Saturday Workshop: The New ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes and Other Insurance Essentials EVERY Therapist Should Know, presented by Barbara Griswold, LMFT

MARIN COUNTY CHAPTER OF CAMFT

SATURDAY WORKSHOP

SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

The New ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes and Other Insurance Essentials EVERY Therapist Should Know

Barbara Griswold, LMFT

This is a time of great change in the healthcare industry, including a new DSM-5, healthcare reform, and now ALL DIAGNOSIS CODES WILL BE CHANGING AS OF OCTOBER 1st.  More clients now have insurance coverage, and will want therapists who accept their insurance.  Is a private-pay only practice still viable?  Must working with insurance mean fee discounts, limited sessions, mountainous paperwork, and micromanagement of treatment? 

This essential and entertaining workshop gives you all the training you didn’t get in grad school, and addresses what EVERY therapist should know, whether you are an insurance novice, veteran, or even if you never sign a plan contract.  Insurance plans can still review treatment with out of network providers, so what you don’t know can hurt you and your clients. 

Time permitting, topics may include:

• What you need to know about the coming ICD-10 diagnosis code changes that will affect EVERY therapist
• What you need to know about the Affordable Care Act – and what it could mean for your practice
• New participation options, and how to get in the door at “full” health plans and Medi-Cal
•  How to turn first-time callers into clients – even if you aren’t on their health plan
• The 13 essential questions to ask about your client’s coverage
• Tips for filling out the CMS-1500 claim form or your invoices to avoid costly denials
• The secret to treatment reviews, and getting more treatment approved: “medical necessity”
• The pros and cons of working with insurance, what you are getting into, and how to make it easier
• If time: Confidentiality, fraud, and common billing practices that could cost you your license
• Note: this workshop does not take the place of an in-depth DSM-5 workshop

Barbara Griswold, LMFT, is the author of Navigating the Insurance Maze: The Therapist's Complete Guide to Working with Insurance -- And Whether You Should (www.theinsurancemaze.com), now out in its fifth edition. In private practice in San Jose, California, she has been a provider for more than 20 insurance plans for over 20 years.  She has been interviewed on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” and for Psychotherapy Finances magazine.   She is a past member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Ethics Committee and Board of Directors and is a former BBS examiner.  She writes a free monthly insurance e-newsletter for therapists, and invites therapists to contact her with their insurance questions and problems.

• Date: Saturday, September 12, 2015
• Time: 9:00 PM to 1:00 PM
• Location: Corte Madera Town Center                                     770 Tamalpais Drive, Room 201                                           Corte Madera, CA 94925 

Refund Policy: Requests for refunds must be in writing and received by the Director at Large for Programs no later than ten days before the program. There will be a $25.00 administrative fee to cancel registration for any program. The refund will be sent within ten days of the request.

Accommodation for Special Needs: The special needs of persons with disabilities will be accommodated. The Program Committee will endeavor to assure that continuing education program materials, content and venue selections will meet the special needs of the disabled and that reasonable accommodation will be made. A request for accommodation can be made to the Director at Large for Programs, who will work with the Committee and event venue to meet the need.

Grievance Procedure: Marin CAMFT will respond to complaints in a reasonable, ethical and timely manner, when submitted by program attendees in writing to the Director at Large for Programs.

Anti-Discrimination Policy: Marin CAMFT shall not discriminate against any individual or group with respect to any service, program or activity based on gender, race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age or other prohibited basis. Marin CAMFT does not require attendees to adhere to any particular religion or creed in order to participate in training. Marin CAMFT will not promote or advocate for a single modality of treatment that is discriminatory or likely to harm clients based on current accepted standards or practice.

CEU APPROVALS: CAMFT approval of CEU Provider status is pending for Marin CAMFT to provide CEUs for its programs. This workshop will qualify to receive 4 CEUs for LMFTs, LCSWs, LEPs and LPCCs. Contact Laurie Buntain, Director-at-Large for Programs for updates.

4  CEUs for Psychologists and RNs will be provided by the Spiritual Competency Resource Center, which is approved by the APA to provide CE for psychologists and by the CBN to provide CE for RNs. Contact David Lukoff, Phd or call 727 763 3576 for more information.