Wiki LPC Registered Associate Billing

[nwu2889]

Hello,

I am unsure how billing would be for an LPC Registered Associate (we are in Oregon). LPC registered associates are not licensed, but are in the process of obtaining licensure. Are they able to bill under their supervisor? are their services ever billable on their own? Thank you!

 

[hellosprout]

LPC associates can bill medicaid (OHP) using their own NPIs, but you have to have an single case agreement or some other contract with whichever CCO you may want to bill to. For private insurance (MODA, BCBS, PacSource, etc) some commercial insurance plans allow incident-to billing (you perform the services but the services are billed using the license of your clinical supervisor)--if you work in a large mental health agency, incident-to billing is pretty common but you need to look up which payer specifically because not all allow incident-to billing (BCBS does, but I don't know of the others off the top of my head).
if you are an individual practitioner then incident-to billing is probably not appropriate, and you'd want to discuss any ethical weirdness about billing under another clinician's license (liability, etc)