your Missing Piece can help you.