Your clinician started seeing patients, the first claims went out, and the denials came back. Payers consolidate, supervision billing rules change by carrier, and MCO enrollment adds steps a commercial panel never had. Practices that reach us have usually been through this once already.
HRG provides behavioral health billing services alongside credentialing and contracting, so a claim does not leave the building before the provider behind it is enrolled. The two run under one roof, which means an enrollment delay shows up as a billing problem you can see and fix.
A note on scope. NPDB queries, credentialing committee determinations, exclusion screening decisions, and privileging approvals remain the responsibility of the client under federal and payer requirements. A credentialing partner like HRG supports the surrounding workflow. That includes documentation, tracking, payer follow-up, and file management. The client retains authority over decisions that require its direct attestation and oversight.
Why Behavioral Health Denials Come Back After You Fix the Claim
Most repeat denials in behavioral health start upstream of the claim. A clinician is enrolled individually but the group enrollment is still pending, or the billing provider does not match what the payer holds on file, or a supervised clinician's services go out under a rule that a different payer reads differently. Correcting the single claim clears one denial. Fixing the enrollment record or the encounter form ends the pattern.
HRG works each denial when it arrives, responds within 24 to 48 hours, and traces it back to the record or workflow that caused it. Clients see denial reductions of 15 to 30 percent.
For the payer rules behind these denials, read navigating complex payer rules in behavioral health billing.
Credentialing Through the First Paid Claim
Behavioral health revenue starts on the enrollment date, not the hire date. A provider file takes about 5 to 10 days to assemble. Medicare and Medicaid enrollment each run about 30 to 45 days. Commercial enrollment runs about 90 to 120 days. Individual and group credentialing are separate processes with separate queues, and a clinician who starts seeing commercial patients in week three is seeing patients the practice cannot bill cleanly for months.
Profile maintenance is the second place revenue leaks. CAQH, now DataSpring, requires attestation every 120 days, and it lapses often. HRG maintains provider profiles every 30 days, and since moving to that cycle HRG has seen roughly 90 percent fewer A/R issues from outdated provider data.
The full process sits on the credentialing and contracting page.
Contracting Is Negotiable, Not a Formality
A payer's first rate offer is a starting point. HRG negotiates directly with payers on your behalf, reviews the fee schedule, and prepares the payer-facing justification for the rates your practice needs. When a payer resists a blanket increase, HRG pursues carved-out rates for high-value CPT codes. If a payer turns the request down, HRG re-engages after 6 months and files appeals.
HRG pursues favorable rates and outcomes. Payers make the final rate and coverage decisions.
How HRG Handles Behavioral Health Billing
HRG works inside your existing EHR, so your team keeps its workflow and does not learn a new system. The work covers clearinghouse connections and encounter forms, daily charge capture, and claim submission targeted within 48 hours of service. Our teams are 100 percent U.S.-based with no offshore handoffs.
Across HRG's book, first-pass claim acceptance runs at 98 percent, and clients see revenue collection increases of 15 to 30 percent. Those gains come from process changes, not new billable services.
HRG does not perform coding, though coding consultation is available as needed. Prior authorization stays with your practice, and HRG advises on the workflow around it.
What Behavioral Health Practices Say
"They stepped in with support and knowledge in this industry that made the whole process so much easier than if I were doing it myself. I consider them a part of my team."
Vicki Harkness, behavioral health practice
"I could not have opened my office doors had it not been for their attention to detail and the excellent work they did."
Ashley Hosek, private therapy practice
Behavioral Health Billing Questions, Answered
Does HRG provide mental health billing services for therapy practices?
Yes. HRG supports behavioral health group practices and private therapy practices with billing, credentialing, and contracting. The complete guide to behavioral health provider services covers the service range in more detail.
What if a payer has closed its panel to new behavioral health providers?
Panel access is the payer's decision. HRG pursues enrollment and rates where a path exists, and the payer makes the final call.
Does HRG handle prior authorization?
No. Prior authorization stays with your practice and clinical team. HRG advises on the workflow and handles the billing consequences, including denials, appeals, and A/R recovery.
How does HRG charge for behavioral health billing?
Credentialing is hourly, on a one-page contract that goes month to month, with no minimums and no auto-renewal. Billing is a longer-term agreement scoped to your practice during onboarding. HRG lists no rates on the site.