Students ranging from elementary to college, have faced an unprecedented mental health challenge. US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona states, “Even before the disruption, isolation, and trauma of the pandemic, youth rates of anxiety and depression, and other mental health challenges were on the rise, and too many students suffered in silence.” With more than one in three high school students reporting poor mental health, students’ mental health has reached a critical point.

Research has shown that children and young people learn more, report feeling safer, and develop more trusting relationships with their peers and teachers when their social and emotional needs are met with certified and accessible mental health professionals. Based on that research, the US Department of Education has identified over $1 billion for school based counseling through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act over the next five years.
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These funds will not only allow schools to increase the number of mental health professionals on staff, it will also provide resources to build the necessary infrastructure to ensure success. Mental health screening, prevention, reporting and ongoing therapeutic interventions are crucial for a successful school based mental health program. For more information on funding, you can view this website for more information on this funding here.
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If you are a behavioral health provider for school/education, addictions, substance use disorder, social worker or any provider offering services to students in K-12, college or universities, and are looking for additional resources to assist your prevention, treatment and/or recovery process for practice, OakTree Practice Management has the tools to streamline your workflow. Get a free demo by clicking here.

The term revenue cycle management (RCM) refers to the financial process surrounding a healthcare appointment. RCM can also often be referred to as behavioral health or medical billing. No matter what name you give it, RCM takes more skills and knowledge to complete than you may think. Keep reading to learn about the steps in the revenue cycle and the benefits of outsourcing its management.

The Complete Revenue Cycle
How many steps does the revenue cycle have? The answer depends on who you ask. Many sources list about seven to nine different steps in the process. Here are nine medical billing steps to give you the full picture:

1. Charge Capture: The provider assigns their clinical services charges in a centralized system.
2. Coding: While the provider gives each service a charge, they can also match them to the proper ICD codes.
3. Pre-Registration: During their first contact with a client, the provider obtains basic clinical and financial information.
4. Registration: After pre-registration, the provider will get further information and the client’s permission to create a clinical record.
5. Claim Submission: Before requesting a payment from the client, the provider must submit a claim to the insurer using software or by contacting them.
6. Third-Party Follow-Up: If necessary, the provider will also get in touch with any third-party payers.
7. Utilization Review: The insurance company determines if the service received is covered under the plan and clinically/medically necessary.
8. Collections: Once the insurer reviews the claim, the provider can calculate the client’s bill and charge it to them.
9. Remittance Processing: After the client submits their payment, the provider reviews all aspects of the bill and accepts or rejects the payment.

The order of these steps can vary, but they all have an important role to play in behavioral health/medical billing. Making a mistake during one task can result in mistakes in further steps. Accuracy and efficiency are critical to successful RCM.

Benefits of Outsourced Revenue Cycle Management
While behavioral health/medical billing seems simple at first glance, it requires dedicated attention, resources and skills. Both small and large healthcare practices can have difficulty giving billing the care it needs. Outsourced billing services have the training and resources to complete RCM correctly and efficiently. An established RCM provider will look out for you by keeping records secure and finding ways to increase reimbursements. RCM services can complete the billing steps for you so you can focus on your clients.