Traversing the Labyrinth of 3rd-Party Payers

A Mental Health Clinician's Guide to Provider Paneling, Assistant Networks, and the General Finances of Working With Insurance

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Questions about credentialing and billing with 3rd-party payers come up frequently for mental health providers. This course is here as a guide. In this course, we will cover:

  • An introduction to 3rd-party credentialing and how to do it
  • How to research the needs of your community demographics
  • Finding the right insurance companies to be credential with
  • Developing a clear 3rd party payment policy to communicate to your clients
  • Getting the right systems and processes to handle the task
  • Creating in-network vs. out-of-network payment policies and procedures.
  • The in’s and out’s of CPT codes and medical billing
  • Learning when to outsource and contracting with billing companies
  • Understanding types of insurance plans, co-pays, coinsurance and deductibles.
  • Options for checking benefits and what you can expect to be paid
  • Third party payment flowcharts and templates
  • How to increase and get higher average per session rates
  • How to negotiate insurance contracts for higher reimbursement rates.
  • Using dashboards to track payments and receivables.


Your Instructor


Gordon Brewer & David Hall
Gordon Brewer & David Hall

L. Gordon Brewer, MEd, LMFT

Gordon is the owner and president of Kingsport Counseling Associates, PLLC in Kingsport, TN, a small and dynamic group practice serving a rural population. Gordon is a licensed marital and family therapist and is an AAMFT approved supervision. Gordon is also the host of the Practice of Therapy Podcast and provides consulting for practice owners looking at financial planning, improved organization, and leading a insurance based practice.


S. David Hall, PsyD, LMFT, LPC

Dr. Stephen "David" Hall is the founder and director of Haven Counseling Center in Knoxville, TN where he leads a team of over 10 therapists in serving their community in a mid-size city. David is licensed in marriage & family therapy and in mental health counseling, and serves as a supervisor for post-graduate therapists. David also leads a continuing education and consulting group called PsychMaven, and helps practice owners looking at private pay client growth and alternative income sources such as medication management and workshops.


Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
This a home-study course that you can access and work through at your convenience
How long do I have access to the course?
As a premium business course, you have a lifetime access to the course material across all of your devices
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
Can I earn continuing education (CE) hours with this course?
Yes. Though Practice of Therapy is not currently an approved continuing education provider, this course is mirrored with PsychMaven, who provides CE hours as a part of their version of the course. PsychMaven is offering free enrollment in their version of the course for those enroll with Practice of Therapy for the course. PsychMaven's version of the course comes with 3 continuing education (CE) hours under NBCC. See end of the course for access

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