Do you remember just a few years ago when behavioral health telehealth was a rare, optional service? Today it’s no longer a backup plan — it’s a lifeline for behavioral health care. It’s true that virtual care has been a game-changer for patients, but the sudden shift to telehealth has also left many clinics playing catch-up on the administrative side.
If this sounds like your clinic, you’re not alone. It takes time to figure out how to streamline billing, manage virtual check-ins, and get patients connected without a tech crisis. You need strategies and workflows that go as smoothly online as they do in-person. The key to success is to make sure you know, understand, and implement telehealth administration best practices.
It doesn’t matter if your clinicians see patients face-to-face or through a screen — the workflow is the practice’s backbone. Without a solid telehealth process, you’re setting yourself up for more headaches (and let’s be honest, you probably have enough of those already).
Here’s how to get it right:
A good place to start is by mapping out a clear procedure for your behavioral health telehealth services that includes the entire appointment cycle. Think of this like a roadmap: your patients need to understand where they’re going and how to get there with as few detours as possible.
Make sure your patients know:
If you want to make things truly stress-free for patients, give them easy-to-follow instructions and offer test runs for the tech-challenged. This saves everyone time and ensures consistency.
We’ve all heard the phrase “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” A pre-session checklist is your secret weapon for success. This ensures everything — forms, insurance verification, tech setup — is handled before your session even starts.
Make sure the checklist includes verifying that patients have submitted necessary paperwork and checked their tech setup. This prevents last-minute chaos and ensures you have all the documents you need before the session starts.
The days of paper forms are gone. If you haven’t already, it’s time to embrace electronic forms for things like patient intake, insurance verification, and informed consent. Digital forms simplify the process for your staff and patients.
There’s no front desk and no clipboard when your patients are on the other side of a screen. So, how do you keep things moving?
Think of a patient portal or telehealth platform with built-in check-in features as your new best friend. Patients can confirm their attendance, update their information, and verify their insurance details — all before their session starts.
Save yourself (and your staff) the trouble of chasing down patients. Set up automated text or call reminders that guide patients through the digital check-in process and reduce those frustrating no-shows. Patients appreciate the nudge, and you get peace of mind knowing they’re prepared before logging in.
Gaps in patient records can lead to billing errors — or worse — interruptions in care. With behavioral health telehealth, accurate documentation is non-negotiable. The key is to make sure your systems are seamless by:
An EHR that integrates with your telehealth platform is your golden ticket to easy documentation. Everything — from session notes to billing updates — stays in one system, keeping things organized and reducing mistakes. Also, an integrated EHR means you don’t have to chase down missing files or manually input data across platforms.
Send digital assessments and surveys either before or after sessions to collect patient-reported outcomes, update treatment plans, and track progress. These tools save time while providing valuable data that helps your clinicians adjust care in real-time.
Your clinical and administrative teams need to stay on the same page during behavioral health telehealth sessions. Use an internal messaging system or task management tool to ensure seamless communication. Think of it as a walkie-talkie for your virtual office.
If you thought billing was tricky before, telehealth can add a whole new layer of complexity. The trick to telehealth billing is having the right system to keep revenue flowing smoothly. Make sure you’re doing these things:
Automating insurance verification means you lower the chance of surprises, like services not being covered or claims being rejected. This is critical for reducing telehealth billing headaches and keeping your revenue cycle intact.
Payment hiccups are awkward in person, but in behavioral health telehealth, they can derail the whole experience. Encourage patients to pay their co-pay or session fee during check-in with online payment options. This can be through the patient portal or a secure payment link.
Telehealth-specific billing codes and modifiers can be a minefield. Keep your billing staff up-to-date on correct CPT codes and modifiers to avoid rejected claims. After all, who wants to leave money on the table?
If you want to improve your telehealth performance, you’ve got to track it. It’s comparable to tuning up a car — without regular maintenance, things will start to break down. Follow these must-dos:
Keep tabs on important stats like no-show rates, patient satisfaction, and billing efficiency. These metrics give you a clear picture of how well your telehealth service is working and where improvements can be made.
Want to know what’s really working and what’s not? Ask the people who use it every day. Send post-session surveys to patients and staff to get honest feedback on the telehealth experience.
Look for patterns. Are patients frequently late? Are billing errors common? Use data to identify inefficiencies and fix them — whether it’s improving your scheduling process or tweaking how you collect payments.
Good communication is the foundation of any successful telehealth practice, and that includes setting the right expectations from the very start. Make sure to:
To have a successful telehealth service, you must make things as easy, stress-free, and convenient for patients (and staff) as possible. The key is to set up systems that support your practice and keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.
Looking for a telehealth solution that integrates seamlessly with your EHR system? Schedule a demo today to see how ClinicTracker can help you optimize your virtual practice’s administrative workflows and billing processes.